See-nothing SEANC

Published February 18, 2015

by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics, February 17, 2015.

For years, Dana Cope and the State Employees Association of North Carolina have pursued a vendetta against State Treasurer Janet Cowell. They didn’t like the way she manages the state’s pension fund.

 

They're the ones to talk.

 

Cope and SEANC demanded more answers and more transparency from the Treasurer’s Office. But, to them, openness and transparency apparently go only one way.

 

SEANC barred the media and public from its meeting this weekend to discuss the sorry mess, which reportedly heard a motion of no confidence in management and the executive committee.

 

Most remarkable was John Drescher’s account of how SEANC tried to head off the N&O’s story. During the meeting, Drescher wrote, SEANC’s lawyer read this statement: “SEANC requests that The News & Observer respect the integrity of SEANC’s ethics process and refrain from printing a story that not only is unsubstantiated but which has been disproven by our own democratically elected governing body.” 

 

SEANC’s 13-member executive committee told the N&O “there was nothing to see.” SEANC president Wayne Fish said the story was “quite simply, not true,” but Drescher added, “he didn’t say what was not true.”

 

And there was this classic dodge: the lawyer “said at The N&O that there was an explanation” for a phony invoice, “but he would not discuss it because it was a personnel matter.”

 

Ah, “personnel matter.” The last resort of the stonewaller.

 

SEANC’s visit worked about as well as any first-year Journalism School student could have predicted. The N&O ran the story. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said she’d ask the State Bureau of Investigation to conduct a criminal inquiry. Then Cope resigned. And Drescher promised, “We’ll keep reporting.”

 http://www.talkingaboutpolitics.com

Read More NC SPIN >>

February 18, 2015 at 9:45 am
Frank Burns says:

You get no pat on the back, that's your job. Investigative journalism is what you all are supposed to do, not just investigate those with whom you don't agree with. We see the press all over Governor Walker reporting that he didn't finish college, but never a mention on the questionable attendance and record of Obama at Columbia University.

February 18, 2015 at 2:45 pm
Rip Arrowood says:

If there was anything to it, don't you think the "journalists" at FOX would have covered it by now?

February 20, 2015 at 10:27 am
Frank Burns says:

Why are the records sealed? Is there something to be ashamed of? What are they hiding? Nobody remembers Obama attending.

February 18, 2015 at 10:57 am
Norm Kelly says:

Is this a negative report on a lib strong-hold, lib-supporting organization by Gary? Can't be!

Must be such a tremendous controversy that even libs are getting on the bandwagon of actually reporting & investigating.

Surprising how the double standard only gets questioned sometimes by libs. Would be nice if it happened more often. Of course, I won't hold my breath. Also quite surprising that the lib-ally N&D ran the story after being told by the lib SEANC that there was nothing and that they could manage the situation on their own. Hard to believe the N&D didn't just accept that line and walk away. Must really be something behind this. Nothing else explains libs attacking a lib organization.

Could be a fun time in lib-ville!