Kim Strach: Building a Stone Wall?

Kim Strach, the McCrory-appointed Executive Director of the State Board of Elections, "is married to Phil Strach, a Raleigh attorney who is former legal counsel to the state Republican Party." And, since April 2013 when a formal request was filed with the SBOE to investigate the $230,000 in political contributions from a sweepstakes gambling honcho in Oklahoma, until now, there has been no visible forward movement on that investigation.

The sweepstakes gambling honcho, Chase E. Burns, gave big bucks to dozens of NC politicians (including Pat McCrory, Phil Berger and Thom Tillis) "in an apparent effort to boost legislation that would allow sweepstakes games across North Carolina. Many of the contributions were handled by the Charlotte offices of Moore & Van Allen, the law and lobbying firm where McCrory worked before becoming governor."

According to the N&O, "The Associated Press reported that Burns recently pleaded no contest in Florida to two criminal counts of assisting in the operation of a lottery. The deal led to the dropping of 205 felony counts, including racketeering and money laundering charges. The AP said Burns’ contributions in North Carolina appear to have come from a checking account that held money seized by Oklahoma authorities as 'laundered proceeds' from a criminal gambling enterprise."

But Kim Strach is apparently distracted. Maybe she's still looking through all the drawers in her new desk and updating her wardrobe.