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Governor Easley’s last chance to lead

Posted on March 29, 2007March 30, 2007 by Staff

By Chris Fitzsimon

Governor Mike Easley has had better months, and the way he responds to a recent flurry of bad news may define his last two years in office. Easley presented his budget to state lawmakers in late February, touting his proposal to remove more than half a million of the state’s poorest taxpayers from the tax rolls and to reduce taxes for another 600,000 people.

But a report from the N.C. Justice Center found that Easley’s plan would actually eliminate state income taxes for 71,000 people, not the 500,000 the governor suggested. Easley’s staff mounted a semantic defense in the media, saying his plan would cover that “universe of people.” The controversy has subsided for now, but is likely to return when the legislative staff analyzes Easley’s plan as lawmakers debate it.

Easley’s budget that called for major investments in education and economic development also touched off a controversy by including only $5 million for mental health services, when a consultant hired by his own Department of Health and Human Services said the system needed an infusion of billions of dollars, not millions.

Rep. Verla Insko, a leader in the General Assembly on mental health issues, recently introduced legislation that would allocate $190 million to the mental health system next year. Easley’s response continues to be that $5 million is all the Department asked for, reinforcing the view among many advocates for the mentally ill that the Administration does not view helping people with mental illness as a priority.

The N.C. Justice Center touched off more criticism of the administration with a report last week that questions the models that the Commerce Department uses to predict the economic benefits of business incentive packages. The report said the tax breaks given to Dell mean the plant will ultimately have a negative economic impact on the state of as much as $70 million.

Easley’s Commerce Department said the plant would mean an economic benefit to the state of more than $700 million. Administration officials are adamantly defending their rosy projections, but there has been no thorough legislative debate about the discrepancy, though the public deserves one.

The problems aren’t all just about taxes and economic forecasts. The News and Observer’s editorial page, generally sympathetic to Easley’s priorities, blasted him this week about his lack of attention to the state’s juvenile justice system. A recent audit found numerous problems with state institutions for juvenile offenders, including unsafe conditions and unusually high staff turnover.

The editorial asks in its headline, “where is the Governor?” not exactly the kind of publicity Easley’s public relations staff was seeking. But, fundamentally, it is the question at the heart of many of the criticisms of Easley’s administration—that despite a commendable commitment to education and bringing jobs to the state, Easley has largely been absent from the debates about many of the state’s biggest problems.

When he gets involved, his instincts seem right, as with his recent effort to stop the Navy from putting an outlying landing field in Washington County. Easley inserted himself into that debate while senators Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole have yet to take a position.

Isn’t the plight of the state’s mentally ill or the condition of the juvenile justice system just as important? A clue to why Easley has been reluctant to enter debates may come from the thin skin his administration has shown during the challenges to their tax proposals and incentive forecasts.

It is understandable to defend a position in the policy debate, but that defense ought to be thoughtful and reasoned, two qualities in short supply during the recent controversies.

Easley still has almost two years left in the governor’s mansion and this General Assembly session has really just gotten started. There is still time for him to weigh in on issues vital to the future of the state he leads. He is sure to face criticism from some quarters when he does, but that’s part of leadership too.

Let’s hope the lesson Easley takes from his rough month is to get more involved, not less. The challenges the state faces are immense and the people deserve a governor who is fully engaged and using the power of his office to address them.

Chris Fitzsimon is the director of N.C. Policy Watch.

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