Wikipedia

Mike Easley

Michael Francis Easley(born March 23, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the72nd governorofNorth Carolinafrom 2001 to 2009. He is the first[1][2] governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony.[3]The conviction was later expunged by the Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Wake County.[4] A member of theDemocratic Party,Easley was North Carolina's secondCatholicgovernor.[5]

Mike Easley
72ndGovernor of North Carolina
In office
January 6, 2001 – January 10, 2009
LieutenantBev Perdue
Preceded byJim Hunt
Succeeded byBev Perdue
48thAttorney General of North Carolina
In office
January 9, 1993 – January 6, 2001
GovernorJim Hunt
Preceded byLacy Thornburg
Succeeded byRoy Cooper
Personal details
Born
Michael Francis Easley

(1950-03-23)March 23, 1950(age 74)
Rocky Mount, North Carolina,U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
​
(m.1980)​
ChildrenMichael F. Easley Jr.
ResidenceCharlotte, North Carolina
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill(BA)
North Carolina Central University(JD)
ProfessionLawyer
Signature

Early life and education

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Mike Easley was born on March 23, 1950, inRocky Mount, North Carolina,to Henry Alexander Easley and Huldah Marie Easley. He grew up on his family's 60-acre farm inNash Countyand was one of seven children in a largeIrish Catholicfamily.[6]Easley attended a local Catholic school before transferring and later graduating fromRocky Mount Senior High Schoolin 1968.[7][6]Easley attendedBelmont Abbey Collegefor two years before transferring to theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,where he earned a degree with honors in political science in 1972.[6]While at UNC he was a member ofPhi Gamma Deltafraternity. He then attended theNorth Carolina Central University School of Law,earning his J.D. degree, with honors, in 1976.[8]While a law student, Easley served as managing editor of the school's Law Review.[6]

Family

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Easley is married toMary Easley(née Pipines), who worked in theProvost's Office atNorth Carolina State Universityuntil June 8, 2009. She is a former law professor atNorth Carolina Central Universityand also worked for ten years as aprosecutor.The two have one son,Michael F. Easley Jr.

Career

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Easley was elected Attorney General in 1992

Easley became an assistant district attorney for the 13th Judicial District in 1976.[7]He was electedDistrict Attorney,one of the youngest ever in the state, in 1982.[9]

ADemocrat,Easley ran unsuccessfully in that party's 1990 primary for theU.S. Senate;he lost to formerCharlotte mayorHarvey Gantt,who himself lost to incumbentJesse Helms.Easley was electedNorth Carolina Attorney Generalin 1992[citation needed]and sworn in on January 9, 1993.[10]He won reelection in 1996. In the 1996 election for attorney general, Easley garnered 59.07% of the vote, compared with opponent Robert H. Edmonds Jr.'s 40.93% of votes. This represented a margin of victory of 446,169 votes.[11]

In 2000, Easley ran to succeed the term-limited Hunt asGovernor of North Carolina.He defeated incumbentLieutenant GovernorDennis A. Wickerin the Democratic primary, and then successfully challengedRepublicanRichard Vinroot,former mayor ofCharlotte,in the general election. Easley was reelected in2004,running againstNew Hanover Countystate senatorPatrick J. Ballantine.

Governorship

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In the closing weeks of the 2000 gubernatorial race, actorAndy Griffithfilmed an ad endorsing Easley, which some observers believe led to Easley's victory, called the "Mayberry Miracle".[12]

Education reformwas a centerpiece of Easley's tenure as governor, to such an extent that in 2008, Easley received the inaugural "America's Greatest Education Governor" award from theNational Education Association.The award was created to showcase "public officials who have demonstrated exemplary achievements and accomplishments in advancing public education".[13]Easley was commended by the NEA for his focus on improving teacher working conditions[14]and for affording teachers a "seat at the table" in discussions surrounding the implementation of education reforms in the state.[13]

One of Easley's major programs wasMore at Four,an academicpre-kindergartenfor at-risk children.More at Fourhas received praise from groups such as theNational Education Association.[13]

Easley with PresidentGeorge W. Bush,Nebraska governorDave Heineman,and New York governorEliot Spitzerin 2007.

