Federal stimulus money isn’t a windfall for North Carolina. It’s a responsibility.
Gov. Bev Perdue stood up on Feb. 17 to accept that responsibility, creating a state Office of Economic Recovery & Investment.
She pledged to put money to work “quickly and effectively,” with “transparency and accountability.” And she placed the former secretary of the N.C. Health and Human Services Department, Dempsey Benton, in charge of getting it done.
Benton gets the assignment, but the buck — $6.1 billion, actually — stops at Perdue’s desk. Her first term will be judged on how well she manages North Carolina’s share of this massive spending initiative.
This may be President Obama’s plan to stem a dangerous economic crisis, but in this state it’s Gov. Perdue who has to make sure it works.
She’s taken the right steps in outlining the duties of her Office of Economic Recovery & Investment. They include:
— tracking every federal dollar flowing to state and local governments, businesses and nonprofit agencies.
— channeling it into the economy quickly with few regulatory impediments.
— opening clear lines of communication among all appropriate organizations.
— providing regular status reports to the public and General Assembly.
— measuring the impact on the state’s economy.
If that’s done, there will be a much higher level of accountability for this $6 billion than for the $20 billion in the state’s annual budget. Maybe Perdue has devised a model that can be applied to state government spending.
This is critically important. Although $6 billion is a huge amount of money, there’s uncertainty about how and when it will be spent and what effect it will have. No one has experience in dealing with circumstances like this. But it has to be done right because there might not be another chance like it. Money must be spent not only to spark a short-term stimulus, which could fizzle when the funds run out, but to build structures and programs that promise lasting value. Not every pet project is going to contribute to economic recovery or justify an investment. Someone has to be able to tell the difference.
As governor, Perdue must make wise decisions and provide clear direction through these challenging times. She can’t let political influence affect the distribution of money, as has happened before with state highway funding.
This is a test of Perdue’s leadership — one she could not have anticipated when she filed a year ago to run for this office. It looks like she’s willing to take responsibility for a very big job.
Post a Comment
