Here’s a really outrageous story.

The head of the northeastern North Carolina Regional Mental Health Agency’s salary is: $319,000 a year (Charlotte Observer, 06-03-07).

Plus a $1000 a month car allowance.

Of course, the Governor only makes a fraction of that – as does the head of the much bigger Mecklenburg County Mental Health Agency – so it provoked an outcry.

But an unrepentant Dare County Commissioner – who is on the board that approved the contract – wasn’t apologizing one bit. Richard Johnson said defiantly, “Charlie is absolutely the best in the state. A lot of people think Michael Jordan wasn’t worth what he got paid.”

I wonder if he and Charlie are related?

It gets worse.

It turns out the head of the Mental Health Agency, Charlie Franklin, wanted to retire in 2005. The solution? He formed a company – with one employee (him) – to do the same work as an independent contractor. So he pulled in $319,000 from the Mental Health Agency and $157,000 in retirement checks.

It gets worse.

The lawyer who handled that contract for the Mental Health Agency “was also Franklin’s lawyer in setting up his one-person company.”

It gets worse.

The Albemarle Mental Health Agency has now hired a Raleigh public relations firm for $30,000 a year. It’s answering questions from the press.

Don’t that beat all you ever heard.

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