Charlotte Observer: Not just about money: New laws in state budget give more power to the General Assembly

Charlotte Observer: Not just about money: New laws in state budget give more power to the General Assembly

Ann Webb, the policy director of government watchdog group Common Cause North Carolina, said “an agency that is designed to protect the interests of the public spending, state funds should be operated in such a way that it reflects the public interest in its structure — not simply the interest of a couple of very powerful individuals.” “Democracy requires transparency,” Webb said. Webb, with Common Cause, said it’s “really important to look at the holistic picture. All the ways that the legislature has been grabbing power for itself.” She said Gov Ops is just the latest example. Webb said that Common Cause is “always concerned with balance of power, and checks and balances disrupted, and that’s not only the balance of power among the three branches of government but also the ability of the people to oversee what their government is doing.”