Debating open government

At the first televised gubernatorial debate between Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory and Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue as their political party's official nominees, there were relatively equal amounts of bickering and policy discussion.

The debate, hosted by WTVD in Durham, covered wide-ranging issues such as government transparency, gangs and offshore drilling.

McCrory has made changing the culture of Raleigh the core of his campaign. Perdue has been a fixture in the capital for many years, and McCrory made a concerted effort to link her with Gov. Mike Easley.

McCrory took advantage of a question about transparency in state government and criticized Easley's leadership on the issue. He said that the lack of openness in Easley's administration isn't a new problem and that he felt it would continue with Perdue as governor.

He portrayed his tenure in Charlotte as a model of open government, implying a contrast with the current administration.

"As mayor of the city of Charlotte, I've been extremely accessible. Actually, the media gets a copy of all my e-mails once a week, I think for the past six years," he said. "Actually, they've gotten pretty bored by reading them. I'm not sure they're reading them anymore."

Perdue said she would like to lead the "most transparent administration in the history of the state."

Perdue focused on her plans to stream all legislative meetings on the Internet and encourage a culture of accountability.

"What you all are doing with technology has opened up the capacity to let people know what's going on," she said. "All of the public meetings need to be used over the Internet. That's just the way it should be."

McCrory said that Perdue's vision doesn't reflect how things have gone under Easley.

The heated exchange followed last spring's lawsuit filed against Easley alleging that state employees intentionally deleted public records e-mails.

Anti-gang legislation that Easley recently approved also was brought up. Perdue said the state should focus on prevention and punishment.

"I believe you've got to be tough on gangs and smart on solutions," Perdue said.

McCrory reiterated his focus on transparency by describing his experience in lobbying for anti-gang legislation.

But both candidates agreed more work needed to be done to come down on gangs.

Though Perdue praised legislation strengthening penalties for gang-related offenses, McCrory said the legislation was not strong enough.

The recurring issue of offshore drilling also made an appearance in the debate although neither candidate offered any new positions.

"I want to be responsible and know for sure that if we drill off the coast of North Carolina that we can do it safely," Perdue said, standing by her opposition to an expansion of drilling off the N.C. coast.

McCrory disagreed, citing the practice's ability to potentially alleviate budget shortfalls.

"This is the revenue that is desperately needed," he said.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.