Another signature program[citation needed]of Easley's was the "Learn and Earn" initiative, which enabled North Carolina high school students to earn college credit by taking online courses at no cost to them or to their families.[13]The "Learn and Earn" program received theInnovations in American Government AwardfromHarvard Kennedy School.Presenting the award, Harvard noted that in "2006-2007, rates of grade promotion and graduation for Learn and Earn participants were higher than the statewide average, with nearly half the Learn and Earn high schools seeing 100 percent promotion rates". Harvard also observed that these numbers have not "been skewed by" creaming "that is counting of only high scoring children. The program purposely targets kids at risk, those for whom English is a second language[,] and those who would be first-generation college students."[15]Easley also initiated a program to enable North Carolina students to attain a debt-free undergraduate education by receiving EARN Grants of up to $8,000 over two years.[16]In 2007 Easley wrote and published a children's book,Look Out, College, Here I Come!the proceeds of which fund a North Carolina education charity.[17]

His tenure faced budget shortfalls, tough economic times, and natural disasters such ashurricanesandfloods.Easley received mixed reviews on his handling offiscalproblems in the state. His supporters claimed many of the budget shortfall situations were created before he even took office, during the Hunt administration, while his detractors criticized his support of raising sales taxes multiple times to cover the cost of new state programs.[citation needed] During his administration, Easley confronted thestate legislatureon numerous occasions. Easley is the first North Carolina governor to use the power ofveto,which voters gave the governor's office in 1996. First, in November 2002, Easley vetoed legislation related to unqualified appointments to various boards and commissions. In June 2003, he vetoed a bill that stripped the State Board of Education of its authority to set teacher standards. In August 2003, he vetoed HB 917 which raised fees charged by finance companies. In July 2004, he vetoed HB 429 which would have required local governments to make cash payments tobillboardowners of up to five times the annual revenue generated by the billboard upon its removal. In March 2005, he vetoed SB 130 which would have conveyed state property. In September 2005, he vetoed HB 706 which would have affected teacher standards. In August 2007 he vetoed HB 1761, a controversial financial incentives bill which would have awarded up to 40 million dollars to companies within the state. Easley has used his veto power a total of nine times as of 2008.[18]His ninth veto was the first to beoverriddenby the legislature in North Carolina history.[19]

Easley speaking at his second inauguration, 2005

Easley ran for a second term as governor in 2004. He defeatedRickey Kipfer,his only opponent in the Democratic primary, and faced Republican former state senatorPatrick Ballantineand LibertarianBarbara Howein November 2004. Though the state voted for RepublicansGeorge W. BushforpresidentandRichard BurrasUnited States Senator,Easley won his second term as governor and Democrats reestablished control over both chambers of the state legislature (the House had been split equally between the two major parties since 2003).

He also supported a controversial statewidelottery,which was ultimately approved on August 31, 2005, after Lieutenant GovernorBev Perduecast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate.[20]He has stated that proceeds from the lottery will be used for much-needed educational programs.[citation needed] Easley presided over 27 executions, including the 1,000th after thedeath penaltywas reintroduced in theUnited Statesin 1976. He, however, grantedcommutationto twodeath rowinmates.[21]The North Carolina governor has the sole right to commute death sentences imposed by a state court.

Governor Easley declined to run againstElizabeth Dolefor her Senate seat in 2008.[22]He was considered to be a possible candidate for U.S. Senate to run against SenatorRichard Burrin 2010, but he had strongly denied interest in the race. TheRaleigh News & Observerspeculated in October 2006 that Easley was going to act like a presidential contender in order to position himself for the vice presidential nomination or acabinetpost.[23]

In 2008 in a case that drew international attention, a North Carolinastate trooperwas filmed hanging and kicking apolice doghe was training. After the trooper's superiors recommended minor punishment, Easley's office recommended that the trooper be fired.[24]The case is ongoing, with the state's canine units currently suspended.[24]

As governor, Easley was a member of theNational Governors Association,theSouthern Governors' Association,and theDemocratic Governors Association.However, he was known for being "reclusive" while in office.[25]

He was succeeded as governor by hisLieutenant Governor,Beverly Perdue,who defeatedCharlotte MayorPat McCroryin aclose race.After leaving office, Easley went to work part-time promotingearly college high schoolsand similar programs for theBill and Melinda Gates Foundation.[26]

Political positions

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During the2004 Democratic primaries,he supported North Carolina SenatorJohn Edwards.

In the 2008 campaigns, Easley initially endorsed the presidential candidacy of SenatorHillary Clintonon April 28, 2008. After SenatorBarack Obamawon the Democratic nomination, Easley endorsed him against Republican nomineeJohn McCain.[27]

Controversies and campaign finance lawsuit

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Easley was faced with controversies in 2006 stemming from campaign and overseas travel.[22][28][29]Easley's wife, Mary Easley, took two trips out of the country, one toFranceand one toRussiaandEstonia,for cultural exchanges. Republican critics called the trips overly lavish in a time of economic downturn for the state.[29]However, the director of theNorth Carolina Museum of Artdefended Mary Easley's trips as having helped the museum receive loaned art items fromThe HermitageinSt. Petersburg.Mrs. Easley's efforts also resulted in theNorth Carolina Museum of Art's obtaining a collection ofAuguste Rodin's work valued at $35 million,[30]and in the construction of a newGreek artwing for the museum.[31]

