Last night: Link to Bob Jordan’s appointment
Great feature: SFN’s big piece on Oblinger
The drama certainly continues in West Raleigh as the attorney for the embattled former First Lady says she plans to go nowhere, according to the N&O.
“Mary Easley plans to continue making contributions to North Carolina State University and the state of North Carolina,” attorney Marvin Schiller said during a news conference.
Easley stood silently at Schiller’s side but didn’t answer questions.
So far as we can tell, her contributions have been a monstrous addition to the payroll which led to the resignations of the Provost and the Chairman of the Board. Meanwhile, after University officials including the Chancellor were greeted by Federal Agents wielding subpeonas to appear before a grand jury this morning, the University’s spokesman said that the officials needed more time to prepare and did not testify. We’ll certainly keep you informed when they do testify.
Mary Easley continues to be a thorn in the side of not just NC State but the UNC System as well after refusing calls from both the Chancellor and UNC System President Erskine Bowles have publicly called for her resignation.
It is beyond my comprehension how Mary Easley can continue to contribute to NC State with all of these questions surrounding her hiring. And unfortunately for the Easleys, it’s not just questions of her hiring. We mentioned earlier that there are ongoing federal investigations involving Governor Easley’s acts while in office. These include the use of former BOT Chairman McQueen Campbell’s airplane, the use of vehicles provided by private dealerships, and an east coast land deal that’s looking more and more suspicious. While we don’t want to imply that Mary Easley was guilty in her husband’s in-office activity, the involvement of parties at NC State, her future employer, causes us to be skeptical.
It is also beyond my comprehension how Oblinger can effectively continue his roll as chancellor. Where does the buck stop? Oblinger was either ignorant of circumstances of the hire or complicit. Either way the axe falls, it does not look good for the Chancellor.
A new day and a new embarassment for NC State.
