#NCPOL: Toxic liberals, media still obsessing over “unconfirmed” mold in #NCGOV bathrooms

NC State Capitol Building
NC State Capitol Building

Remember over the weekend when I wrote about a ridiculous piece written by the AP on the “controversy” surrounding a $230,000 estimate for a renovation of six bathrooms in the NC Governor’s mansion? Β For a refresher, here’s a summary of what they wrote – as translated by yours truly:

In spite of the fact that the Gov’s office has said the bathroom reno would be done only to bring the bathrooms in the historic mansion up to code and to fix potentially hazardous mold issues, the AP is skeptical there are building code and mold issues … hey, the bathrooms are β€œIN WORKING ORDER” so how on EARTH could there be mold/code issues… even though, according to other reports, MILLIONS were spent during the Easley (D) administration to fix … safety issues related to mold – just not on the second floor. Β And, hey, older buildings β€œtypically” don’t have to meet the safety codes of newer homes, so why should the Governor spend ONE DIME on this?? And is the moldΒ REALLYΒ toxic? INVESTIGATE NOW!

The fauxtrage from NC leftists and the local mainstream media was ridiculous in the extreme, especially when you consider that the Governor’s office clarified by stating they would only have done what was necessary to bring the bathrooms in the 122 year old home up to code and to fix potential safety hazards . Not satisfied, the AP Β wrote another Β bathroom story todayΒ (lovingly republished by the liberals at the Raleigh News and Observer) both on a $19K reno done in the Governor’s office bathroom at the State Capitol of the summer as well as “more” on last week’s “controversy” regarding the Governor’s mansion (bolded emphasis added by me):

RALEIGH, N.C.Β β€” North Carolina taxpayers spent about $19,000 to remodel a small restroom in Gov. Pat McCrory’s office at the State Capitol over the summer following complaints about a bad smell.

McCrory canceled plans last week to spend $230,000 in state funds to remodel six bathrooms in the historic Executive Mansion in Raleigh following public outcry. The Associated Press reported the work was to include more than $100,000 in new fixtures, marble and tile for McCrory’s master bathroom.

McCrory spokeswoman Kim Genardo said the old Capitol restroom required new paint, tile and repairs last July because of poor maintenance under the Republican governor’s predecessor, a Democrat.

“We spent $19,156 to replace broken tiles, flooring and make extensive repairs to plumbing that were not fixed by the previous administration,” Genardo said. “Additionally, a pungent odor seeped into the governor’s office, which made it an embarrassment to host company CEOs and guests at the State Capitol.”

Genardo stressed that McCrory’s administration chose the cheaper of two estimates for the work, electing to lay new tile over the old rather than rip out and replaster the walls. She provided no additional explanation for the source of the offending odor. The private restroom contains a sink and toilet.

What other “explanation” would you need to be able to satisfy to N&O’s curiosity about the origin of the odor? How much do you want to bet the N&O or one of the other reliably liberal news outlets in the Raleigh area tracks down former Gov. Bev Perdue [D] to “confirm or deny” that there was an odor in the bathroom? Β You think I’m kidding, but trust me -I’m not.

Now we move to their updated “reporting” on the Governor’s mansion bathroom reno story. Β I’ll provide a mini-fisking within the story:

McCrory faced criticism from Democrats for planning pricey remodeling at the mansion little more than a month after signing a state budget that provided big tax cuts for the wealthy [translation: to the people who will invest and expand and create jobs] while providing no raises for teachers [the freeze on teacher pay raises dates back to Pedue’s administration], dropping per-pupil school spending to among the lowest rates in the nation [learn the truth about NC education spending here]Β and slashing a program that provides dental work to low-income children.

And now, back to questioning whether or not the mold in the mansion is toxic enough to justify a bathroom reno, and insinuating the Governor’s mansion – 122 years old – doesn’t need to be “brought up to code” because it’s not required by the state on older homes:

A September memo justifying the upgrades listed problems including the lack of water-efficient commodes, cracked tiles, worn countertops, inadequate electrical outlets and concern there might be mold growing behind the walls. There was no mention of testing to confirm the suspected mold contamination or determine whether it is of the toxic variety.

The North Carolina Plumbing Code, which governs state facilities, includes no requirement that functioning bathrooms and plumbing be replaced to meet current requirements unless an inspector determines there is a “hazard or unsafe condition.”

Genardo has not responded to requests to specify what rules require the six mansion bathrooms to be brought “up to code.”

It’s fascinating, isn’t it? Democrats can absolutely run this state into the ground financially – which is what McCrory and the GOP-led NC General Assembly are dealing with – and you’ll see next to NO questioning from our liberal leaning local media news outlets nor their national counterparts like the AP, certainly not to the nth degree when it comes to renovating to get rid of smells and mold and to bring up to code. Β The media – and their left wing allies locally like the Blueprint NC coalition – will say the “questioning needs to be done because of the draconian budget cuts under this NCGA”, but that’s garbage. Β  The narrative here goes beyond “Pat McCrory is living Β high on the hog while everyone else suffers” – it’s more along the lines of “Pat McCrory is an out of touch dirty filthy ‘rich’ Republican who treats his office at the State Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion like his own personal palace and you shouldn’t trust him.”

Tweets like these from liberal think tank Progress NC, a Blueprint NC ally, helpfully amplify that narrative:

Again, this is another historic landmark in the state of North Carolina where you can’t cheap out on renovations. It was completed in 1840. To say that the bathroom in the Governor’s office could be updated by simply visiting a Walmart is the height of stupidity, then again, it’s about par for the course for a group of Raleigh-area think tanks and activists who vowed at the beginning of the McCrory administration to “cripple” state government every chance they got. This is what a party that had power for over 100 years and then loses it in a big way over two election cycles does. Because they desperately want their power back – using any means necessary.

But, hey, let’s give the AP and left wing “action” groups like Progress NC a little credit here -at least they’re finally “concerned” with how government spends taxpayer dollars, and wants them to to be more frugal with them. Too bad they don’t share those same “concerns” when they actually matter, like when Democrat Governors keep writing big money checks they know they can’t cash!

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