Franklin Freeman, legislative liaison for Gov. Mike Easley, plans to retire next month, ending a 38-year career in state government ranging from local prosecutor to a seat on the state Supreme Court.

Freeman's career spans 45 years if you count his time as a page and member of the sergeant-at-arms staff at the legislature in the mid-1960s.

His courtly baritone and seersucker suits are familiar sights and sounds in the legislative hallways.

After graduating from law school in 1970, Freeman worked as a clerk to then-Supreme Court Justice Dan Moore, a former governor. Freeman went on to posts as an assistant district attorney and district attorney on his home turf of Surry, Stokes, Rockingham and Caswell counties.

He also headed the Administrative Office of the Courts, served as secretary of correction and was then-Gov. Jim Hunt's chief of staff. Hunt appointed him to the state Supreme Court in 1999.

Freeman lost his bid to retain that seat in the 2000 election and signed on as Easley's ambassador to the legislature.

"I've had very few dull days," Freeman said.

Easley on the move

Easley is discussing foreclosure, education and the law this week.

According to a schedule provided by the governor's office Wednesday, Easley had several stops in Washington after going to an economic summit featuring President-elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

During a three-hour stopover, Easley was interviewed by BBC America about the summit, met with state and federal education experts interested in the state's Learn and Earn and 21st Century Skills programs and met with 20 of his colleagues at the Democratic Governors Association.

Easley, a former North Carolina attorney general, then went to Florida on Wednesday for the National Association of Attorneys General conference to talk about North Carolina's predatory lending laws and home foreclosure reduction laws, which other states are considering as a model.

"The National Association of Attorneys General winter conference is an all-business, non-press event, which is why they asked the governor not to publicize his speech," wrote spokeswoman Renee Hoffman in an e-mail message to Dome.

Easley's office had initially declined to say what Easley was doing, citing "security reasons." Publicly available records showed that Easley was using a state plane to travel to Philadelphia, Washington and then Florida.

Hoffman said Wednesday that Easley reimburses the state for any trips "of a political nature."

Perdue visits Liberty Bell

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue also attended the event in Philadelphia with Obama.

After the summit, Perdue, who has an undergraduate degree in history, took some time to see the Liberty Bell nearby. "It was nice to finally see it," she said.

Perdue's travel expenses were paid by her gubernatorial campaign.

Price in Southeast Asia

U.S. Rep. David Price is heading to Southeast Asia this week.

The Chapel Hill Democrat is leading a bipartisan delegation to monitor the work of the Department of Homeland Security in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

The trip is designed to give members of Congress a better understanding of the department's coordination with foreign governments to secure U.S.-bound cargo and work on anti-terrorism efforts and international adoption issues.

The delegation includes Democratic Reps. Sam Farr, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Mike Honda and Mazie Hirono and Republican Rep. John Carter.

Most of the members sit on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, of which Price is chairman.

Lobbyist to retire

A familiar face will be missing when the legislature reconvenes next year.

Veteran lobbyist Paul Wilms is retiring at the end of the year. For the past eight years, Wilms has been chief lobbyist for the N.C. Home Builders Association, but he has worked for the home builders since 1990.

The new lobbyist will be Lisa D. Martin, who has been the home builders' director of regulatory affairs since 2001.

Get it all with convenient home delivery of The News & Observer.