THE DAILY HAYMAKER
by Brant Clifton • July 27, 2013
For years, the UNC Board of Governors has been known as a popular destination for political cronies seeking patronage payoffs. Though, recent scandals within the university system had prompted state Republicans to talk up the idea of shaking the place up.
A media report today indicates that House Speaker Thom
Tillis is working overtime to keep “business-as-usual” firmly in place:
When his fellow Republicans questioned why House
Speaker Thom Tillis backed a Democrat to the University of North Carolina Board
of Governors in March, the speaker had a simple reason:
R. Doyle Parrish had raised a lot of money.
“I would estimate he is directly responsible for
more than $100,000.00 in financial support through personal contributions to my
campaign committee and other candidates and through the Hospitality Alliance,”
Tillis wrote in a March 21 email to House leaders.
Oh. Okay. *THAT
is a good reason.* MORE:
Tillis also strongly supported G.A. Sywassink for
the board, even after the Republican caucus rejected Sywassink because he lives in South Carolina. The
House narrowly elected Sywassink after Tillis circulated a list of his
preferred candidates that included Sywassink.
Sywassink, owner of a Charlotte freight company,
had given $7,500 to Tillis’ campaign for the state House. In June, Sywassink
gave $25,000 and Parrish gave $20,000 to the super PAC supporting Tillis’ bid
for the U.S. Senate next year.
Tillis was not available for comment Friday, an
aide said. I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t be either.
More:
Democratic opponents said that Tillis was trading
appointments for campaign contributions, a charge frequently leveled by
Republicans when Democrats controlled the General Assembly and the Executive
Mansion.
“It sure sounds like a pay for play to me,” Rep.
Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat, said. “It seems pretty blatant.”
Jordan Shaw, Tillis’ spokesman, said Tillis was merely
surrounding himself with supporters who share his vision. Shaw said the Board
of Governors’ appointments took place in a rigorous and bipartisan fashion.
Shaw’s previous job was as spokesman for the N.C.
Republican Party. When Democrats were in power, Shaw and former Republican
Party chairman Tom Fetzer excoriated Democrats such as former Speaker Jim Black
and former governors Mike Easley and Bev Perdue, who they said put North
Carolina government up for sale to the highest bidder. Shaw said Republicans
don’t.
“That is not how we do business,” Shaw said.
How is this different from what Basnight, Black, Perdue, Easley and Hunt
did? Republicans came into town in 2011 promising an end to pay-to-play.
Stories
like this make them look like hypocrites and liars — and basically stomp out a
powerful piece of ammo the NCGOP had in its arsenal against Democrats.
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