news-record.com

RALEIGH — The political hangover from a jobs deal that went sour last week hung in the background as state leaders gathered Monday to celebrate the expansion of Honda Aircraft in Greensboro.

“This economic expansion is certainly a welcome announcement, but it is a slap in the face for (Sen.) Phil Berger to support job creation in his own district but block jobs for people elsewhere in the state,” state Democratic Party Chairman David Parker said before the announcement.

Berger, an Eden Republican who represents the Piedmont Triad International Airport where Honda Aircraft will expand, was a key player in blocking incentives for Continental Tire. The company decided to open a tire plant in Sumter, S.C., when the state Senate refused to sanction a deal in North Carolina.

Berger said he backs the Honda deal, which did not require legislative approval, because it uses established incentives that would be available to any company. He said much of the state money will be invested in infrastructure such as roads, things the state will keep even if Honda leaves.

The Continental package, he said, would have paid as much as $45 million before a single job was created. He said the deal was marred by pay-to-play politics, since several Democratic donors and elected officials stood to gain financially as part of a land sale involved in the deal.

Gov. Bev Perdue and Commerce Department officials said that the company chose the site in question and that there was nothing improper about the deal, which involved the potential for as many as 1,700 jobs.

“It sounds to me like these folks are playing politics if they can’t see the difference between the two,” Berger said.

The Honda announcement comes less than a week after the Continental announcement led to public finger-pointing between Perdue and Berger.

Perdue sounded a conciliatory tone when asked about the difference in Berger’s stances between the two projects.

“The governor’s top priority is creating jobs,” said Perdue spokesman Mark Johnson. “She is committed to working cooperatively with members of the General Assembly to attract new jobs to North Carolina and help existing companies grow and thrive.”

Parker, however, did not hold back his criticism, saying Berger had “no business standing with Governor Perdue and others to take credit for their work to try and recruit new jobs and industry to North Carolina.”

Berger fired back that the state legislature included funding for many of the incentives used to lure Honda Aircraft in the state budget and that Perdue vetoed that budget earlier this year. Lawmakers later overrode Perdue’s objections.

“Why is the governor there if we’re using money she vetoed?” Berger asked.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com