Report details questionable business practices of powerful GOP lawmaker: Stephen LaRoque

Submitted by RSchofield on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 12:19pm

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Blue NC'ers will be interested in a new NC Policy Watch Investigates series by reporter Sarah Ovaska. It's called “Public money, personal gains,” and details some of the questionable business practices of a powerful member of the North Carolina House Republican leadership team, Rules Committee co-chair, Rep. Stephen LaRoque.

According to the report:

“He’s earned up to $195,000 a year heading the two small economic development organizations—the East Carolina Development Company and Piedmont Development Company—and used the non-profits to loan some of the public funds to his close associates and political allies. Past board members say they were kept in the dark about his pay.”

You can read the entire series of reports by clicking here.

RSchofield's blog

LaRoque is the worst kind

Submitted by James on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 12:36pm.

Great reporting.

Lots of people have known full well that LaRoque is a scammer ... but he's THEIR scammer so it's been just fine. I had no idea it was this bad.

PS The delivery of this story has been exquisite. Presentation, structure, headlines, clarity, graphics. Beautifully done.

Do good. Be nice. Have fun.

I've said it before and I'll say it again

Submitted by usernamehere on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 1:26pm.

Here it was before as posted on BlueNC months ago.

My words from then stand.

Thanks to bloggers once again for exposing the lack of business skills and government teat-sucking of GOP elected officials.

Thanks to NC Policy Watch for more research and compiling it into an article.

Laroque's business practices

Submitted by Mike123 on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 11:48pm.

Excellent research & reporting from NC Policy Watch. I hope Laroque enjoyed the article.

If you don't like it, tell your state representatives: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/GIS/Representation/Representation.html

LaRoque on teh Google

Submitted by James on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 7:05pm.

Oops.

Do good. Be nice. Have fun.

How do we Santorum-ize him?

Submitted by loftT on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 9:24pm.

He doesn't have enough of a google problem yet. Only one BlueNC post showing on pg.1? Can we help?

Progressives are the true conservatives.

SEO LaRoque

Submitted by James on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 10:37pm.

Stephen LaRoque and his business stink to high-heaven.

A few more posts, a few more tags, a few more links. Use the name, use the links. Hit the Twitter button. Again and again.

Put it in your comments. Stephen LaRoque sure seems like a crook to me.

Why isn't the Attorney General looking into LaRoque's kickback scheme?

Links, links, links.

It takes focus and repetition, hitting the stories again and again and again.

Do good. Be nice. Have fun.

Plus, he's Thom Tillis' bunk boy

Submitted by James on Thu, 08/04/2011 - 10:43pm.

LaRoque has more than enough shadiness to be a problem for Tillis, who will either have to defend the sleazebag ... or distance himself ... both good outcomes.

Is LaRoque a crook, or just a good, old-fashioned Republican? Probably both, to my knowledge.

Someone should ask Thommy.