Fundraiser passes ethics test

Many of the "Who's Who" of the North Carolina mental health world -- if there is such a thing -- will be in Lexington on Tuesday night at a fundraiser for two legislators who guide state mental health policies.

The party is for Democrats Rep. Verla Insko of Chapel Hill and Sen. Martin Nesbitt of Asheville. It will be held at the home of Ellen Holliman, director of the Durham County mental health office, and her husband, Rep. Hugh Holliman, the House majority leader.

Several local mental health directors, the president of the state psychiatric association and officers of some of the state's largest private providers, including Triumph and Easter Seals UCP are on the invitation.

Ellen Holliman said she got notice from the state Ethics Commission that the fundraiser wouldn't violate any rules. She said about $16,000 has been collected so far.

"The people I called were people I knew personally," she said. "I think they really wanted to participate. No, I don't think that's a problem."

The fundraiser makes some of those invited uncomfortable.

Emily Moore, a member of a state commission on mental health, said she threw away her invitation.

"I was so mad at it," said Moore, who lives in Kinston. "It just felt like it was as conflict of interest."

Nesbitt said the fundraiser is entirely appropriate. He said he listens to everyone who wants to talk to him about mental health topics, and the people who have watched him and Insko work know how much time they've put into it.

"They all want to show their appreciation," he said. "That's good government. That's not some special something."

Moore cuts ties with vendor

State Treasurer Richard Moore on Friday cut a politically connected insurance broker's access to the addresses of state and local government retirees.

Moore also asked the attorney general to clarify a recent change to the personnel law that affects the treasurer's ability to release pension information.

An assistant attorney general had determined that the new law prevented the release of retirees' addresses unless it was to a vendor of the Treasurer's Office.

State Insurance Services won the right to offer supplemental insurance products in 2001 after an internal committee evaluated several brokers, said Michael Dupree, a former Butner Public Safety director and state trooper who served on the committee. Dupree now works part time for the Treasurer's Office.

Since then, State Insurance Services has become the office's preferred provider of dental and vision insurance to retirees, and this year it began offering supplemental life insurance. State law allows agencies to set up internal committees to choose vendors for supplemental insurance products for their employees. That right has not been extended to the Treasurer's Office for retirees. Moore has sought legislation to create a similar process.

Moore is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. The campaign of one of his opponents in the primary, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, has criticized the process by which Moore's office awarded the contract to State Insurance Services. Two of its principals have raised money for Moore in past campaigns. A third is raising money in his bid for governor.

Love for N.Y. is one way

Should the Democrats be attacking New Yorkers?

Perdue and Moore have been attacking each other for accepting financial contributions from residents of the Big Apple.

That has been a common line of attack for North Carolina politicians since the days of former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

But does it work anymore?

According to tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service, 52,012 people moved from New York to North Carolina between 2000 and 2005.

Only three other states sent more newcomers our way.

The others? Florida, 58,659; Virginia, 57,020; and South Carolina, 56,728.

McCrory camp loses manager

Victoria Smith has left the Pat McCrory campaign. Smith had been campaign manager for the Republican in his mayoral race and for his gubernatorial run.

Smith was best known for her false insistence at McCrory's kickoff that a hacker had added a misspelling to a campaign news release.