Per the N&O, NC Commerce Dep’t Secretary Sharon Decker has provided a few details of the new administration’s plans to shift some functions of the Commerce Dep’t to a newly formed “private” non-profit organization.
State Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker confirmed this week that the pending move of the Commerce Department’s business recruiting and marketing functions to a private nonprofit is expected to affect 61 state workers, and could cost the state as much as $1.8 million in severance payments.
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Although five divisions are expected to be moved to the nonprofit starting in early 2014, the number of affected employees represents a small percentage of the roughly 2,000 Commerce employees in state government. The divisions are: Business Development; Marketing; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; International Trade and Investment; Travel & Tourism (not including Welcome Center operations), Film and Sports Development. Business Development and Marketing would be the first areas to move to the private side.
I place the word “private” in quotes because this new organization would not truly be a private organization. It would still be funded by taxpayer dollars and run by political appointees. A truly private business recruiting organization would be funded through private, voluntary contributions and be devoid of direct political influence.
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