More controversy surfaced months after Easley left office in January 2009. According to Raleigh'sNews & Observer,theFederal Bureau of Investigationordered theNorth Carolina Highway Patrolto produce all records involving private air travel for Easley and his family. The newspaper reported that Easley may have violated campaign laws.[32]

The North Carolina State Board of Elections opened hearings into Easley's conduct on October 26, 2009.[33]

Following a two-year federal and state investigation into campaign finance irregularities, Easley entered anAlfordplea to a singlefelonyviolation of statecampaign financelaw, accepting responsibility for his campaign's failure to report that he took a $1,600 helicopter ride with a supporter in October 2006. While Easley did not admit guilt, he "acknowledged there was sufficient evidence to convict him of a crime."[34]He pled guilty by entering anAlfordpleato a single state campaign finance violation. He paid a $1,000 "community penalty."[35] He became the first [1] [2] governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony.[36] Federal officials ended their investigation because of the plea.[34] Following the conviction, Easley's law license was suspended but formally restored on appeal in January 2013.[1] On January 4, 2013, the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge for Wake County granted Easley aCertificate of relief from disabilities.[37]The conviction was later expunged by the Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Wake County.[38]

Current activities

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Easley is a practicing attorney in North Carolina. He represents businesses and corporations and has been involved in several significant civil trials. Politically, in 2018, he joined former North Carolina Governors in successfully opposing state constitutional amendments that would have weakened the powers of the governor.[39]He also joined in the filing of amicus briefs to oppose gerrymandered congressional and legislative districts in North Carolina.[40]

Personal life

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Easley is a fan ofNASCAR.He was involved in a crash atLowe's Motor SpeedwaynearConcord, North Carolina,in 2003. He was behind the wheel ofJimmie Johnson's #48Lowe'sChevrolet Monte Carlo,when it hit a retaining wall going 120 mph. He was not seriously injured, since he was wearing ahead-and-neck restraintat the time.[41][42]He is also a fan of the cartoonKing of the Hill,and while governor, instructed his pollster to separate the state's voters into those who watch the show and those who don't.[43]Easley reasoned that his constituents ideologies were similar to characters on the show, and would base the explanation of his issues on whether or not the King of the Hill characters would understand them or not.[44]

Easley is also an avid amateurwoodworker,and appeared on an episode ofThe Woodwright's Shopwhere he made awalnuttable.[45]

Electoral history

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North Carolina Attorney GeneralElection 1992
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mike Easley 1,530,858 62.96
Republican Joe Dean 900,573 37.04
North Carolina Attorney GeneralElection 1996
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mike Easley 1,453,196 59.07
Republican Robert Edmunds Jr. 1,007,027 40.93
North Carolina Gubernatorial Election 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mike Easley 1,492,170 52.4
Republican Richard Vinroot 1,335,862 44.2
North Carolina Gubernatorial Election 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mike Easley (Incumbent) 1,939,154 56.4 +4.0
Republican Patrick Ballantine 1,495,021 43.2

