NCDP: Yolanda Stith Benefits From McCrory’s Blatant Public Corruption

NCDP Calls For Investigation Into McCrory Quid Pro Quo After Million Dollar Giveaway To Top Staff
Raleigh, NC – On Friday Dec. 16th, in what appears to be a blatant quid pro quo action, Governor Pat McCrory secretly signed SB 4 into law just as Republican legislators introduced a bill to carve out an appointment for the wife of the Governor’s Chief of Staff. With a salary of $127,215 a year, over the 8.5 year appointment this amounts to over a $1 million giveaway to the Governor’s top staffer.

“This million dollar giveaway from the Governor to his top staffer is a shameful and flagrant abuse of the public trust that must be investigated immediately. It seems far beyond coincidence that immediately after Governor McCrory signed into law an unprecedented power grab, the General Assembly introduced a bill to give the wife of the Governor’s Chief of Staff a specially carved out position. This is no longer just a power grab, but blatant public corruption,” said NCDP Chair Patsy Keever.

At about 12:30 on Friday, it was reported that Governor McCrory signed SB4. Just minutes later, Yolanda Stith, wife of Governor McCrory’s Chief of Staff Thomas Stith, was nominated to fill a vacancy on Industrial Commission. But because of a special carve out introduced by the legislature earlier this week, the appointment is extended from 2.5 years to 8.5 years.

Without reason, Part V of SB4 adds six years to the term of any industrial commissioner appointed to fill the vacancy of a commissioner who resigns. Without SB4, the vacancy left by Bill Daughtridge, the one being filled by Yolanda Stith, would end in April 2019. Because of SB4 she’ll now serve until April 2025.

Yolanda Stith is currently on the state’s payroll as the Executive Director of the NC Association Long Term Care Facilities. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration – Finance from North Carolina Central University (Durham, NC).

Compiled from report from NCDP