by WorldTribune Staff, February 1, 2021
Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper has created a new position, philanthropy liaison, in state government and filled it from the ranks of one of the state’s leading cash cows for leftist causes, a report said.
Cooper’s new philanthropy liaison is Joy Vermillion Heinsohn, who serves as assistant director for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Heinsohn officially leaves the Reynolds Foundation Feb. 5, and her first day in the governor’s office will be March 1, the Carolina Journal reported on Jan. 28.
A Jan. 27 news release said the new position is “grant-funded,” but did not identify exactly who is funding the grant.
State Senate Majority Leader Kathy Harrington said that having an outside entity fund a state employee “presents numerous conflict of interest” challenges. “Who will she be accountable to: the taxpayers or the liberal organizations funding her position?”
Heinsohn, the report noted, has been candid about her leftist political views. An October report identifying her as “a Democratic voter from the small city of Winston-Salem,” quoted Heinsohn as calling for “bringing decency back to the White House” and hoping that North Carolina would vote against President Donald Trump.
The Reynolds Foundation “is a stalwart funder of left-wing nonprofits and activism in the Tar Heel State, including partisan causes such as Blueprint NC,” the Carolina Journal report noted. “Blueprint NC was responsible for a 2013 memo calling on progressive groups to ‘cripple’ and ‘eviscerate’ Republican legislative leaders. The Reynolds Foundation gave $2.1 million to Blueprint NC between 2009 and 2013 alone.”
WorldTribune.com contributing editor ‘Major Dave’ Goetze noted in a Facebook post:
Because it has never been just about the election data. Cooper just created a new staff position of “Philanthropy Liaison”. This position is funded by grants from unknown sources, not appropriated State funds. Dark money is buying a lot more in NC than just an election outcome.
Fact: Over $4 million dollars flowed into NC last Fall through a Zuckerburg-funded non-profit created by a former employee of the Durham County BoE to 34 County Boards of Elections and the State Board in Raleigh to “help” with last November’s election. None of that money flowed through the State Treasury or the Legislative Budget process. “I know this from the non-profit’s own website claims and minutes of some of those County’s Commissioners meeting where these grant funds were itemized and approved for acceptance and disbursement prior to Election Day.
Fact: Cooper once sought to create a slush fund (also outside the legislative budget process) from revenues associated with the now canceled Dominion Energy pipeline project.
Fact: The federal government now fully funds several positions of the staff of our State Board of Elections, and funds a few others at 50%. However, instead of reducing the State’s burden for half those salaries, the Cooper regime merely gave those employees a 50% pay raise!
Who is now beholden to whom in State government?
Fact: Now Cooper seeks to formalize this flow of unregulated dollars into state government to reduce or avoid any dependence on the Legislature for how he funds his projects. If the Legislature won’t fund his programs, he’ll just go out and find donors who will!
Yes, more dots continue to come together because the election data doesn’t tell the whole tale…
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