Yesterday Gov. Bev Perdue appointed Surf City Mayor A.D. “Zander” Guy to the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission. Guy has a pretty interesting background, in case you hadn’t heard.
While currently employed as the owner of a real estate company, that wasn’t Zander’s first profession. He used to be an insurance agent, that is until he was convicted of defrauding clients and sentenced to three years in prison. Rumor has it he was just pocketing the insurance premium checks his clients sent in, never actually purchasing the policies. After serving just three months of his three year sentence, his time was commuted by then Gov. Jim Martin (and later pardoned him).
Since that ugly incident in the past, Zander has built his new real estate empire. While there is no wrongdoing that anyone can point to, it doesn’t take much of an imagination to think of the potential conflict of interests for a Mayor of a town being a real estate agent as well. If a builder or developer wanted to make sure they got a permit, who do you think they would choose as their real estate agent?
Also intriguing is the message Perdue is sending the message loud and clear that seats on boards and commissions are for sale. According to records from the State Board of Elections, Guy has given in excess of $222,000 in donations to Democratic candidates or the state party over the past two decades (including $25,000 to the NC Democratic Party just last year.) Download full list of contributions here.
Between him, his wife and son, the Guy family has given $27,600 to Gov. Bev Perdue’s campaigns.
The Guy family has also donated at least $13,000 to Senate President Marc Basnight and $18,000 to embattled Sen. R.C. Soles (D-Columbus).
What may be most intriguing is Guy’s son, A.D. Guy III, works for a beer distributor in Georgia. Hmm… ABC board, beer distributor… nah, nothing out of the ordinary there.
Perdue’s appointment of Zander Guy to the ABC board has done nothing but further the perception that politically connected insiders and big campaign donors get appointed to state boards and commissions. Guy is already on the Banking Commission, is there no new blood out there that Perdue can find to appoint to the ABC Commission?
You make a broad generalization when you say a real estate agent shouldn’t be a mayor because of the potential for conflict of interest. Are there any other professions that should be ruled out because of the potential of conflict?
Most sales agents have very little to do with securing permits.
If you think the guy is a bad choice, say so. But don’t make these sweeping generalizations. It weakens your commentary.
It’s more the norm that you lose pieces of business by being involved in the commmunity – if you’re doing it well, about half on each side will end up mad – that’s how you know you hit the middle ground.