In other, less politically dysfunctional states, politicians go down for taking illegal gifts and trips from lobbyists. Black, a Democrat from Matthews and the speaker of the state house, took that practice to a whole new level. This year, it was revealed that Black had a lobbyist doing everything but washing his underwear — and maybe even that, too. Before the feds caught on, lobbyist Meredith Norris was fundraising for him and running the daily ins and outs of his political career — when she wasn’t helping to draft legislation beneficial to her clients in Black’s name. Black is now the subject of numerous criminal and ethical investigations.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2006.
