At the kickoff last week of his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory called on his relatives for help.

"To the other members of my extended family, my brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews, you'd better get ready to help Uncle Pat and Aunt Ann," he said.

As it turns out, one relative has been helping for a while.

McCrory's nephew, Patrick Sebastian, has posted a dozen comments on the online version of Under the Dome and The Charlotte Observer's Web site and has even written a letter to the Greensboro News-Record on his uncle's behalf, as first noted by Tom Jensen on the Public Policy Polling blog.

The comments were made under the screen name packpat1, which is part of an e-mail address used by Sebastian and until recently was listed on his Facebook page.

Sebastian, a sophomore at East Carolina University, called for Republicans to recruit a candidate for governor with "good name ID," defended a poll by McCrory, called McCrory's mayoral rival Beverly Earle "corrupt" and another Republican gubernatorial candidate "a desperate man."

He also called Mike Easley a "do-nothing governor."

"Agree with that," said McCrory adviser Stan Campbell.

Campbell said any comments were not done officially for the McCrory campaign.

"He likes politics, and he's probably inclined to help his uncle," he said.

Campbell said Sebastian will start working for the campaign next week.

Chancellors in demand

The committee looking for UNC-Chapel Hill's next chancellor might have some competition in the marketplace.

A flurry of vacancies in higher education recently make for an interesting search climate, particularly in the South, consultant Bill Funk told the search committee at a meeting in Chapel Hill on Thursday.

Funk gave an overview of other searches now under way. Openings were recently announced at Louisiana State University, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina, he said.

"I don't know what's going on in the South, but presidents and chancellors are turning over at an amazingly rapid rate," Funk told the panel.

Other universities looking for new leaders include the University of Wisconsin, Vanderbilt University and the University of California system.

"So it's a pretty active president/ chancellor market right now," Funk said. Vanderbilt may be the only campus on a similar timeline as UNC-CH, Funk added.

After the brief report from Funk, the panel met behind closed doors to discuss potential candidates to replace the retiring James Moeser.

Holy history

U.S. Rep. Walter Jones wants Americans to take some time in May to think about religious history.

Jones, a Farmville Republican, is co-sponsoring a resolution by GOP Rep. Randy Forbes of Virginia to designate the first week in May as "American Religious History Week."

Jones said in a statement that "it is crucial that our nation takes time to acknowledge and appreciate the importance of its religious history. I am hopeful that this resolution will serve as a reminder that religious freedom is at the very heart of America's constitutional and historical greatness."

Jones said the resolution is needed because of "relentless challenges" to the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Young on educators' list

A committee has recommended David Young for an N.C. Association of Educators endorsement in the Democratic primary for state treasurer.

The NCAE's Government Relations committee recommended that the 70,000-member body endorse the Buncombe County commissioner, according to Young's campaign.

The other contenders for the Democratic nomination are Raleigh lawyer Michael Weisel and state Sen. Janet Cowell.

The recommendation must be ratified by the full NCAE, which is expected to take place in mid-February. The NCAE already has endorsed John Edwards for president and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue for governor.

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