Perdue says state economy slowly recovering

Even as North Carolina’s unemployment rate hangs at 11 percent, Gov. Bev Perdue says she believes things won’t get much worse before the state starts to mend — albeit slowly.

The picture from the Executive Mansion has been far from rosy since she took office in January, Perdue acknowledged when she spoke to some supporters in New Bern a few days ago. Acknowledging the multibillion-dollar budget shortfall she faced upon taking office, Perdue said there was a time in May when she thought she’d have to “write teachers … IOUs.”

And even now, half the people living in Charlotte, the state’s largest city, are living at or below poverty level.

“Mind-boggling,” Perdue says. “As bad as we think it is in the East, it’s bad all over the state.”

But as bleak as the picture still is, Perdue, in the company of Craven County friends, made a bold prediction. She offered it just after presenting a painting to be hung in the Craven County Courthouse.

“I can tell you as the governor of this great state … I just really feel strongly that North Carolina is coming out,” Perdue said. “We’ve reached bottom. I believe anybody in North Carolina will tell you that. We are clawing our way up the wall of economic recovery.”

Perdue said she is encouraged by North Carolina’s ability to preserve its AAA bond rating despite a difficult budget year. The rating is indicative of a government’s ability to repay loans, and the higher the grade, the lower the interest rate a state can get when it has to borrow money.

She also said that she was happier than she ever thought she could be over a B-minus, the grade that the Pew Center on the States gave North Carolina in its study on the state’s financial footing.

Of the state’s projected recovery, Perdue said: “It will be slower than we like.” But she added that the state is “poised to compete globally.”

“You can’t ask for a whole lot more than that in these very challenging times,” she said.

Nikie Mayo can be reached at 252-635-5665 or nmayo@freedomenc.com.