House speaker helped Ashe official get a job
By The Associated Press

RALEIGH — House Speaker Jim Black helped create a state job filled by the wife of a supporter who months before had persuaded economic development officials to hire a top Black aide, newly released e-mails show.

The messages released to The News & Observer of Raleigh and The Charlotte Observer reveal a circuit of largesse involving the $39,000-a-year state job for the Black supporter's wife and lucrative lobbying contracts for former Black political director Meredith Norris.

The e-mails indicate Black and Norris helped to create a new position in the 2004 state budget for a heritage tourism officer in western North Carolina.

The job was filled by Helen Ruth Almond, wife of Michael Almond, who until earlier this year headed the Charlotte Regional Partnership. It is one of seven regional economic development partnerships across North Carolina that collectively employed Norris as a lobbyist and administrator.

Eighteen months earlier, Michael Almond had helped persuade officials at other partnerships to give Norris two consultant contracts worth a combined $66,000 a year.

Norris is under investigation by state officials probing whether she violated state lobbying laws. She worked as a paid agent for a lottery company while serving as Black's unpaid political director.

In addition, FBI agents have subpoenaed documents from Black's office regarding Norris and her clients, including the regional partnerships. Federal prosecutors have declined to say what they are investigating, or even confirm that a grand jury has been meeting to hear evidence.

Black's lawyer has said prosecutors told him that Black is not a target of the probe.

Black, D-Mecklenburg, did not respond to an interview request. Norris' lawyer declined comment.

E-mail between the Almonds and Norris shows that Black was working in May 2004 to help create the tourism job within the state Commerce Department. Agency officials said they did not seek the position.

The correspondence shows that a top legislative staffer, a Commerce Department official and Franklin Freeman, a top aide to Gov. Mike Easley, knew that Black wanted the job to go to Mrs. Almond.

“Speaker Black is working on this for you!'' Norris assured Helen Ruth Almond, who later was hired over 14 other applicants for the job in Ashe County.

The Almonds said she won the job because she was the best qualified candidate.

Mr. Almond, a special assistant for economic development at Appalachian State University, said he and his wife did not ask Black to put the job in the state budget but did seek his recommendation. They said the $6,500 in political contributions they have given Black since 2002 had nothing to do with her winning the job.

“We have given him money just like a lot of other people do. He is a friend of ours, and so, like anyone does, when you are interested in things happening, then you call your legislators,'' Mrs. Almond said.

State law forbids officials from offering state jobs in exchange for political contributions. Violators face a misdemeanor charge.

On Aug. 24, 2004, a day after the Commerce Department posted the job for applications, Mrs. Almond told Norris and a Black staffer in an e-mail message that Black made a phone call to Lynn Minges, on Mrs. Almond's behalf, the week before the job was posted. Minges oversees the Commerce Department's tourism division.

Three days later, Michael Almond wrote to Norris to say that Minges had called his wife the day before just to make sure that she completed her application for the job.

Minges said she was vaguely aware that Black had recommended Mrs. Almond. Minges said she did not recall reminding her to apply for the job.

E-mail correspondence also shows that Mr. Almond and two other partnership officials persuaded the other partnership leaders to hire Norris in February 2003 to lobby lawmakers and provide administrative help. Mr. Almond told the others in an e-mail message that he had spoken with Black before the hire and that the speaker was enthusiastic.

When the partnerships' board members voted to hire Norris in a special meeting in Raleigh, Black sat in, according to the minutes of the meeting.