Posted on 03/14/2007 11:36:50 AM PDT by GOPRaleigh
Wright won't say how he makes his living New disclosure form may give answers this week
By Mark Schreiner and Gareth McGrath, mark.schreiner@starnewsonline.com
Rep. Thomas Wright is not saying.
Asked on Tuesday how he makes his living, the Democrat from Wilmington uttered an obscenity and suggested the question amounted to harassment.
"You've probably drawn your own conclusions," he said, turning to walk away. "I thank you. I really thank you."
Pressed further, he went into the inner office of his suite at the Legislative Office Building and then asked his legislative assistant to come inside.
When she came out, she said Wright was unavailable.
The public record gives little detail about the private work Wright does, but it does show indications of a person who has often appeared in need of money.
He has unpaid tax bills in two counties and has faced foreclosure, even seeking financial help from Sen. R.C. Soles, D-Columbus, in 1998.
His re-election campaign is currently the subject of a criminal investigation by the N.C. State Board of Elections. The board has subpoenaed his bank records.
Wright has said that he has done nothing wrong and he plans to work with the board to resolve the matter quickly.
Rep. Danny McComas, R-New Hanover, has worked with Wright in the legislature for 15 years. They've worked on legislation affecting local tourism promotion, transportation and the needs of neighborhoods and local governments.
Asked if he knew what Wright did for a living, McComas said, "I don't know."
Neither does House Speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange.
"No, I do not," said Hackney, who has served in the legislature since 1981 and was leader of the Democrats before becoming speaker. "I guess we'll all find out on Thursday, like everybody else."
Hackney referred to the new economic interest disclosures required by the state's new government ethics law. The new forms, which must be filled out by all lawmakers and dozens of other government officials, require not only occupation and employer information, but a list of each source of annual income greater than $5,000 received by the filer and that person's spouse and immediate family.
The reports must be postmarked by March 15. Wright had not yet filed his as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the N.C. Ethics Commission.
We do know what Wright makes for his service as a lawmaker. His total compensation in 2006 was $36,249.32, according to the N.C. General Assembly payroll office.
The compensation included a $13,950.96 salary, $12,376 in living expenses for the 119-day legislative session, $3,214.36 mileage reimbursement and the flat $6,708 expense allowance every lawmaker gets.
Because a portion of lawmaker compensation is calculated on the number of days the legislature meets, the total pay can fluctuate greatly from year to year. Wright was paid $48,161.76 in 2005, a so-called "long session" year when the legislature met for more than 200 days.
The new disclosure system replaces the current one in which legislative candidates filed economic interest statements with local county election boards in election years.
On his last such statement, which Wright filed with the New Hanover County election board on Feb. 27, 2006, he listed himself as a self-employed health and safety consultant.
The N.C. General Assembly directory lists him as an emergency medical services instructor.
He last used that title in his 2002 economic interest disclosure. He said his customers were drawn from the general public, but he was not required to list whom he does business with.
Two companies organized by Wright, an ambulance service and health and safety consultancy, are listed as suspended more than 10 years ago in records of the N.C. Department of Secretary of State.
The state government suspends corporations if they fail to file any report or return, or fail to pay any tax or fee 90 days after it is due.
In 2002 and 2003, Wright was paid $35,000 as a consultant to the N.C. Foundation for Advanced Health Programs Inc., an organization funded with money from drug makers and controlled by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
He had worked for the foundation before serving in the legislature, health officials said, and had done a good job. But by 2003, Wright was a House budget chairman with influence over how money would be spent on HHS.
In 2004, Wright told the News & Observer of Raleigh that he didn't know the foundation was associated with the state government.
New Hanover records show Wright has been delinquent in his property tax payments every year since 1990 on a house at 317 S. 17th Street and since 1997 for his home at 322 S. 17th St.
He does pay the bills. In four of the last five years, he did so in March. He paid his 2005 New Hanover taxes in February.
As of Tuesday, Wright still owed $1,547 in 2006 taxes and interest, according to County Tax Administrator Bob Glasgow. The tax payments were due Jan. 5.
Wright owes $110.60 in 2006 property taxes on two parcels he owns in Brunswick County. Records show he has paid taxes late in that county each year since 2002.
A review of the New Hanover Register of Deeds filings also shows a trail of mortgage problems surrounding Wright's Wilmington property.
They include a family house at 708 Dock St.
Courthouse records show that Soles, a long-serving Democratic senator from Columbus County, signed a note on the house in 1998 to keep it from being taken by creditors. Soles is listed as the owner of the house through that period.
"They said they were trying to keep the family house," Soles said. "It was all done in a straightforward manner and at arm's length - I got back every penny I paid."
Wright and his wife are listed as acquiring the house from Soles in 2001. But after that, foreclosure proceedings were filed - and dismissed - four times between 2001 and 2003. The house was sold at public auction in 2004.
The house at 322 S. 17th St., listed as Wright's primary residence, has been the subject of cycles of threatened foreclosure and settlement with creditors.
In 2004, he said he had lost some clients and suffered a business setback.
Wright was criticized for trying in 2001 to get a state appropriation for a community health foundation he created and to which his personal finances were connected. He said that he had checked with legislative leaders and a General Assembly attorney and found no conflict of interest.
But creditors took the foundation's building at 410 Harnett St. in 2004, according to courthouse records.
Yearly credit checks and hair follicle drug screening every 6 months for all state and federal congressmen, as well as the president. That's a nannystate law I could swallow.
This guy is a prime target for bribery.
Maybe he works out of Barney Franks' apartment and is too embarrassed to admit it!
Maybe he gets unemployment payments like Joe Zarelli from WA.
Maybe that's all he does...hence his brokeness.
Did he say "Faggot"? Because that would be just awful.
Selling Crack on Oglethorpe sounded kinda unprofessional
"Paging Cold-Cash Jefferson (Democrat-Louisana). "A fellow traveller needs your money-handling assistance!"
What it is, man, is that Wright is a Democrat.
Were he a Republican, I guarantee SOMEONE would be digging deeper!
Could this be him?
Perhaps for awhile but I doubt it. The right connections make anything go away. I imagine there are one or two Republicans in the same boat. Heck, there's about 536 in the same boat as I don't know what they do right now!! Well waste my money, that's about it
His bio says he is an EMT instructor. Hmmmmmmmm!
Rep. Thomas Wright
I'm a DEMOCRAT politician.......a teat sucker for life.
Semper Fi
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