When Pat McCrory takes the oath of office Jan 5, he won’t just become governor of North Carolina; he will assume the role of the highest ranking official, at least in title and public housing privileges, of the new Pope administration that is taking over in Raleigh next year.

McCrory formally acknowledged that this week by naming Art Pope state budget director, turning the reins of state appropriations over to a polarizing political figure who has spent more than $40 million in the last 10 years pushing his far-right agenda on North Carolina and financing politicians who will carry it out.

Technically, Pope was named deputy budget director because as Pope pointed out at the press conference announcing his appointment, the Constitution names the governor as the director of the state budget. But Pope is definitely in charge.

For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Daily Reflector. Current home delivery and electronic edition subscribers may log in to access this article at no charge. To become a subscriber, please click here or contact Customer Service at (252) 329-9505.