By Jeff Atkinson - bio | email
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Former NC First Lady Mary Easley fired from her job at NC State on Monday. It comes hours after State's popular chancellor stepped down, the third top North Carolina education official to resign over the controversial hiring of the former First Lady.
E-mails released on Monday show Mary Easley had help from the highest levels of state government in landing her high-paying job at NC State. What's still unclear is whether the actions taken were criminal.
The e-mails released by NC State indicate former Governor Mike Easley was involved in the school's hiring of his wife, Mary.
A position the university created in 2005.. paying 80-thousand dollars a year.. for her to oversee a speakers series and help teach a class. Last year, Easley's salary bumped up 88-percent.. to $170,000 a year at a time when thousands of teachers are now being laid off and the state's facing its worst budget crisis in decades.
Today, Jim Oblinger, the chancellor at NC State announced his resignation.
UNC System President Erskine Bowles. He says, "Jim Oblinger did what he has always done at NC State. He put this University first."
E-mails released today indicated Chancellor Oblinger was involved in Mrs. Easley's hiring.
NC State's Chancellor has maintained in recent weeks that he couldn't recall whether anyone approached him about hiring the former First Lady.
Oblinger now joins former Provost Larry Nielsen.. and NCSU Board of Trustee's Chairman McQueen Campbell, all three have resigned within the last month over the Mary Easley saga.
She has maintained that she wouldn't step down.
Today the University forced her hand.. saying she would be fired.
"We now have to move forward I think to do so we have got to do everything we can to bring sunlight to this issue," said Bowles.
The UNC System President turned to his longtime friend Jim Woodward.. former chancellor at UNC Charlotte, now retired, to take over and run NC State until a permanent chancellor is found.
That could take a year.
Dr. Woodward like many are anxious to put the Easley controversy to rest.
He told WBTV News, "The decision to terminate her has been made and will now be carried out. I think that is good for the institution and I would hope would be good for Mary Easley long term as well."
Woodward taught at NC State many years ago which weighed on his decision.. and he says it was hard to turn down a friend.
The question many are asking, with these damaging e-mails, were the actions taken criminal?
We don't know yet.. that's being investigated.
A federal grand jury has subpoeneaed records from NC State and the Easleys.
That's how the e-mails were released today.. part of that probe.
All the players who've resigned from State deny any wrongdoing.. and it probably doesn't rise to the level of being criminal.. but does look bad for the University.
Gov. Easley is being investigated on another matter which could get him in trouble.. but it's not related to his wife's hiring..
