How Politics Works
2012-12-05 - by
Back in 2005, Governor Mike Easley pulled strings and got his wife a job at North Carolina State University running what he called a ‘speakers series;’ then the Governor pulled more strings and got his wife a new job paying more, $170,000 a year; then the Governor’s string-pulling landed on the front page of the News & Observer, a scandal erupted, the chancellor at NCSU resigned, and the Board of Trustees fired Mrs. Easley.
Mrs. Easley ‘retired,’ began drawing a $37,000 per year state pension, then sued the university for a million dollars for breach of contract (because they fired her a year into her five year contract).
Last August, the university quietly settled with Mrs. Easley. Last week the settlement landed on the front page of the News & Observer. Here’s how it worked: The university agreed to ‘unretire’ Mrs. Easley (for the last three years), recalculated her pension as if she’d actually been earning $170,000 a year, and, voila, Mrs. Easley’s pension doubled to $80,000 per year.
The News & Observer says given Mrs. Easley’s life expectancy she just won a million dollar settlement. The new chancellor at NCSU says that’s a good deal. And here’s how politics works: The Governor pulls strings, his wife gets a $170,000 a year job, a scandal erupts, she gets fired, the old chancellor resigns, three years later Mrs. Easley comes out of retirement, doesn’t work another day, retires again, doubles her pension, and the new chancellor says that’s a good deal.
How Politics Works
2012-12-05/
Back in 2005, Governor Mike Easley pulled strings and got his wife a job at North Carolina State University running what he called a ‘speakers series;’ then the Governor pulled more strings and got his wife a new job paying more, $170,000 a year; then the Governor’s string-pulling landed on the front page of the News & Observer, a scandal erupted, the chancellor at NCSU resigned, and the Board of Trustees fired Mrs. Easley.
Mrs. Easley ‘retired,’ began drawing a $37,000 per year state pension, then sued the university for a million dollars for breach of contract (because they fired her a year into her five year contract).
Last August, the university quietly settled with Mrs. Easley. Last week the settlement landed on the front page of the News & Observer. Here’s how it worked: The university agreed to ‘unretire’ Mrs. Easley (for the last three years), recalculated her pension as if she’d actually been earning $170,000 a year, and, voila, Mrs. Easley’s pension doubled to $80,000 per year.
The News & Observer says given Mrs. Easley’s life expectancy she just won a million dollar settlement. The new chancellor at NCSU says that’s a good deal. And here’s how politics works: The Governor pulls strings, his wife gets a $170,000 a year job, a scandal erupts, she gets fired, the old chancellor resigns, three years later Mrs. Easley comes out of retirement, doesn’t work another day, retires again, doubles her pension, and the new chancellor says that’s a good deal.