Michael K. Alford, a Jacksonville auto dealer, is Gov. Bev Perdue’s 11th pick for a vacant seat on the state Board of Transportation.
Once his name is reviewed by members of a legislative oversight committee, Alford is expected to take an at-large seat dedicated to rural transportation needs. He will succeed another Jacksonville businessman, Lewis W. Sewell Jr., who resigned in 2008 after The News & Observer reported that he had steered DOT money to road projects near commercial property he or his son owned.
State election records show that Alford, a registered Democrat and president of Marine Chevrolet, has contributed to a number of Democratic and Republican political campaigns. He gave $4,000 to the campaign of Perdue, a Democrat, in 2008, and $2,000 to her Democratic predecessor, Mike Easley, in 2000.
Republican benefactors of Alford’s campaign contributions include the Republican National Committee ($2,500 in 2008), U.S. Rep. Walter Jones ($1,500 from 2003 to 2005), and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole ($250 in 2002) and Richard Burr ($1,000 in 2004).
In 2000 Alford gave $1,000 to Jones's Democratic challenger, Leigh Harvey McNairy of Kinston, whom Perdue appointed to the Board of Transportation last year.
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. A News & Observer reporter, editor and blogger since 1976, he took over the
Comments
On the face of it
Tue, 01/05/2010 - 02:39 — SeafeverYou would not think, on the face of it, that this guy has enough experience with all the modes of transportation to be an effective board member. Perhaps he is concerned only with the automobile at a time when we need to consider all forms of mass transit, effective mass transit. It reminds me of the days when the auto manufacturers lobbied Congress to forget rail transport in favor of the individual automobile which would enhance their sales, if put so much demand on oil production that we have noW virtually run out of the stuff.
RE: DOT APPOINTMENT MEMBER FROM JACKSONVILLE , NC
Tue, 01/05/2010 - 00:44 — beachbum3i HAVE RECENTLY COME TO THE CONCULSION THAT THE CORRUPTION IS SO DEEP IN NORTH CAROLINA AN IN PARTICULAR THE NCDOT AN IT'S CONTRACTORS AN VENDORS THAT THERE IS ONE PERSON ANYWHERE WITHIN THIS STATE THAT IS TRUELY WILLING TO STAND UP AN BE COUNTED FOR AN OVER THE REAL ISSUE OF RIGHT AN WRONG . AN ALL I CAN SAY TO THAT IS AS THE OTHER PERSON ON HERE STATED WAS BIRD OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER AN I HOPE THEY ALL END UP FLOCKING TO GETHER IN THE STATES PRISONS FOR THE FRAUD AN CORRUPTION GOING ON WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE NCDOT. THEY SPEAK OF PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE DOING A GOOD JOB THEY WOULDN'T KNOW WHEN SOME ONE IS DOING A PROFESSIONAL JOB OR NOT FOR ALL THEY ARE INSTRESTED IN IS SOME ONE THAT IS WILLING TO TURN THWEIR HEAD AN LET CONTRACTORS AN VENDORS HAVE THEIR WAYS WHEN IT COME TO ANY QUALITY ISSUES WITHIN THE NCDOT IN RETURN FOR A CAMPAING CONTRIBUTION NO LONGER ANY TRUTH JUSTICE AN THE AMERICAN WAY IN THIS COUNTRY ANY LONGER THE POLS ARE CROOKED AN SO IS THE JUSTICE SYSTEM FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM IN THIS STATE WHEN THE NCDOT LETS CONTRACTOR GET AWAY WITH DOING NON-SPECEFICIATION WORK ON THESE HIGHWAY PROJECT RESULTING IN COST US THE TAXPAYERS AN ARM AN A LEG SO TO SPEAK THANK YOU
DOT BOARD MEMBER SELECTION
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 21:47 — CHS1969Bev what we have here is a misunderstanding of the word "rural". Onslow County and Jacksonville is no more rural that Swan Quarter is metropolitan. Why don't you pick somebody....anybody who fits the standard and has not paid you or your pals a pretty price......just pick us a good ole boy/girl with some common sense and a true sense of right and wrong, or at least quit insulting us by talking all that bull about changing the way state goverment does business.
Transpo Board
Mon, 01/04/2010 - 21:18 — not_pcBirds of a feather.