The Man with the Flexible Bio
How well do we really know the man NCGOPe types are giving us the hard-sell on for the 2024 governor’s race?
It’s a rarity – some might call it a pleasant surprise – to come across a black man saying some conservative-sounding things. You can imagine the excitement to get Mark Keith Robinson out on center stage right away. *He’s just running for lieutenant governor. What’s the big deal?*
Apart from the excitement over the guy’s skin pigmentation and his great sound bites, what do we really know about this guy?
We know a lot about Balanced Nutrition, a contracting operation partnered with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) that Robinson, his wife, and their family have been operating since 2017.
But what about “Precious Beginnings,’’ a daycare center the lieutenant governor and his wife personally ran from 2002 until 2007?
Here is all that is mentioned about the daycare on Lt. Gov. Robinson’s official website:
[…] In his professional life, Mark has worked in various industries, including a long stint in furniture manufacturing. Unfortunately, like a lot of people in manufacturing during the implementation of NAFTA, he lost not one, but two manufacturing jobs. In addition to working in manufacturing and other industries, he was also blessed to start, run, and sell a successful small business with his wife.[…]
Successful, eh? Let’s compare that to what Greensboro’s Fox affiliate reported earlier this year:
[…] Robinson, whose failed childcare business with Hill had led to personal bankruptcy filings, court records showed, also paid off federal and state tax liens that totaled about $15,000, which ended in 2012. “Any outstanding issues we might have had with the IRS have been taken care of,” he told The News & Observer in 2020. […
Failed? Wait. I thought Robinson’s office was telling us — ON THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE – that the business was successful.
Our research into this matter found that Mark Robinson and Yolanda Hill launched their daycare center in 2002. By January 2003, according to federal court records, they were in bankruptcy proceedings. “Precious Beginnings’’ was specifically named in the bankruptcy filings.
Within a matter of months after starting the business, they’re in bankruptcy proceedings. HOW can this venture seriously be described as a success?
Wait. There’s even more.
If you go back to the snippet above from the lieutenant governor’s website, there is talk of how the business was “sold.’’
On page 95 of Robinson’s 2022 memoir, there is discussion of “selling’’ the daycare center.
A historical website called “BlackPast’’ also references Robinson and his wife “selling’’ the daycare business.
“Precious Beginnings’’ was run out of a small, rented building on Randleman Road in Greensboro. Mark & Yolanda DID NOT own the facility. So, WHAT – of value – was there to “Sell”?
I always thought a SALE involved the exchange of two or more things of value (i.e., cash for desired goods or services).
Again, the bankruptcy proceedings began shortly after the Robinsons started the daycare. If there was any value in the business, surely creditors would have gone after it. The daycare continued to operate well after the commencement of bankruptcy proceedings in 2003.
So, with the daycare center, we appear to have some debate over the meaning of the words “success” and “sell.”
With Balanced Nutrition, we have some sketchy accounting practices, some inaccurate information passed on to the Internal Revenue Service, and some apparent confusion over WHAT might be a conflict of interest, and who IS and who IS NOT a family member.
We face the possibility of Mark Robinson being elected governor — creating a situation where he oversees the agency that feeds revenue into his family’s business.
Yet, we’re being met with silence from the Robinson campaign and a dysfunctional drive-by media. We, the people of North Carolina, deserve better. We deserve some explanation from a person who wants us to trust him with the stewardship of our state government.
Mark is an excellent speaker. He gets the crowd fired up!
We need a man that can manage NC including money management. NC needs a man whose Actions speak Louder than Words. We deserve consistent Leadership. A man that will stand UP to the NCGA and tell them when they are wrong. A Champion that doesn’t talk, a leader that doesn’t get into verbal confrontations because he is too busy handling BUSINESS. NC needs Dale Folwell.
Love Mark as a speaker but I’m with Dale. I’d like to suggest that when you write about LTG MR, you always point out Josh, the leftist media and Dems [but I repeat myself] are holding back on mentioning Robinson et al’s difficult past.
Those of us more skeptical must explain this to people we forward this column to that once/if Mark is the nominee, then you’ll hear about all his problems non-stop. Non-stop. I know you know this, you’ve pointed it out here.
Once and when Robinson is the Stein opponent, he will be tarnished, stripped and removed from office in 30 days. ALL the past wrongs, wrong-doings and questionable biz practices of his family will rain down 24/7. He won’t last 30 days……
This is the media we have and anyone think WRAL, Leslie, et als won’t pounce!!!???
Dale Folwell for Governor.
He has done a fantastic job in his roll as State Treasurer. Proven and Time-Tested.
Dependable and Trustworthy.
Amen to the comments above. Dale is the best candidate by far. I served with him, and there was no one that I respected more. There is no one I’d rather have as Governor, although he will be sorely missed as Treasurer. As stated above–the media are keeping their powder dry, hoping that Robinson will win the primary, and then hold on to your hats. The really bad part of this, is that Stein will make Cooper look like a conservative. It will be a horrible 4 years for NC.
Folwell is the most qualified. Robinson is just a side show barker.
Mark Robinson has been captured by the RINO Phil “Boss Hogg” Berger machine. That is why he is so silent on policy issues. Coming out against casinos after the battle was over is a good example, as he was scared of his own shadow to contradict Berger until Berger threw in the towel. A Berger flunky is NOT what we need as governor.
Even on what was his signature issu;e, gun rights, Robinson has sat silent while Berger screwed gun owners. When Berger announced that he was going to kill the Constitutional Carry legislation this past session, Robinson just sat there with his thumb up his ass. That is not what I call a leader. It is what most of us call a flunky. A majority of states now recognize Constitutional Carry, but thanks to Berger (and Robinson), North Carolina is not one of them. Robinson also stayed silent on Obamacare Medicaid expansion, marijuana, other gambling legislation, and the Green New Deal. He is useless.
Some politicians are “all talk and no DO” but Robinson is only “some talk and no DO”. This is sad for a guy we thought had so much potential, but it is now obvious that other than a superb speaking ability, he never had anything else.