References

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  1. ^abcBlythe, Anne (February 4, 2013)."North Carolina Bar reinstates Mike Easley's law license".Charlotte Observer.Archived fromthe originalon February 3, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 1,2014.
  2. ^abHalloran, Liz (January 22, 2014)."Governors Gone Wild: A Recent History".NPR.org.RetrievedOctober 29,2019.
  3. ^"State of North Carolina v. Michael F. Easley"(PDF).ABC11.com.November 23, 2010. pp. 1–4, 6.Archived(PDF)from the original on October 29, 2019.RetrievedOctober 29,2019.
  4. ^https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/state/2022/11/29/former-n-c-governor-mike-easley-leans-on-southport-as-a-safe-haven/69610730007/
  5. ^Thomas Burkewas the first Catholic governor of North Carolina; see Weeks,Church and State in North Carolina,Ch. V;CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: North Carolina.Easley was the first elected by popular vote.
  6. ^abcd"Easley, Michael Francis (From Research Branch, NC OA&H) | NCpedia".
  7. ^abMarcus 1994,p. 197.
  8. ^"North Carolina manual [serial]".1916.
  9. ^National Governors AssociationArchived2011-06-28 at theWayback Machine
  10. ^Richardson, Jason (January 11, 1993)."Council of State officials accept responsibilities during ceremony".The Daily Tar Heel.Vol. 100, no. 121. pp. 5, 11.
  11. ^"Attorney General".Archived fromthe originalon November 26, 2008.RetrievedJanuary 7,2010.
  12. ^"Perdue tries to whistle up a Mayberry miracle".Raleigh News and Observer.October 28, 2008.RetrievedOctober 28,2008.[dead link]
  13. ^abcd"NEA - NEA Honors N.C. Gov. Easley for His Support of Public Education".Archived fromthe originalon July 4, 2011.
  14. ^"New Teacher Center Teaching & Working Conditions Survey".Archived fromthe originalon January 16, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 1,2011.
  15. ^"Harvard Kennedy School - Innovations in American Government Finalists Announced by Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Institute".Archived fromthe originalon November 27, 2010.RetrievedJanuary 1,2011.
  16. ^"NC Learn and Earn - EARN Grants".Archived fromthe originalon February 28, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 1,2011.
  17. ^"NEA Professional Library".Archived fromthe originalon October 9, 2007.RetrievedJanuary 2,2011.
  18. ^News & Observer: Easley's Nine VetoesArchived2014-03-27 at theWayback Machine
  19. ^News & Observer: House overrides boat vetoArchived2009-07-22 at theWayback Machine
  20. ^"Looking for real reform in the governor's race".Independent Weekly.October 15, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon November 23, 2008.RetrievedNovember 25,2008.
  21. ^Clemency[permanent dead link]
  22. ^ab"Is the Southern Strategy Dead?".American Prospect.October 24, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon August 10, 2011.RetrievedOctober 26,2008.
  23. ^Newsobserver.com[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ab"Kicked Dog Turns Up in Trooper's Yard".Raleigh News and Observer.October 31, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2008.RetrievedNovember 1,2008.
  25. ^"Easley's Portrait Out of Sight, as He Is".RaleighNews & Observer.June 27, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2012.RetrievedJune 27,2009.
  26. ^News & Observer: Easley has a new jobArchived2011-07-14 at theWayback Machine
  27. ^News & Observer: Easley endorses ObamaArchived2012-04-01 at theWayback Machine
  28. ^"Audit Tears into Trips to Europe".RaleighNews and Observer.October 31, 2008. Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2008.RetrievedOctober 31,2008.
  29. ^ab"Easley defends cost of overseas travel".WRAL-TV.June 30, 2008.RetrievedOctober 27,2008.
  30. ^Reynolds, Christopher."Rodin Sculptures Highlight Reopening of North Carolina Museum of Art".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon April 27, 2010.
  31. ^Iovine, Julie V. (June 30, 2010)."Easily Accessible Pleasures".The Wall Street Journal.
  32. ^"Easley's secret flights skirted the law".RaleighNews & Observer.May 9, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon August 31, 2009.RetrievedMay 22,2009.
  33. ^News & Observer: Easley hearing to bare politicsArchived2009-10-27 at theWayback Machine
  34. ^abCurliss, J. Andrew (November 23, 2010)."Easley enters plea to felony campaign finance charge".News & Observer.Archived fromthe originalon November 24, 2010.RetrievedNovember 23,2010.
  35. ^ Curliss, J Andrew; Blythe, Anne (November 24, 2010)."Easley enters plea to felony campaign finance charge".newsobserver.com.Archived fromthe originalon November 24, 2010.RetrievedMarch 27,2020.
  36. ^"State of North Carolina v. Michael F. Easley"(PDF).ABC11.com.November 23, 2010. pp. 1–4, 6.Archived(PDF)from the original on October 29, 2019.RetrievedOctober 29,2019.
  37. ^"Wake County Clerk of Superior Court".Archived fromthe originalon July 19, 2001.
  38. ^https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/state/2022/11/29/former-n-c-governor-mike-easley-leans-on-southport-as-a-safe-haven/69610730007/
  39. ^"NC governors campaign against constitutional amendments".News & Observer.
  40. ^"Bipartisan group of former governors calls on court to 'root out' partisan gerrymandering".The Progressive Pulse.August 7, 2019.
  41. ^"N.C. governor not hurt in crash at Lowe's Motor Speedway".USA Today.May 9, 2003.RetrievedNovember 23,2010.
  42. ^[1]ArchivedSeptember 5, 2008, atarchive.today
  43. ^"Easley as Boomhauer".June 27, 2005.
  44. ^"Would Hank Hill like Donald Trump?".November 16, 2018.
  45. ^Beckwith, Ryan Teague (March 24, 2009)."Easley's Handmade Table Goes for $3,400".Under the Dome.The News & Observer.The two-term Democrat, who left office earlier this year, had made the simple walnut table on a special episode of "The Woodwright's Shop" in 2007.[permanent dead link]

Works cited

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