Posts by Gary Pearce
Taking out the Trash
It’s hard to tell who’s in charge at Raleigh’s City Hall when it comes to the sanitation workers’ protests. But it sure looks like City Manager Russell Allen has lost the City Council’s confidence. In fact, it looks like the Council – not Allen – made the decision to fire the city’s top sanitation managers.…
Read MoreRobinson plays to the sex card
One of our readers wonders whether Vernon Robinson has gone too far this time – with an ad claiming Rep. Brad Miller voted to fund sex research but not body armor. Factcheck.org calls the ad “distasteful” and “misleading.” Click here to read its analysis and view the ad: http://www.factcheck.org/article442.html. The website says: “Robinson accuses…Miller of…
Read MoreIt’s Not Just Democrats
Bill Clinton and Terror Politics
The Bush Administration seems to be doing everything it can to lose the war against terror, but I still don’t know if Democrats can win the political battle. The headlines are bad for Bush: Intelligence agencies say the Iraq war has spread terror instead of stopping it. Retired military officers bash Rumsfeld for malpractice. The…
Read MoreThey come to bury the Progress Board
An editorial in The News & Observer fondly hopes that Governor Easley’s appointees to lead the Progress Board – Mac McCorkle and John Merritt – will revive the board, which has been wandering in the wilderness for years now. Not a chance. The Progress Board has always been plagued by a fatal premise: Its supporters…
Read MoreRaleigh’s Art Fiasco
Nobody comes off well in the dispute over Raleigh’s downtown art. Would-be benefactor Jim Goodmon looks high-handed and arrogant. Mayor Charles Meeker gets blasted by Goodmon: “He followed the herd.” City Manager Russell Allen started the brouhaha, but couldn’t – or wouldn’t – stop it. Arts lovers sound elitist and condescending. The people of Raleigh…
Read MoreService Employees’ Union in Raleigh?
We’ve blogged earlier about the Service Employees International Union jumping into Raleigh’s City Council race last year. They’re back. We hear that SEIU representatives were in Raleigh this week – meeting with sanitation workers who then staged a slowdown. The SEIU is targeting public employees as part of its larger, more active and aggressive national…
Read MoreBush’s Grandiosity Is America’s Loss
Now George Bush says this is a “battle for civilization.” No it isn’t. And that’s exactly why he’s bad for America. Like all second-term Presidents, Bush yearns for a place in history. So his rhetoric grows ever-more overblown: The struggle against radical Islam is “the calling of our civilization.” “The safety of America depends on…
Read MoreRaleigh Hits a Dead End
First the federal government shot down Raleigh’s hopes for light-rail money. Now the State Board of Transportation has cut off the spigot. Who is to blame? Here are some nominees: The Mayor and City Council. Heckuva job lobbying, folks. And now Mayor Meeker is suggesting a half-cent local sales tax instead. The Wake County legislative…
Read MoreMeeker in 07 or 08?
Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker may set the record for most mentions as a potential candidate for statewide office. But my bet is that he runs again for Mayor. Rumors this summer had him looking at Attorney General (if Roy Cooper ran for Governor, which he won’t), State Treasurer (if Richard Moore runs for Governor, which…
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