Commissioner Randy Allen Buy His Way On To The NCWRC?

There is certainly a lot of questions swirling around about Commissioner Allen’s association with former Governor Michael Easley and a sweetheart land deal the governor got on a waterfront lot. Randy Allen besides being a Wildlife Commissioner he is also the president of RA North Development. As I had reported earlier state news organizations were digging into the land deal between the then Governor of North Carolina and RA North Development. The News and Observer has obtained the documents showing the lot sold well below what at the time would appear to be fair market value and after developers obtained expedited wastewater permits so the project could be done ;

The permit was granted on June 8, 2005. Twelve days later, the Easleys wrote a $5,000 check for earnest money for Lot 514, a choice parcel on the Cannonsgate waterfront.
The governor’s former spokeswoman said in 2006 that the lot was intended as an investment for the Easleys. They own homes in Raleigh and Southport.
The original contract on the Cannonsgate lot, signed on Nov. 30, 2005, showed a price of $549,880.
Reviews of that price, including analyses by the Carolina Journal and The Charlotte Observer, indicated that it was a good deal compared with nearby sales. Two weeks before the Easleys closed, for example, two deeper but narrower waterfront lots nearby sold for $699,000 each. And in 2007, the Easley lot was valued for taxes at $1.2 million, although it would be worth far less in today’s market.
But the publicly listed price of $549,880 was not what the Easleys paid, according to the closing documents.
They signed a deal dated Dec. 15 that included a “seller discount” of 25 percent, which was worth $137,470, the settlement statement shows. That brought the Easleys’ cost down to $412,410.
The Easleys got a loan from BB&T for $494,000, an amount based on the original contract and more than the actual purchase price. They had paid $54,988 down. Because of the discount, they took $135,000 away from the closing.

Charlotte Observer

If this was not suspicious enough this all took place around the same time that Governor Easley appointed Randy Allen to the Wildlife Commission. As federal investigators pour over the mounds of possible corruption and questionable deals involving the Easley’s and their cronies one has to wonder how effective Commissioner Allen can be. The appearance of a quid pro quo in the appointment of Commissioner Allen seems likely and one has to wonder whose interests he might represent.
The recent history here in North Carolina has been that corrupt politicians do get indicted, convicted and sent to prison. Meg & Jim can tell you all about that.

N&O Editorial

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• North Carolina’s Own “White Water”
• North Carolina Wildlife Federation Calls on Governor Perdue to Clean Up North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Appointments
• Steve Windham Named New Chairman of North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission