New NC elections board could consider Easley probe

RALEIGH — A new North Carolina elections board is meeting for the first time and campaign finance reports by former Gov. Mike Easley are on the agenda.

The five board members are getting together Thursday for the first time since Gov. Beverly Perdue appointed them.

The board’s staff has been looking at how Easley’s campaign changed several years of campaign finance reports after failing to disclose the use of a car. It also is looking at whether free
airplane flights by Easley exceeded donation limits.

The board could dismiss the matters or call for a public hearing. The board also could issue fines or refer the case to prosecutors.

The probe is part of a broader examination of the former governor and his wife by state and federal authorities.

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