When he gets back from Italy, Governor Easley needs to end this no-win email war with the media.

The fight has poisoned his relationships with the media, especially The News & Observer. It led to a lawsuit. And he’s been put on the defensive.

The longer this goes on, the more distractions he will face, the more he will be an even lamer duck and the more he will put his legacy at risk.

It’s time for the NASCAR-loving Governor to get in the passing lane. He needs a solution that defuses the confrontation, disarms his critics and puts him out front. Like this:

• Direct that all state employees – repeat, all state employees – must save all emails sent and received. Repeat, all emails. Yes, all 500,000 a day (after spam).

• Request a special appropriation, if needed, to pay for the hardware and brainpower to figure out how to store the emails so they can all be available for anyone to inspect at any time. Tell the media – and the public – to have at it: they can look at any and every email sent to and from anybody who works for the state.

• House this repository in a building located conveniently in the capital complex and named for Franklin Freeman.

Well, I’m not serious about number three. But there ought to be some kind of monument for a man who has survived as many state government battles as Franklin has – and who served as chief of staff for both Governors Hunt and Easley. All without knowing how to turn on a computer, let alone send an email.

The best thing about this solution – along with putting the mess behind him – is the pleasure Easley will have in future years watching his successors struggle with what he wrought.

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