Mike Easley

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Mike Easley
73^rd Governor of North Carolina
Term of office: January, 2001 – present
Lieutenant Governor:	Beverly Perdue
Predecessor:	Jim Hunt
Successor:	incumbent
Born:	March 23, 1950 Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Political party:	Democratic
Profession:	Lawyer
Spouse:	Mary Easley
Religion:	Roman Catholic

Michael Francis (Mike) Easley (born March 23, 1950) is the current governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina. He is a Democrat and North Carolina's second Catholic governor. Thomas Burke was the first ([1], [2]), though Easley is the first elected by popular vote.

Easley was raised a Roman Catholic in otherwise overwhelmingly Protestant Nash County, North Carolina. His father owned one of the two big tobacco warehouses in the area. Easley earned a degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972. He then attended the North Carolina Central University School of Law, earning his J.D. degree in 1976.

From 1982 to 1990, Easley served as the district attorney for the 13th Judicial District in North Carolina, covering Brunswick, Bladen, and Columbus counties. A Democrat, Easley was elected North Carolina Attorney General in 1992, serving during the administration of Governor Jim Hunt.

In 2000, Easley ran to succeed the term-limited Hunt as Governor of North Carolina. He defeated incumbent Lt. Governor Dennis A. Wicker in the Democratic party primary, and then successfully challenged former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot (R) in the general election, to become the first Governor of North Carolina in 28 years to not be named James. Easley was reelected in 2004, running against New Hanover County's state senator, Patrick Ballantine.

[edit] Governorship

The early portions of Easley's term as Governor were marked by an emphasis on education reform. One of Easley's major programs was More at Four, a pre-kindergarten for at-risk children.

Easley has gotten mixed reviews on his handling of fiscal problems in the state. His supporters claim many of the budget shortfall situations were created before he even took office, during the Hunt administration, while his detractors have criticized his support of raising sales taxes multiple times to cover the cost of new state programs.

During his administration, Easley has not been afraid to confront the state legislature. Easley is the first North Carolina governor to use the power of veto, which voters gave the governor's office in 1996. First, in November 2002, Easley vetoed legislation related to unqualified appointments to various boards and commissions. In June 2003, he vetoed a bill that stripped the State Board of Education of its authority to set teacher standards. In August 2003, he vetoed HB 917 which raised fees charged by finance companies. In July 2004, he vetoed HB 429 which would have required local governments to make cash payments to billboard owners of up to five times the annual revenue generated by the billboard upon its removal. In March 2005, he vetoed SB 130 which would have conveyed state property. In Sept. 2005, he vetoed HB 706 which would have affected teacher standards.

Easley supported a controversial state-wide lottery, which was ultimately approved on August 31, 2005. He has stated that proceeds from the lottery will be used for much-needed educational programs.

His tenure has faced budget shortfalls, tough economic times, and natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods.

Image:Easley Inauguration.jpg

Easley ran for a second term as Governor in 2004. He easily defeated Rickey Kipfer, his only opponent in the Democratic primary, and faced Republican former state senator Patrick Ballantine and Libertarian Barbara Howe in November 2004. Though the state voted for Republicans George W. Bush as President and Richard Burr as United States Senator, Easley won his second term as Governor, and Democrats reestablished control over both chambers of the state legislature (the House had been split equally between the two major parties since 2003).

Easley is considered to be a possible candidate for U.S. Senate to run against Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008 or Sen. Richard Burr in 2010. As of late 2006, Easley has been frequently mentioned as an attractive candidate for president in 2008, but he does not seem inclined to make that race. The Raleigh News & Observer speculated in October 2006 that Easley was going to act like a presidential contender in order to position himself for the vice presidential nomination or a Cabinet post.[3]

As Governor, Easley is a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors' Association, and the Democratic Governors Association.

[edit] Trivia

Mike Easley is an avid fan of the FOX television series King of the Hill [4].
Mike Easley is also a huge fan of NASCAR, despite personally being involved in a crash at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Concord, North Carolina in 2003. He was behind the wheel of Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo, when it hit a retaining wall going 120 mph. Fortunately, he was not seriously hurt, since he was wearing a head-and-neck restraint at the time [5].