We warned ya the pork was coming — and boy is it. The Raleigh sausage factory is starting to grind out a budget.
Already $6 million is slated to come to Mecklenburg to cover Jim Black’s promise to Johnson & Wales. That is 140 percent more funding from the pork pot than the piddling $4.3 million the General Assembly has stooped to throw at the county’s backlogged criminal justice system.
To recap, the knuckle-draggers in control of the state budget more highly value a crook’s promise to a cooking school than a fundamental function of civil society. We could have $10.3 million to lock up crooks, instead $6 million will go to settle a crook’s handshake deal with cooks.
The intent to honor Jim “Money Sacks” Black’s promise has been known since Paul Chesser detailed the move in a Carolina Journal story back in February. What is clear now is that keeping that promise is the single highest priority for the county delegation. Chesser reported:
Black wrote in a letter May 23, 2002, to then-University President Jack Yena: “You have my personal commitment of support for a $10 million investment over the next five years by the State of North Carolina for this project.” In his own letter two weeks later, Basnight wrote, “…You have my commitment to make our best efforts to secure $1 million immediately for the Johnson & Wales University campus in Charlotte and the remaining $9 million over the next five years by the state of North Carolina for this project.” Gov. Mike Easley at the time offered support but no specific financial promise.
But no official agreement between the state and Johnson & Wales is in place.
“[The Department of Commerce] does not…have any incentive agreements with them,” Commerce Department legal counsel Don Hobart said in an e-mail message.
Dennis Wicker, a lawyer for the Raleigh firm of Helms, Mullis & Wicker, which represents Johnson & Wales, said the state has a “moral obligation” to pay the school the $6 million balance it is owed. But he admitted that no legal documents exist that bind the state to fund the school.
Reading between the lines, it is possible that state officials fear getting sued by Johnson & Wales. The correct response should be — Bring it on! Jim Black is a liar and a felon and Mark Basnight has no legal authority behind his promise. Sorry, no deal.
But it sure sounds like many, many folks in Raleigh do not like the idea of another court case involving Jim Black, money, and politics. Now why could that be?
Instead they are perfectly willing to take millions in scarce state money and continue to do Jim Black’s bidding. Now why is that?
What is it about Jim Black that makes people act like chumps and dolts? A question for the ages — and the FBI.
