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Auditor issues a worthless report on Mary Easley's salary

Here's a strange document from State Auditor Beth Wood:

Investigation of salary paid to Mary P. Easley/ Interim Report

Wood writes in her cover letter that the report is basically worthless:

"... the preliminary findings should not be considered to be the final conclusions of the Office of the State Auditor and should not be relied upon for any purpose." 

Yes, that was in bold print.

So, why put out something that's unreliable?

"We are taking this extraordinary action to protect the integrity of the Office of the State Auditor and to provide information to interested parties."

What, a bad report protects the integrity of the office?

I'd come to the opposite conclusion.

Let's back up.

This investigation was initiated last year in response to a complaint about Mary Easley's $170,000 salary at N.C. State. You know all about that.

Republican Les Merritt was the state auditor at the time. His team did some figuring and postulated that Easley should have been paid only $79,000.

These findings were sent to N.C. State for a response. The university defended Easley's salary and said the auditors were overlooking some points in her favor -- including the fact that, as the governor's wife, she brought exceptional value to the position. For one thing, she could attract more prestigious speakers to campus.

Well, a lot of things have changed since then.

First, Merritt was knocked out of office in last November's election by Wood, a Democrat.

She came into office and apparently found State's answers had some validity. She suspended further investigation into the matter.

A few months later, everything blew up with new information about all the political string-pulling that Mike Easley did to get his wife the gig at State.

Before you knew it, heads were rolling over there. The chairman of the board of trustees resigned, then the provost, then even the chancellor.

Jim Woodward came in as interim chancellor and, with the support of UNC system president Erskine Bowles, canned Mrs. Easley.

Absolutely no one is defending her job or her big salary now. The value State saw in her turned into an embarrassment.

And questions were raised about the aborted audit.

"Since this decision was made," Wood wrote, "allegations have been made in the media and elsewhere that the Office of the State Auditor had not issued a report on the investigation as the result of political or other pressures."

So, here it is -- flaws and all.

Now, says Wood, further investigation and analysis will be done and "a final report will be forthcoming."

Don't bother.

There's a federal investigation into all kinds of (alleged) Easley shenanigans, including the Mary Easley employment scheme.

Although Mrs. Easley is challenging her dismissal and the termination of her contract, an audit of her pay rate isn't going to shed any light on the issue.

No one needs an audit to say she was overpaid because everyone knows she shouldn't have been hired in the first place.

So, Wood is right about the interim report being basically worthless, and the same likely will be true of a final report.