RALEIGH
The latest allegations of possible favors given to former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley and his wife have government watchdog groups disappointed, but not surprised.
"There is case after case of bizarre behavior, from free country-club dues to taking free air flights to free cars to a job for his wife, and now this. At the very least, this is very poor judgment for a sitting governor to engage in business deals with people seeking assistance from his administration," said Chris Fitzsimon, the director of N.C. Policy Watch.
The latest questions surrounding Easley stem from a report by the Raleigh News & Observer that Easley was given a 25 percent discount on property he bought in 2005 on Bogue Sound in Carteret County. The deed registered with the county doesn't include the discount, recording the price as $549,880, and a spokeswoman said a year after the purchase that the governor paid the nonnegotiable asking price for the lot.
The $137,000 discount could be considered a gift, and under law, any gifts over $200 have to be reported on state ethics forms.
A political consultant now working with Easley said the discount was not a gift and Easley was given the same offer made to anyone else buying land in the subdivision. Ace Smith also threatened legal action, saying the closing documents reviewed by the News & Observer should be confidential.
Several men involved in the subdivision were Easley allies and campaign donors, including McQueen Campbell, whose name has repeatedly been on subpoenas that federal authorities have sent as part of a wide-ranging investigation into Easley's travel and his wife's work.
Campbell, who has since resigned as chairman of the N.C. State University board of trustees, helped Mary Easley get a job with the school.
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