Nonprofits and Corruption

NONPROFITS AND CORRUPTION:
The intersection of nonprofits and political corruption was
the focus of questions fielded Thursday to most of North Carolina's candidates for governor. The
questions follow several high-profile scandals in recent years in which elected officials have faced
criminal charges related to their involvement with nonprofits. Several candidates said they would
not ban public officials' involvement with nonprofits. "This is a challenge because we're all
interested in having good boards [of directors]," said Bob Orr, a Republican and former state
Supreme Court justice. "If a nonprofit receives public money, you ought to be ready for a higher
degree of accountability," said Richard Moore, a Democrat and the state's treasurer. But, he
added, "I do think we've gone too far in this area. I understand that I can't write a letter for a
nonprofit. I think that's ridiculous."
The candidates spoke in Raleigh at a forum sponsored by the N.C. Center for Nonprofits and
Generation Engage. All candidates attended except Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, a Democrat, and
Sampson County farmer Elbie Powers, a Republican. Many public officials serve on the board of
nonprofits -- usually without pay. State officials must disclose the connections on forms filed with
the State Ethics Commission. Republican Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory was very critical of the
recent scandals. "The conflicts of interest by members of our state legislature have stained our
reputation for years to come," he said. "We have to separate the politics from the nonprofits as
much as possible." Sen. Fred Smith, a Republican, said officials need to be engaged in the
nonprofit world. "We need to encourage public officials to give and not take," he said. "Where we
need to draw the line is where someone is taking." (David Ingram, THE CHARLOTTE
OBSERVER, 3/28/08).