The teapot museum, the Randy Parton Theatre, the East Coast Drag Racing Hall of Fame and the “perfect Christmas tree.” What do all of these things have in common? They have all received grant money from Golden LEAF, the slush fund packed with political cronies. The Civitas Institute has posted its top ten list of [...]
- Apr29
Golden LEAF: The Best Propaganda Money Can Buy
Today’s N&O has an excellent piece on some very questionable dealings by the Golden LEAF Foundation. A foundation set up to help rural economic development has given about $300,000 over two years to UNC-TV, the public television network, which used the money to air positive stories about the foundation’s work. The grants are from the [...]
- Feb03
Why Does Golden LEAF Still Exist?
Yesterday’s meeting of North Carolina’s Legislative Study Commission on Poverty Reduction and Economic Recovery featured a presentation by Golden LEAF President Dan Gerlach. Gerlach provided an overview of some of his organization’s initiatives to the commission members in attendance. Curiously, while discussing some specific infrastructure projects Golden LEAF recently funded, Gerlach commented that his organization was [...]
- Nov03
Revisiting Golden LEAF
Yesterday, the NC Auditor’s office released a new audit detailing some deficiencies in the operations of the Golden LEAF Foundation. Of note: There is a risk that potential conflicts of interest or political influence play a role in Golden LEAF investment decisions. For example, in 2002 Golden LEAF invested $30 million with an investment company [...]
- Nov02
More Problems For Incentives In NC
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, although it still does somehow, that incentives aren’t really working. After the Parton fiasco, the Dell dilemma and the horrific performance of dozens of local and state incentive giveaways we now have a group saying that even GoldenLeaf (yeah, I’m trying to keep a straight face too) [...]