Wow — did not know the new N.C. State trustees chairman is former chief Golden LEAF-blower S. Lawrence Davenport (he’s still on the board there — the chairmanship rotates). They couldn’t have chosen a more insiderish insider to continue the political patty-cake legacy of McQueen Campbell, as he launches the panel that will “investigate” the circumstances that led to the hiring of Mary Easley for her useless job.

Davenport was a Jim Black appointee to Golden LEAF almost from its inception (it may have been from its inception, not sure). Ever since in that role he instantly ingratiated himself also with the other leaders of the NC Banana Republic: former Gov. Mike Easley and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight. Ten years ago Golden LEAF began its life as the Democratic leadership’s slush fund, taking half of the Tar Heel tobacco settlement revenues and diverting it to inspirational projects such as an elitist equestrian park (PDF — see cover story) and a tobacco processing plant(!) (also PDF — see page 4).

From there Davenport presided over Golden LEAF as it awarded grants that could benefit his family’s business, and also as it approved a massive grant for biotechnology initiatives that Basnight and Easley pushed for in 2002:

Minutes from Golden LEAF?s May 23 emergency
meeting state that three days earlier, Davenport and other Foundation
officials met with the co-chairs of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, at the senators? request. Davenport said the chairs
?informed the Foundation representatives that they would like to see
the Foundation assist the State during the current financial crisis,?
according to the minutes. The minutes also state that Davenport asked
LEAF board members to ?consider the proper course of action…and be
prepared to discuss specific options? at a meeting May 30. That
followup meeting introduced a plan to create a Special Committee for
Economic Development Initiatives, which formally met the first time
June 3. The committee would be ?responsible for exploring options and
strategies for a major economic stimulus package? that Golden LEAF
would consider.

Meanwhile, Basnight and the Senate Appropriations cochairmen apparently
increased pressure upon Golden LEAF?s leaders. In a lengthy e-mail
message to board members June 12, LEAF President Valeria Lee revealed
the demands placed upon the Foundation:

?It will come as no surprise to you that the past 10 days have been
especially challenging,? Lee wrote. ?At every turn the Foundation is
being forced to address the prospects of ?interception? of the next
[tobacco settlement] payments, making a grant to fill state revenue
gaps, offers of special initiatives, and other creative options for
using the corpus of the Foundation.?

Laughably, Davenport at the time tried to provide cover for the political leadership:

When the Golden LEAF biotechnology press
conference was held Aug. 14, board chairman S. Lawrence Davenport told
reporters that Golden LEAF remained separate from political influence.
?It?s certainly more independent than anything else we have in this
state,? he said.

Golden LEAF continues its fiefdom in servitude to the Democratic leadership to this day. Davenport heading the NCSU trustees continues that grand tradition.