|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mike Easley |
|
Mike Easley
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 6, 2001 |
|
| Lieutenant | Beverly Perdue |
| Preceded by | Jim Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Beverly Perdue |
|
|
|
| In office 1993 – 2001 |
|
| Governor | Jim Hunt |
| Preceded by | Lacy Thornburg |
| Succeeded by | Roy A. Cooper |
|
|
|
| Born | March 23, 1950 Rocky Mount, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Easley |
| Residence | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina Central University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Michael Francis (Mike) Easley (born March 23, 1950) is the governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina. He is a Democrat and North Carolina's second Catholic governor. Thomas Burke was the first,12 though Easley is the first elected by popular vote.
Easley was raised a Roman Catholic in otherwise overwhelmingly Protestant Nash County, North Carolina. His father, Alexander Easley,3 owned one of the two big tobacco warehouses in the area. Easley earned a degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972 While at UNC he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. He then attended the North Carolina Central University School of Law, earning his J.D. degree in 1976. His wife, Mary Easley, is a professor of law at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, and worked for ten years as a prosecutor.
Easley was elected District Attorney, one of the youngest ever in the state, in 1982.4
As Democrat, Easley ran unsuccessfully in that party's 1990 primary for the U.S. Senate; he lost to former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, who himself lost to incumbent Jesse Helms. Easley was elected North Carolina attorney general in 1992, serving during the administration of Governor Jim Hunt.
In 2000, Easley ran to succeed the term-limited Hunt as governor of North Carolina. He defeated incumbent Lt. Governor Dennis A. Wicker in the Democratic party primary, and then successfully challenged former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot (R) in the general election. Easley was reelected in 2004, running against New Hanover County's state senator, Patrick Ballantine.
Contents |
In the closing weeks of the 2000 gubernatorial race, actor Andy Griffith filmed an ad endorsing Easley, which some observers believe led to Easley's victory, called the "Mayberry Miracle."5
The early portions of Easley's term as Governor were marked by an emphasis on education reform. One of Easley's major programs was More at Four, a pre-kindergarten for at-risk children.
His tenure has faced budget shortfalls, tough economic times, and natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. Easley has gotten mixed reviews on his handling of fiscal problems in the state. His supporters claim many of the budget shortfall situations were created before he even took office, during the Hunt administration, while his detractors have criticized his support of raising sales taxes multiple times to cover the cost of new state programs.
During his administration, Easley has not been afraid to confront the state legislature. Easley is the first North Carolina governor to use the power of veto, which voters gave the governor's office in 1996. First, in November 2002, Easley vetoed legislation related to unqualified appointments to various boards and commissions. In June 2003, he vetoed a bill that stripped the State Board of Education of its authority to set teacher standards. In August 2003, he vetoed HB 917 which raised fees charged by finance companies. In July 2004, he vetoed HB 429 which would have required local governments to make cash payments to billboard owners of up to five times the annual revenue generated by the billboard upon its removal. In March 2005, he vetoed SB 130 which would have conveyed state property. In Sept. 2005, he vetoed HB 706 which would have affected teacher standards. In August 2007 he vetoed HB 1761, a controversial financial incentives bill which would have awarded up to forty million dollars to companies within the state. Easley has used his veto power a total of nine times as of 2008.6 His ninth veto was the first to be overriden by the legislature in North Carolina history.7
Easley ran for a second term as governor in 2004. He easily defeated Rickey Kipfer, his only opponent in the Democratic primary, and faced Republican former state senator Patrick Ballantine and Libertarian Barbara Howe in November 2004. Though the state voted for Republicans George W. Bush for president and Richard Burr as United States Senator, Easley won his second term as governor and Democrats reestablished control over both chambers of the state legislature (the House had been split equally between the two major parties since 2003).
Easley supported a controversial state-wide lottery, which was ultimately approved on August 31, 2005 after Lieutenant Governor Bev Perdue cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate.8 He has stated that proceeds from the lottery will be used for much-needed educational programs.
Easley has presided over 27 executions, including the 1000th after the death penalty was reintroduced in the United States in 1976. He, however, granted commutation to two death row inmates9. The North Carolina Governor has the sole right to commute death sentences imposed by a state court.
