Time for Phipps to Go

Gov. Mike Easley certainly took no pleasure in calling upon state Commissioner of Agriculture Meg Scott Phipps, a fellow Democrat, to resign last week. But the commissioner is engulfed by a scandal that renders her ineffective as an advocate of North Carolina’s farmers. Easley exercised the quality of leadership expected of him, and Phipps should do as he recommends.

Phipps is under federal investigation in connection her campaign fund-raising in 2000, the year she was elected commissioner. A State Fair midway contract that Phipps helped steer to Amusements of America has been a focal point of the federal investigation. Former Phipps aides Linda Saunders and Bobby McLamb have pleaded guilty to federal charges, including extortion. Prosecutors say the two took cash payoffs from potential fair vendors and used it to retire Phipps' campaign debts. Money also went to help retire the campaign debt of McLamb, who ran against Phipps in the Democratic primary, then joined her campaign prior to the general election. Phipps has not been indicted, but prosecutors the investigation continues and more indictments are possible.

Phipps says she is innocent of any wrongdoing, will not resign and will seek re-election in 2004. Easley rightly worries that her candidacy — assuming she stays out of jail long enough to mount one — will hurt the entire Democratic ticket in the next election. He is also correct in contending that the Phipps scandal robs farmers of an effective voice in Raleigh.

Phipps is of course entitled to a presumption of innocence and, if she is indicted, her day in court. But the commissioner should act immediately in the interest of her fellow Democrats and the farmers she is supposed to represent. The governor stepped up under difficult circumstances and said what needed to be said. The commissioner should respond by doing what needs to be done. She should tender her resignation.