Gov. Easley proposes ethic reforms

Easley proposes ethics board to monitor state lawmakers
News 14 Carolina Staff
May 17, 2006

Raleigh - Governor Mike Easley took steps to strengthen the state's ethics and lobbying laws Wednesday.

He proposed that an outside ethics board monitor state legislators. Under the proposed bill, all three branches of state government would abide by the same rules.

Easley said this would increase public faith in North Carolina’s government.

"The bill is simple and it’s direct, and it’s not the type of legislation that’s going to get bogged down with court challenges for years on end. I think it’s very important that we recognize we have to pass something that can be implemented immediately."

It's clearly ambitious - Horne compares the transition to "herding elephants with a toothbrush" - but teachers and school officials say they're excited to try something new. "I've been teaching 38 years, 32 at Scotland High," says Connie McCrommen, who will teach theater in the visual- and performing-arts school. "I think this is a really good idea. It's going to give us more contact with the kids." Students in the first two academies say the focus on careers kept them engaged. Senior Cortelia Jefferson, 18, was in the school of health sciences, and next year she's headed for Fayetteville State University, where she'll prepare for a career in nursing or some other health-related field. "It has given me lots of opportunities," she says.

Whether North Carolina's effort will indeed make the state a player on the global stage depends on how well schools like Guilford and Scotland succeed in their new mission. "Like every other state," says Vander Ark, "North Carolina has a lot of work to do." But when you're competing with China and India, failure is not an option.