RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue is on vacation this week.

Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said Monday the new governor and husband Bob Eaves had planned the vacation before the November election. She took office last month.

Pearson didn’t know exactly where the governor was vacationing, but Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton said he’s been told that Perdue is out of the country.

That means Dalton is acting governor. The state constitution puts the lieutenant governor in charge when the governor leaves the state.

Pearson called it a “working vacation.” Perdue was in contact with her office and involved in state business.

Perdue didn’t attend the Emerging Issues Forum in Raleigh on Monday. She recorded a video message instead.

Facts about North Carolina’s 2009 inauguration:

WHEN & WHERE: 10 a.m. Saturday, in front of the Office of Archives & History Building, 109 E. Jones St., Raleigh. This will be the seventh time the building has been the site for the inauguration, dating back to 1981 and the second term of Gov. Jim Hunt. The event, which is open to the public, will begin with a concert, followed by the actual ceremony at 10:30 a.m. About 5,000 chairs will be set up for the event.

WHO: The ten members of the Council of State elected in November will be sworn in to office, capped by administration of the oath of office for Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarah Parker. Incumbents getting sworn in for additional four-year terms are Attorney General Roy Cooper; Secretary of State Elaine Marshall; Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry; Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson; and Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

NEWCOMERS: Four people will begin their first terms on the Council: Walter Dalton as lieutenant governor; Beth Wood, state auditor; Janet Cowell, state treasurer; and Wayne Goodwin, insurance commissioner.

CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTS: Television icon Andy Griffith, a Manteo resident, will give a special reading. William Swart, 12, of Fuquay-Varina, will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Swart’s father is a National Guard member training to deploy to Iraq. A military flyover and 19-gun salute for Perdue also are expected. Outgoing Gov. Mike Easley, Hunt and former Gov. Jim Holshouser are scheduled to attend.

PARADE AND OPEN HOUSE: The inaugural parade will begin at 12:30 p.m. and travel up Fayetteville Street north toward the old Capitol building. The Executive Mansion, located at 200 N. Blount St., will be open to the public from 2:30-5:30 p.m.

PRAYER SERVICE: An Inaugural Service for Prayer and Worship will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the historically black First Baptist Church on Capitol Square in downtown Raleigh. The event is open to the public.

HAVING A BALL: The Junior League of Raleigh again will host the Inaugural Ball on Friday night from 9 p.m.-midnight at the new Raleigh Convention Center. A Gala Presentation for ball participants begins at 8 p.m. and features performers Branford Marsalis, Eric Church and Vienna Teng, among others. Tickets for the ball and gala are $125 and can still be purchased one hour before Friday’s event. The governor-elect’s reception is sold out. For information, go to http://www.ncgovernorsball.com or call 919-783-8863.

WHO’S PAYING: The state has a $250,000 budget for putting on the inauguration, excluding events organized by the Junior League of Raleigh. The actual expenses for these events will fall well below that amount, said Tim Crowley, a spokesman for Perdue’s inauguration. The ball and other Junior League festivities are sponsored by corporations, outside groups and individuals. Net proceeds from the League events will go to the League’s new Center for Community Leadership to benefit nonprofits statewide.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Lieutenant Governor-Elect Walter Dalton today announced a seasoned and diverse group of senior staff to assist him in managing the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.

“This team is experienced, dedicated and committed to working on behalf of all North Carolinians,” Dalton said.  “I am proud to have such talented individuals leading my office.  They know our state, they know how to get things done, and they will help move North Carolina forward.”

Caroline Valand will serve as chief of staff.  Valand was raised in Washington, North Carolina, and has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as a master’s in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University.  Since 2005, she has served as the executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party.  Previously, she served as the national political director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, where she oversaw 16 of the country’s most competitive legislative caucus operations.   She also worked as the political director and then director of the North Carolina Senate Committee. 

Kimberly Reynolds will serve as deputy chief of staff.  Reynolds has worked in North Carolina politics and government for nearly ten years.  Most recently, she worked as an associate at the political/governmental affairs consulting firm, Nexus Strategies, where she developed strategies for a variety of political and corporate clients.  Reynolds previously served as deputy director and then director of the North Carolina Senate Committee, and as a research and budget analyst at the North Carolina General Assembly.

Avery Staley will serve as counsel.  Staley has a law degree from Vermont Law School and a master’s from Winthrop University.  He has worked as a consultant to the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and in positions at the Compass Group USA and the Charlotte Area Fund.  Staley also managed Congressman Mel Watt’s 2000 re-election campaign.

