Phil Berger appoints former Cooper admin official to NCDOT state board

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Jim Trogdon retired as Roy Cooper’s Transportation secretary in 2020 amid some withering criticism over the NCDOT’s finances:

[…] In Fiscal Year 2019, the DOT spent $6.8 billion against a budget of $5 billion for that year. Of the $1.8 billion in overspending, DOT depleted $1.1 billion in “short-term” loans from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) to the Highway Fund (HF) between May 2018 and April 2019. Prior to that, the HTF had not been touched for over 14 years.

HTF money is designated for capital projects. The Highway Fund is for maintenance.

“Under state law, many of the projects funded could not have been paid using HTF funds. Additionally, as required by statute, NCDOT neither sought nor received approval of the State Treasurer to loan the funds from the HTF to the HF,” State Treasurer Dale Folwell said in October 2019. […]

Then-treasurer Dale Folwell had some harsh words for Trogdon upon announcement of his retirement from the state transportation agency:

[…] “On behalf of taxpayers, DOT employees, and contractors, we look forward to working with [incoming Secretary Keith Boyette] to bring DOT out of the multibillion-dollar ditch that it has dug over the last 16 months,” Folwell said in a release. […]

In other words: “during the Trogdon era.”

I guess budget-busting and overspending (or even being a Democrat in the service of Roy Cooper) doesn’t disqualify you for some goodwill from the alleged conservative party in our state capital.

Word has come that state senator Phil Berger – the de facto leader of Raleigh Republicans — has appointed former Cooper cabinet official Jim Trogdon to finish out an unexpired two-year term on the state transportation board.  You know, the group that oversees the agency Trogdon and his team nearly spent into the ground.  

What, you ask.  Are there no good conservatives or Republicans out there to fill this important role? Was Roy Cooper’s big-spending crony the ONLY choice?

This is not the first time Phil Berger – the alleged leader of Raleigh Republicans – has shown love to a Democrat official.  You may remember he endorsed an incumbent Democrat superior court judge who was running against a credible Republican challenger.

The Democrat judge – despite Phil’s blessing – lost his race.  *And Berger lost one too in March of this year.*

We’re being told this year about how toxic Roy Cooper and his cronies are.  Yet, *our* team still rewards Trogdon and his record of big-spending with another seat at the taxpayer trough. So, are Cooper and his friends bad news or NOT?