A Democrat Fat-Cat

You may not remember that you were asked to vote on an amendment to the N.C. constitution last November, a complex proposal to let local governments issue bonds to buy land and build streets and utilities for private development without putting the issue to local citizens for approval. The issue squeaked by 51 to 49 percent (among those who bothered to vote). We were among those who voted "no!"

The Sunday N&O published a lengthy profile piece on a political Mr. Fixit, Ken Eudy, head of the second-largest PR firm in Raleigh who engineered the win on that bond-financing referendum. When the proposal was first brought to Eudy by Charlotte officials, it was called "tax-increment financing." "Are you nuts?" Eudy reportedly said to the amendment's backers. N.C. voters had twice rejected (overwhelmingly) similar proposals to spend taxpayers' money to benefit private enterprize, so Eudy launched a complete makeover of the proposal, getting rid of the "radioactive" original name ("tax-increment financing"), and otherwise obscuring the real purpose of the amendment. Gee thanks, Mr. Eudy! If you can confuse the issue sufficiently, maybe the public will bite ... which is exactly what happened.

Salt in this particular wound ... Eudy's a big Democrat. Used to be executive director of the state party. Big donor to Beverly Perdue.