Gov. Bev Perdue today announced the creation of the Office of Economic Recovery & Investment to coordinate and track North Carolina’s handling of federal stimulus funds as well as state-level economic recovery initiatives. Perdue named Dempsey Benton, former secretary of the state Health and Human Services Department, to lead the office and provide accountability for use of the recovery dollars.
“This money and these programs must be put to use quickly and effectively to create jobs, provide important services and get our economy moving again,” Perdue said. “Dempsey Benton brings the skill and experience to oversee this important effort. He will bring the transparency and accountability to this office that our citizens expect.”
The federal stimulus package, expected to be signed into law today by President Barack Obama, provides about $6.1 billion in direct aid to North Carolina to create jobs and rebuild and expand our state’s critical infrastructure, including highways and schools. Also, the recovery program will inject additional money into the state through targeted tax cuts, additional grants from federal agencies and direct funding for specific federal programs in the state.
This temporary office will be assisted by staff in the governor’s office and designated representatives from the various state agencies responsible for administering or distributing the federal stimulus funds.
“This stimulus money will help North Carolinians who have been hit by the global economic crisis,” Benton said. “I will do all I can to make sure our government works to see them through these troubled times and that citizens know their tax dollars are properly spent.”
The Governor’s Economic Recovery and Investment Office will:
- Track all federal dollars flowing into state and local governments as well as to private businesses and non-profit organizations.
- Maximize the state’s use of available federal stimulus funds.
- Identify the most rapid ways to move the stimulus money into the economy and remove regulatory and other impediments.
- Establish open and effective lines of communication with federal and state agencies, local governments and North Carolina’s Congressional delegation to assist in efforts to effectively and rapidly use the federal stimulus funds.
- Develop a communications network, using a variety of tools including the Internet, to keep the public informed about the status and progress of the recovery effort, along with funding opportunities.
- Report to the General Assembly and the citizens on a regular basis about the status of the use of the stimulus funds, including federal, state and other non-federal money.
- Measure progress of the recovery effort by tracking the state’s economic condition.
Benton, 63, served as secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services from August 2007 to January 2009. He worked to restore stability and organization to the agency, particularly the troubled mental health program. Before that he was chief deputy secretary of the state Environment and Natural Resources Department from 2001 until January 2007. Benton helped lead the special Hazardous Materials Task Force created following the October 2006 fire at the EQ warehouse in Apex. As a result of Benton’s work and leadership, several of the task force’s recommendations were adopted as state regulations or passed by the General Assembly into law. Prior to joining state government Benton served as Raleigh city manager from 1983 to 2000 and as the city’s assistant manager from 1974 to 1983. Before moving to Raleigh, he served as city manager in Elizabeth City and finance director in Rocky Mount.