Opinion
Patrick Gannon: Does ‘getting it right’ really have to take so long?
RALEIGH – A top state senator told reporters last week that the General Assembly could have moved faster this year, both on the state budget ...
Patrick Gannon, Author at Salisbury Post - Page 3 of 4
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: 5 budget quotes to be wary of
RALEIGH – If all goes as planned, the House and Senate will vote on a state budget this week, two and a half months after ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, September 15, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: McCrory on barbecue, football and South Carolina
RALEIGH – The most entertaining interview I’ve heard with Gov. Pat McCrory had nothing to do with state politics – or very little at least. ...
by Patrick Gannon, Monday, September 7, 2015 11:06 pm
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Why I cover politics
RALEIGH – I was asked recently at a reporters’ roundtable why I became a political reporter. I started my off-the-cuff answer with, “I’d rather be ...
by Patrick Gannon, Saturday, September 5, 2015 10:02 pm
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: 5 big state budget questions
RALEIGH – The last week brought an optimistic tone to lingering budget negotiations on Jones Street, but plenty of important issues remain undecided as the ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, September 1, 2015 6:28 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: State may starve its own startup
RALEIGH – When you create or build something – say a child or a business – you typically try to nurture it so it can ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, August 25, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Words vs. actions on state budget
RALEIGH – If I’ve heard it once from state legislators, I’ve heard it a thousand times: “The state budget is the most important thing we ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, August 18, 2015 9:23 pm
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Turnover taints McCrory administration
RALEIGH – State Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos announced her resignation this week, becoming the second cabinet secretary in Gov. Pat ...
by Patrick Gannon, Friday, August 7, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Raleigh politics gets personal
RALEIGH – When Republicans took control of the House, Senate and governor’s office at the start of 2013, observers speculated about how the three units ...
by Patrick Gannon, Monday, August 3, 2015 9:42 pm
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Builders’ windfall?
RALEIGH – I recently received an email from an acquaintance in Wilmington, where I used to write for the local paper. There, real estate, building ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, July 28, 2015 12:06 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Bonds test McCrory’s muscle
The clock is ticking on Gov. Pat McCrory and his bond referendum idea. The first-term governor wants voters to decide this November whether the state ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, July 21, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: A transparently good idea for local government finances
RALEIGH – One thing I’ve noticed in 16 years covering government and politics is that it’s often difficult to find out exactly how local governments ...
by Patrick Gannon, Monday, July 13, 2015 7:10 pm
Opinion
A bruising indictment: NC campaign finance system fails the test
RALEIGH – The most shocking disclosure made in a recent hearing by the State Board of Elections about Sen. Fletcher Hartsell’s campaign spending wasn’t that ...
by Patrick Gannon, Thursday, July 9, 2015 6:46 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Time to study 508-page budget
RALEIGH – Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that the average bill that passes the General Assembly is about four pages long. That is ...
by Patrick Gannon, Wednesday, July 1, 2015 1:23 pm
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Big loss for Democrats
RALEIGH – There is no stronger or smarter Democratic voice in the General Assembly – and perhaps in all of state government – than Rep. ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, June 16, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Expert says GOP ‘very likely’ to retain General Assembly majorities
RALEIGH – I don’t have a crystal ball, but I bet I could tell you whether a Democrat or Republican will win election in at ...
by Patrick Gannon, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: What McCrory really said
RALEIGH – Gov. Pat McCrory last week took perhaps his strongest stand in two and a half years as governor, pitting himself against social conservatives ...
by Patrick Gannon, Wednesday, June 3, 2015 11:46 pm
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: ‘Mostly meaningless debate’
RALEIGH – When the House finished more than eight hours of debate on its $22 billion budget late last week, many listeners had to wonder ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, May 26, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: 4 points about the $400 million surplus
RALEIGH – The recently announced $400 million state budget surplus generated more discussion on Jones Street than just about anything this year. Here are four ...
by Patrick Gannon, Wednesday, May 13, 2015 12:00 am
News
Patrick Gannon: Want anchovies on your state budget?
RALEIGH – The state budget process, which is about to begin in earnest, is like making a pizza. Start with the dough. That’s the revenue ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, May 5, 2015 12:00 am
Opinion
Patrick Gannon: Winning by landslides – or by default
RALEIGH – Of the 11 African-Americans elected to the state Senate last year, eight took their seats with no opposition last November. The remaining three ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, April 28, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Death and dying issues on NC agenda
RALEIGH – If you had a fatal disease, would you want to try experimental drugs if there was a chance they would save your life, ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, April 21, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: N.C. back in the pack on election laws
RALEIGH – The new election laws the Republican-led General Assembly passed in 2013 in many ways put North Carolina more on par with other states ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, April 14, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: State is growing grayer
RALEIGH – Call it the “graying of North Carolina.” The state is getting older, a phenomenon that will bring with it many issues and problems ...
by Patrick Gannon, Thursday, April 9, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: How unwanted laws pass
RALEIGH — In the General Assembly, proposals become laws only if endorsed by a majority of House and Senate members, right? In a perfect world, ...
by Patrick Gannon, Monday, April 6, 2015 8:30 pm
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: N.C. ready for medical marijuana?
RALEIGH – As far as I could tell, most of the speakers weren’t hippies or druggies or ne’er-do-wells. They were everyday people from across the ...
by Patrick Gannon, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: Devil’s in the details on voter I.D.
RALEIGH – Polls show a majority of North Carolina voters will be happy to present IDs before voting when photo identification requirements begin in 2016. ...
by Patrick Gannon, Sunday, March 29, 2015 12:00 am
Columnists
Patrick Gannon: With Ford, majority doesn’t always rule on voice votes
With Ford, majority doesn’t always rule on voice vote RALEIGH – Most committee votes in the General Assembly are done by voice vote. The committee ...