Make campaign contribution. Get favor. Typical of pay-to-play politics

Editorial by Charlotte Observer, November 17, 2015.

If there were any North Carolinians out there who still doubted that campaign contributors get special treatment from some politicians, they surely have been disabused of that notion by a series of recent revelations.

The latest head-shaker came Tuesday, courtesy of Patrick Gannon of the N.C. Insider news service.

Gannon reported that Republican Rep. David Lewis of Dunn, the House Rules Committee chairman and one of the state’s more powerful legislators, pushed a change to state law that protected the state contract of one of his biggest contributors. Here’s what happened:

On March 31, a House committee signed off on a bill that would have had a state agency, rather than a private company, sell cars seized from repeat DWI offenders. The next day, Lewis’ campaign received a $5,000 contribution from Rickie Day, president of the company that currently holds the contract for the eastern half of the state.

The next day, Lewis added a provision that would force the bill to go through his Rules committee. The bill sat untouched for months.

But then Republican Rep. George Cleveland of Jacksonville added the bill’s language to the state budget. That passed Sept. 18. Lewis then used a “technical corrections” bill to nullify that budget language. That passed at 4:12 a.m. on Sept. 30, minutes before the legislature adjourned. Day’s contract was essentially saved.

Lewis says Day sought his help in protecting his contract and he gave it, but not because of the $5,000 contribution. He says he just believes contractors can do the work better than the state can.

“Throw me in the briar patch,” Lewis told Gannon. “Accuse me of trying to fight for my folks. I’m OK with that.”

Businessman’s contract is threatened. He makes large contribution to powerful legislator. Legislator protects businessman’s contract. That’s called transactional politics, and Lewis isn’t the first to do it.

The Observer and the (Raleigh) News & Observer reported last month that Gov. Pat McCrory personally intervened to help friend and contributor Graeme Keith, a Charlotte businessman, retain a multi-million dollar state contract for prison maintenance. McCrory convened a meeting where Keith, according to those present, said that for over 10 years he “had given a lot of money to candidates running for public office and it was now time for him to get something in return.”

Over the objections of the Department of Public Safety, Keith’s contract was extended. The FBI is investigating.

The News & Observer also reported on the attention McCrory gave to one of his big donors, Charlie Shelton, over truckers parking to sleep on the side of the road. That was far less concerning, but still illustrated the special access large contributors often enjoy.

Our state’s politics are awash in cash, for both parties. Donors should be banned from winning contracts. Until then, journalists and the public must cast a vigilant eye on the work of their so-called public servants.