Sara Lang will serve as communications director.  Since 2006, she has worked at the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer, first as communications director and then as deputy chief of staff.  There, she secured national television and print coverage for a wide range of issues and managed the response to numerous high profile issues.  Lang began her career with Congressman Bob Etheridge and worked as his press secretary for more than three years.

Cynthia O’Neal will serve as director of external affairs.  She is currently the principal of Cynthia A. O’Neal, Attorney At Law.  A 1999 graduate of Duke Law School, she practices as a construction lawyer and currently serves as an officer and a director of the United Minority Contractors of North Carolina.  In 2006, O’Neal was named one of the Triangle Business Journal’s “40 Under 40″ Leadership Award.  

Mike McLaughlin will be the chief policy analyst.  He brings nearly two decades of experience researching and writing about pressing state-level public policy issues.  Following a series of positions with media outlets, McLaughlin served as editor of the journal for the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research and most recently worked as the director of communications and research for the North Carolina Advocates for Justice.

As the nation prepares to pick a new president North Carolina is also changing leaders, in fact, the Council of State itself is in for an overhaul.

The Council of State is made up of the highest elected offices in the state that act like a cabinet for the governor. Four of those positions are up for grabs this year as the incumbent is either retiring or seeking another office. State Senator Walter Dalton and former State Senator Robert Pittenger are running to replace Beverly Perdue as Lt. Governor.

Dalton, the Democratic candidate, said he can reach across the aisle to work with others.

“To continue to improve education so our children can compete in that 21st century economy, so I hope they will look at that record that’s what I’ve been about I want to do more of that,” Dalton said.

Pittenger, the Republican candidate, said he wants to bring “fairness” to the debate on the Senate floor.

“I want transparency I want openness. I’ve commented on the floor that there’s more freedom in the Russian Duma than in the North Carolina Senate,” Pittenger said.

The latest results from Civitas and Public Policy Polling have Dalton ahead in the race.

Both Dalton and Pittenger said with several incumbents not running, the outcome of the Council of State races, including Lt. Governor will matter this year.

“The Council of State has to approve a lot of the construction that goes on, research dollars that go for laboratories and to help build that new economy. I think you want people there that believe in that type of investment,” Dalton said.

“The Democrats have had great opportunity to bring forth their reforms and they haven’t done it,” Pittenger said.

RALEIGH, N.C. – With the recent addition of Mayor Pat McCrory to the agenda, all major candidates (with the exception of Senator Kay Hagan) will appear at the N.C. Bankers Association’s 2008 Management Team Conference at The Umstead Hotel, Cary, on Oct. 26 to 28.

The following candidates for U.S. Senate, N.C. Governor, Lt. Governor, and Treasurer will be on hand:

• U.S. Senate – Elizabeth Dole – appearing at 8:45 a.m. on Monday, October 27
• Governor – Beverly Perdue at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 28 and Pat McCrory on Sunday, October 26 at 6:15 p.m.
• Lt. Governor – Walter Dalton and Robert Pittenger – appearing together at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 27
• Treasurer – Janet Cowell and Bill Daughtridge – appearing together at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 28

The North Carolina Bankers Association brings together all categories of banking institutions to best represent the interests of this rapidly changing industry. With 150 members, it has served all North Carolina bankers since 1897.

Robert Pittenger, candidate for Lt. Governor, has focused much of his attention on ways to reduce the size of government and make it more efficient, according to the News & Observer.

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Democratic Women of Wake County will hold their monthly luncheon meeting on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 at the NC State University Club, 4200 Hillsborough Street. The featured speaker will be Senator Walter Dalton, Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor.

The buffet lunch lines open at 11:30 am with the program starting at noon. The cost of the luncheon is $13 payable at the door.

For reservations email Nancy Looper at info@dwwc.net or call Martha Farmer at 782-1272. The deadline for reservations is Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 10 a.m.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The three candidates vying to be North Carolina’s next lieutenant governor are set to face off during a live televised debate.

Republican Robert Pittenger, Democrat Walter Dalton and Libertarian Phillip Rhodes are scheduled to debate during a live, hour-long televised debate on UNC-TV Wednesday beginning at 8 p.m.

The debate, which comes seven weeks before the November election, is the lieutenant governor’s candidates’ first since the May primary.

North Carolina’s lieutenant governor serves on state education panels and as president of the Senate but has limited powers. Candidates for governor run and are elected independently of the lieutenant governor.