Republican State Auditor Les Merritt’s partisan bandwagon has hit the road – literally.

Mr. Merritt’s flawed review of the state transportation department ignores the reality of increased construction costs and population growth.

Meanwhile Mr. Merritt’s fee to state agencies has ballooned from $55 to $85 an hour while the budget approved by his department continues to grow.

“We know why it costs more to build roads,” said NCDP Chair Jerry Meek. “Why does it cost more for Les Merritt to run his office?”

According to the Federal Highway Administration, states across the country are experiencing “unprecedented construction cost increases”.

With rising energy prices and an economy careening toward recession, it simply costs more to build a road than it used to.

Construction material prices rose much faster in 2005 and 2006 than consumer and producer price indices. The availability of key construction materials such as Portland cement, copper, gypsum and PVC pipe became an issue in many parts of the country.

Following a page from the national GOP playbook, nearly all of the Republican gubernatorial candidates refused to show up Saturday for the NAACP debate.

African-Americans make up more than 20 percent of North Carolina’s population.

Republicans would rather ignore 1.1 million African-American voters than address concerns about education, health care, jobs, and safe communities.

Republicans have no trouble pandering to special interests. But they can’t look black voters in the eye and tell them they will govern for all people, not just those who look like them.

Then Republicans complain that black people won’t vote for them.

Maybe it’s because a Republican redistricting lawsuit threatens to pack minorities in districts and dilute their vote and representation in the General Assembly.

Move Over Moondoggie!

State Auditor Les Merritt is on his way to becoming the next surfing legend.

The State Auditor’s Office has used state resources for political purposes. Merritt’s office has surfed to the North Carolina Democratic Party website 217 times in the past six months. In the past two weeks alone, Merritt’s office visited our website five times.

As an avid surfer, Mr. Merritt can’t get enough of the Democratic wave.

The State Auditor’s Office visits our website more than the Democratic National Committee and the Obama and Clinton campaigns combined. More traffic comes from the Auditor’s Office, a public agency funded by public tax dollars, than the entire city of Fayetteville.

Like most surfers, Merritt won’t catch any wave. The State Auditor’s Office is looking for the Big Kahuna, anything on our website that affects Mr. Merritt’s chances of being re-elected.

State government watchdogs sniff around for fraud, waste and abuse of public resources.

But not State Auditor Les Merritt.

He would rather use state resources for political purposes.

The State Auditor's Office has visited the North Carolina Democratic Party website 217 times in the past six months. In the past two weeks alone, Merritt's office has clicked on our website five times.

Like most watchdogs, Merritt is loyal. His state computers have logged on to our website more than the Democratic National Committee, the Obama campaign and the Clinton campaign combined.

More traffic comes from the State Auditor's office, a public agency funded by public tax dollars, than from the entire city of Fayetteville or state of Kentucky.

Merritt's tenacity in using state resources for political purposes knows no bounds.

Who is this vampire?


Click here to find out!

Republican State Auditor Les Merritt’s latest public disservice ad continues his pattern of using his public office for partisan gain.

Merritt’s office unleashed this week thinly-veiled campaign ads to be aired in major media markets. While they don’t use his face or voice, a violation of state law, the ads refer the viewers to a website that features Merritt’s bio and a “picture of the Republican peering through a magnifying glass”, the Insider reported.

Mr. Merritt’s ad also uses the phrase “the taxpayers’ watchdog”, the same tiresome one he used in his campaign ads.

In addition, his services don’t come cheap. Mr. Merritt spent $150,000 in public money on the campaign, with $10,000 of it going toward the ad’s production.

“It’s simply wrong to use state money to run ads featuring his campaign slogan,” said NCDP Chair Jerry Meek. “This is a clear attempt by Mr. Merritt to reinforce his campaign slogan at taxpayer expense.”

The Charlotte Observer Published the Following Letter to the Editor, sent by NCDP Chair Jerry Meek:

State Auditor Les Merritt says taking a side job as director for a local bank will help him stay "connected to real people."

What is Mr. Merritt thinking? It's wrong to serve as a bank director when your office audits the state agency that regulates banks.

In 2005 it was wrong for him to run ads soliciting clients for his side business as a certified financial planner -- even offering coupons for a "1 Hour Free Consultation." And earlier this year it was wrong for him to announce he was starting yet another side business, providing retirement planning advice.

"Real people" think public officials shouldn't use their position for personal gain. And they think someone paid for a full-time job should work full-time.

Editorial, Charlotte Observer

Les Merritt appears to be having a hard time understanding that voters in 2004 elected him to be N.C. State Auditor -- not State Auditor and Private Financial Adviser, and not State Auditor and Four Oaks Bank Board Member.

Mr. Merritt, a Republican, did step out of his investment adviser business after a flap over his divided loyalties, but when political watchdog Joe Sinsheimer questioned his decision to be a director of Four Oaks Bank in Zebulon, Auditor Merritt said he would accept no money from the bank and intended to remain on the board.