The N.C. Board of Elections grilled a top officer in the N.C. Optometric Society this afternoon — asking him why optometrists were encouraged to write blank checks for political campaigns in recent election cycles.
Optometrist Charles Pruden of Wilson said he didn’t know why his colleagues decided to funnel campaign contributions to candidates through the signed checks that included no dates or “payee” names.
Pruden has been the society’s secretary-treasurer for 17 years. He told the elections board he had no idea why money was collected that way.
“Why do you handle money this way?” board member Charles Winfree asked. “Is it because it can’t be easily traced?”
When Pruden gave no reason, Winfree responded: “It appears the society did not want the public to know where the money is going.”
