Black's Son Bid High But Got Jobs

by Dan Kane - November 11th, 2007 - News & Observer

A company owned by the son of former House Speaker Jim Black won contracts to provide pest control at the state's newest three prisons [including Bertie Correctional Institute], although competing bidders offered to do the work at less than half of Black's price.

Black Pest Control was paid $124,000 for prison construction projects in Bertie and Greene counties, although a business in Stafford, Va., bid $42,000 on the same work. At the state's latest prison project in Columbus County, Black Pest Control won the job in 2005 with a price of $73,600, even though a Brunswick County company was willing to do it for $20,600.

[snip]

George Zaborowski, project manager for a Centex subcontractor, D.H. Griffin Concrete Services, said two Centex officials demanded that his company hire Black [Jim Black's son] in 2004 to satisfy a state lawmaker whose vote proved crucial to Centex's getting the prison construction business. He said the lawmaker was not named.

Only in a socialist dominated state like North Carolina can the corruption be so rampant. A $124,000 bid by Jim Black's son was accepted instead of a lower $42,000 bid to provide pest control service for the state prison here in Bertie County. That is nearly three times as much as the lower bid.

How much longer are people in this part of North Carolina going to remain so blase about the corruption in our state government? I love the comment that the "lawmaker was not named". That is how this game is played. We can pretend the Democrat Speaker was not guilty because after all, he was not named. Right!