What is it about House Democrats and office buildings?

Earlier this year, Democratic Representative Thomas Wright landed in hot water for using campaign funds to buy an office building in Wilmington. Now, former Speaker Jim Black is trying to explain away the $500,000 he got from a lobbyist and deposited in his campaign by saying it was a loan (from the helpful lobbyist) to renovate a building he owned in Charlotte, but he accidentally put the money into his campaign account (The Charlotte Observer, 7-13-07).

Accidentally? Putting a $25 contribution into the wrong account might be an accident. But a half-a-million-dollar check?

Jim Black’s just digging this hole deeper. Even if the tale is true, what’s a lobbyist doing giving the Speaker of the State House an unsecured half-a-million-dollar loan (without even asking for a written agreement)?

The House Democratic Caucus ought to pass a rule: No Democratic legislator with an active campaign checking account can invest in an office building.

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