There was no white smoke flowing from Gov.-elect Pat McCrory’s chimney to indicate he had selected Art Pope, one of the most powerful people in North Carolina politics, to be his new budget director. But a h/t to WRAL, which reported that the conservative millionaire will be the No. 2 man in charge of crafting the state’s financial priorities.
Our predictions:
• Higher ed? See ya. Pope and his many think tanks and foundations have long advocated for cutting funding to the state university system. (Earlier this year, Pope expanded his power base when he was named to UNC’s Advisory Committee on Strategic Directions.)
• K-12? Bye-bye. Pope’s campaign contributions have bankrolled the re-elections of many Republicans who want to privatize the public school system through charter schools and other sleights of hand.
• Environmental regulation and enforcement? Those efforts were chronically underfunded even during Democratic administrations. The folks at the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources are probably cleaning out their desks now.
• Is there any good news? Well, unlike the bulk of his foundation and think tank operations, at least Pope’s activities will now be subject to open records and open meetings laws—as long as we have them.
Read the INDY’s 2011 expose of Pope, plus additional Pope coverage.
