Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Raleigh’s Appearance Ayatollahs are at it again. Three companies that plan downtown office towers want to put their logos on the buildings. And, since the buildings are bigger, they want the city to allow bigger signs – 2.5 times the size allowed today. Sounds reasonable to me. After all, the city moved heaven and earth…
My despair deepens over the Wake County school bonds. I see no sign that county leaders understand the public-opinion mountain they have to climb to pass a $1 billion bond issue this fall. In fact, the signs are bad. Starting with the big announcement that two big names will head the campaign: Bill Atkinson, president…
When an issue is popular just try to get between a politician and the limelight and you take your life in your hands. But when politicians start appointing task forces and committees to promote issues look out – it’s a sure sign the issue is unpopular. Otherwise, the politicians would be leading the charge themselves,…
That’s an idea from Ben Stein. You remember Ben: the boring teacher intoning “Bueller … Bueller … Bueller” in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Stein is also a funny, acerbic conservative writer who I enjoy reading and disagreeing with usually. But he has a good idea: Yes, raise the gas tax, as some environmentalists say. Maybe…
Last week I got an email from an old friend who is active in Raleigh politics. He took issue with my recent analysis of city politics – and my warning that Mayor Meeker’s spending policies could present a problem for Raleigh Democrats. I’m not going to use my friend’s name, because he didn’t say whether…
John Edwards, who has made a political career of standing up on issues – like poverty – that are virtually non-controversial has found one more. Edwards is for: Home. He is publishing a book Home: The Blueprints of our Lives, which features profiles of the homes of Bob Dole, John Glenn, Maya Lin, Jake Gyllenhall…
Here’s a wise use of our education lottery money. The Executive Director of the State Lottery is going to climb into a hot air balloon and sail it over the Raleigh beltline with two banners flapping in the wind promoting ‘Powerball.’ The cost of this PR stunt is $6,200. In the meantime, while the lottery…
Hugh Morton, who died this week, was one of the most maddeningly persistent men I ever met. He was also one of the sweetest souls I ever knew. Hugh about drove me crazy when he pushed and pushed to get Jim Hunt and Jesse Helms together to save the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. He got it…
…is the way the Senate Democrats are hammering House Speaker Jim Black. Marc Basnight, the Senate leader, is one of the all-time North Carolina political powerhouses, wheeler-dealers. He is also interesting. Because he has the ability to surprise. Basnight’s surprise this year is all the punches the Senate is throwing at House Speaker Black. First,…
Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…
A reassuring lesson from our trip to Germany and Czechia is that dictators, despots and tyrants…
Gwyn and I just returned from a 12-day journey through 1,000 years of history in Germany…