Easley declined to run against Elizabeth Dole for her Senate seat in 2008.10 He is considered to be a possible candidate for U.S. Senate to run against Sen. Richard Burr in 2010, but he has strongly denied interest in the race. The Raleigh News & Observer speculated in October 2006 that Easley was going to act like a presidential contender in order to position himself for the vice presidential nomination or a Cabinet post.11
In 2008, in a case that drew international attention, a North Carolina state trooper was filmed hanging and kicking a police dog he was training. After the trooper's superiors recommended minor punishment, Easley's office recommended that the trooper be fired.12 The case is ongoing, with the state's canine units currently suspended.12
As Governor, Easley is a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Democratic Governors Association.
Easley is somewhat more conservative than the Democratic leadership on some issues.citation needed For example, he supports some restrictions on abortions, advocates welfare reform, is against gun control, and is receptive to free trade issues. However, he is closer to the Democratic base on other issues. He supports the enactment of the Equal Rights Amendment, upholding Social Security,clarification needed increasing public healthcare funding for the poor and children, and providing services to illegal immigrants.citation needed
During the 2004 Democratic primaries, he supported North Carolina Senator John Edwards.
Easley endorsed the presidential candidacy of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on April 28, 2008. After Senator Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination, Easley endorsed him against Republican nominee John McCain.13
Easley has been beset by controversies since 2006, which have led to a decline in his popularity10 and public outrage.14 Easley has defended the use of taxpayer dollars for his and his wife Mary's trips overseas.15 Mary Easley took two trips out of the country, one to France and one to Russia and Estonia, for "cultural exchanges" at a cost of $109,000, including $27,000 for rental of a French Mercedes and almost $9,000 in hotel and Monet tour costs, months after the North Carolina Museum of Art's Monet exhibit had ended.15 A separate trip to Italy in April 2008 taken jointly by the Easleys resulted in more than $100,000 in charges to taxpayers, including $51,640 for a Mercedes and a chauffeur.15 Easley said: "I don't order the cars ... I don't pick out the menus. I don't decide the venues."15 Critics called the trips overly lavish in a time of economic downturn for the state.15 Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger said: "To have a 24-hour chauffered limosine sees to me to be a bit much. If you're in private business and you waste money like that, you're probably going to be let go."15
Although the director of the North Carolina Museum of Art defended Mary Easley's trips as possibly helping the museum to receive loaned art items from The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Raleigh News and Observer noted that no results of the trips were yet evident as of July 2008.16 State auditor Les Merritt released a report October 31, 2008 that found that 40% of the overseas charges were "unreasonable or unallowable."14 Mary Easley has hired state Senator Tony Rand as her lawyer in dealing with the state auditor.14
Merritt found that the $27,000, on-call chauffeured SUV often followed Mary Easley's tour bus through the countryside rather than serving as her transportation.14 In Russia, hundreds of dollars were charged to the state for both caviar and alcohol purchases.14 $45,000 in private funds from the NC Art Museum's foundation were used to reimburse the state following the auditor's finding.14
News reports of Mary Easley receiving an 88% annual pay raise for her job as executive-in-residence at North Carolina State University from the University of North Carolina system also did not help Easley's popularity with voters1710 and have negatively impacted the polling numbers of 2008 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bev Perdue in her race against Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory.10 The pay increase violated a university system policy in which large pay increases must have prior approval, and NC State University ruled that one-third of Mary Easley's salary must be paid with private funds.14
Easley is a huge fan of NASCAR, despite personally being involved in a crash at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Concord, North Carolina, in 2003. He was behind the wheel of Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo, when it hit a retaining wall going 120 mph. He was not seriously hurt, since he was wearing a head-and-neck restraint at the time.1819
| North Carolina Gubernatorial Election 2000 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Mike Easley | 1,492,170 | 52.4 | ||
| Republican | Richard Vinroot | 1,335,862 | 44.2 | ||
| North Carolina Gubernatorial Election 2004 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Mike Easley (Incumbent) | 1,939,154 | 56.4 | +4.0 | |
| Republican | Patrick Ballantine | 1,495,021 | 43.2 | ||
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lacy Thornburg |
North Carolina Attorney General 1993–2001 |
Succeeded by Roy A. Cooper |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Jim Hunt |
Governor of North Carolina 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
|
|||||||
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Easley, Mike |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Easley, Michael Francis (Mike) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Governor of North Carolina |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 23, 1950 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rocky Mount, North Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
