Transparency takes center stage in race for governor

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

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bev perdue, pat mccrory, walter dalton, inside politics, jon camp

Jon Camp
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GOLDSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- Transparency has taken center stage in the race for North Carolina governor.

Democrats have been calling on Pat McCrory to release his taxes. McCrory's campaign has been calling on Walter Dalton to release his travel records.

Those travel records have been released. Now, Perdue and Dalton are turning the tables back on McCrory.

The records came out late Friday and appear to be fairly clear cut with redactions only relating to other state officials, not Dalton.

"We're happy for the public to see those," said Dalton. "It's always been public record. I think it was some type of a subterfuge, the best defense is an offense."

Dalton was talking about the repeated calls for McCrory to release his taxes and a list of the companies he worked on behalf of at his Charlotte law firm.

"The question has arisen -- what is he doing for that law firm," asked Dalton. "He doesn't have a law degree. Is he lobbying? What is he doing and perhaps the tax returns would shed some light on that."

Dalton largely keeps his distance these days from Perdue perhaps because of attack ads which portrayed Dalton and Perdue as one in the same. Tuesday, both were at Wilber's Barbeque in Goldsboro. They did not appear together but they were united in message -- that McCrory should release his taxes and should focus on Dalton, not Perdue.

"Our travel records are totally separate," said Perdue. "The lieutenant governor and I run separately. And if any of you want to check the archives, there was this same attempt in '08 to tie me to the former governor and when he ran the first time, there was the same attempt to tie him to the former governor.

ABC11 couldn't speak directly with McCrory. However, we asked a campaign advisor for a response.

"If I'm not mistaken, Gov. Perdue has never released her own tax returns," said McCrory spokesman Brian Nick. "So, it would be highly hypocritical of her to criticize someone else on this issue. Pat is razor focused on North Carolina's beleaguered economy and the taxes that concern him the most are the ones Walter Dalton has promised to raise on the backs of all North Carolinians."

ABC11 found that Perdue didn't release her taxes back in 2008. But it wasn't a big campaign issue as it seems be this time around.