Perdue appears everywhere, in contrast to Easley

Gov. Beverly Perdue's often-told campaign story — how the girl from Virginia coal country with parents who didn't finish high school became somebody — still strikes a chord a year after her election.

"She's governor now — that's really amazing," said Selvin Jones, 17, after meeting Perdue in a visit to Grimsley High School last week to encourage students to apply for college. "It just shows you can do anything if you set your mind to it."

With that kind of reaction, it's little wonder Perdue has been deliberate in making dozens of public appearances since the Legislature ended in August with few things to cheer about. So she's making her own news by announcing new jobs, giving speeches and visiting classrooms. It's part of what she vowed when taking office: wanting to be "a fully engaged, hands-on governor."

Critics say Perdue is on a public relations tour that comes in the face of low approval ratings following a painful legislative session. The governor counters that the appearances inform her work.

"Every county that I go to, I meet people who are worried about their families," Perdue said in a recent interview before a week of travel that included delivering Meals on Wheels in Winston-Salem, visiting a homeless shelter in Raleigh, and sharing her own past weight challenges at a state employees wellness fair.

Her schedule contrasts with her predecessor, fellow Democratic Gov. Mike Easley. His reclusive and behind-the-scenes governing style lead him to eschew speeches and ribbon-cuttings and gravitate toward staying home.

Perdue points out her mentor was the vigorous four-term Gov. Jim Hunt.

"Mike Easley was one of the most introverted public officials I've ever seen," said Ran Coble, executive director of the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, a nonpartisan think tank. "Hunt never saw a crowd that he didn't like going through."

The governor's office says Perdue has held 38 public events in North Carolina from Oct. 1 through Nov. 20, a period that included her two-week trade mission to Japan and China.

In comparison, Easley participated in 18 in-state public events from Oct. 1, 2006, through the end of that year, according to his daily schedules from that period, provided to the AP when Easley was still governor.

Granted, Perdue and Easley were in different seasons of their political lives. In 2006, Easley was in the middle of his second term and benefited from a strong economy. Perdue is in her first year as governor as the state faces 11 percent unemployment and tax collections continuing to fall. She's furloughed state employees and agreed with the General Assembly to raise sales and income taxes to balance the budget.

"Nobody liked what I was doing," Perdue said, but "the decisions that I have made were good decisions, sound decisions for the future of North Carolina."

Easley has become an easy target for critics of his governing style this year as federal and state probes were disclosed into activities surrounding him, political allies and his campaign.

"Every governor tries to separate himself from the previous governor," Coble said. "That's even more important in Perdue's case with Easley being investigated."

Perdue has made at least three public appearances in Charlotte since mid-October — in keeping with her campaign pledge to focus more attention on North Carolina's largest city. In one, she announced she had found a way to begin work on the last leg of the city's outer loop highway.

During last week's visit to Greensboro, Perdue also addressed local school board members from across the state, who were none too pleased in August when the final budget signed by Perdue required districts to find $225 million in cuts.

The dim fiscal picture "has not stopped her from getting out front and taking some slings and arrows," said Rep. Pryor Gibson, D-Anson. "She's getting a lot of admiration for at least being willing to not duck the issues. She's inherited this mess."

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger said he expected Perdue to be a more visible governor than Easley but hasn't heard much good news coming from her about the economy. Instead, he said, the taxes she increased have made things worse.

"I guess she's in a damage-control effort," said Berger, R-Rockingham. "It's a PR push and there's not any real substance behind the sunny picture she's trying to create."

Perdue said times are difficult for sure and she's been trying to improve them by promoting job retraining and using tax incentives to recruit companies to create new jobs or save existing ones.

She said people also just want to see their governor out in public and added she's inspired by being around citizens trying to better themselves.

Earlier this week at the Raleigh Rescue Mission, resident Lakeshia Hinton got a high-five from the governor after telling her she was studying to become a nurse so she can support her four children, all under 8 years old.

"She cares," said Hinton, 28. "She really, truly, personally cares about what's going on us. And that makes a difference."