Thomas Ross’ comment during Sunshine Week that the system could see up to a 30 percent cut seemed inexplicable. While we want to give him the benefit of the doubt, merely stating shocking figures without justification is unbecoming of a leader.
Such a figure is a far cry from Gov. Bev Perdue’s 9.5 percent budget reductions for the upcoming fiscal year.
There is no telling why Ross said what he did and where he got his numbers from. And he didn’t explain his rationale during his remarks.
Until the release of the state’s tax revenues on April 15, no one can really know for sure how much the N.C. General Assembly will cut the budget, so speculations like Ross’ hold no weight.
Legislators like Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Buncombe, and Rep. Hugh Blackwell, R-Burke, even dismissed Ross’ statement, saying that his prediction was extreme and is not a proposal being considered.
Ross could have announced the potentially extreme cuts to convey a sense of urgency to the public. Maybe Ross thought that he could scare enough people into contacting their local legislators on behalf of the UNC system. He could have just been preparing the public for the worst-case budget scenario.
Either way, the speculation seems unfounded without explanation.
His comments mimicked those of his predecessor, Erskine Bowles, who said in November that if cuts were drastic enough, a campus could be shut down. In both instances, the statements seemed hyperbolic.
Even if it was only to raise public concern, Ross’ statement was made at the wrong time. His speech was a part of Sunshine Week, a national initiative aimed at promoting open and honest government. Assuming Ross was honest, he needs to be more open about where his figure is coming from.
