Gov. Pat McCrory has proposed a major overhaul handles economic development. Open government advocates are concerned about what that might involve. As Dan Way reports for Carolina Journal:
While the McCrory administration is hailing an overhaul of the way North Carolina recruits business, open government advocates worry that the new North Carolina Economic Development Partnership may perpetuate the state’s system of closed-door dealings and secret incentives. The General Assembly has put the brakes on the changes as well.
“There has always been a concern with the Department of Commerce and economic development because they claim they can’t make data available until they clinch the deal,” said Jane Pinsky, director of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform.
“Unfortunately, there’s a lot of times when things are happening and no one knows what’s going on, and I’m afraid this will follow right in that path,” Pinsky said. “Every time we do something in secrecy it diminishes citizens’ confidence in government.”
You can read more of Dan’s article here.
