Cooper leaves the state without giving notice

Roy Cooper, Dannel Malloy, Steve Bullock
North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper addresses a Democratic Governors joint news conference during the National Governor's Association meeting to highlight the damaging impact they contend the pending Senate health care bill would have on their states at the second day of the NGA meeting Friday, July 14, 2017, in Providence, R.I. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, left, and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock look on. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

RALEIGH — Gov. Roy Cooper traveled to California recently for a meeting of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), but few knew about it until after the trip was over.

According to Cooper’s campaign, the DGA paid for the governor’s travel, which spanned Monday through Wednesday.

Daily schedules sent out by the governor’s press office did not indicate the governor had left the state and said only that the governor “will be holding meetings and conducting other business.”

Transparency in the governor’s out of state travel has been a recurring issue, with Cooper being accused of not properly notifying the lieutenant governor and the media of his travels.

The North Carolina constitution says, “During the absence of the Governor from the State, or during the physical or mental incapacity of the Governor to perform the duties of his office, the Lieutenant Governor shall be Acting Governor.”

In 2017, Cooper left the state during the last weekend of September without telling the Forest.

Earlier this year in June, during the budget controversy, the governor made an unannounced trip to New York City.

“The Governor has only informed the LG of one out of state trip over the last 2.5 years. Last week was not that instance,” Jamey Falkenbury, Forest’s Director of Communications said at the time.

About A.P. Dillon 1240 Articles
A.P. Dillon is a North State Journal reporter located near Raleigh, North Carolina. Find her on Twitter: @APDillon_