(Raleigh, N.C.) Republican legislators cheered an
opinion from the state attorney general’s office Friday that Gov. Bev
Perdue did not have the authority to block the collection of new and
higher ferry tolls ordered by the legislature. Perdue maintained
that she was right, and the state Department of Transportation said it
would not move to put the new toll rates in effect. Perdue, a
Democrat, ordered a one-year moratorium on the collection of the tolls
in February, saying the fees would be an undue economic hardship in
coastal North Carolina communities. Last year, the Republican-controlled
legislature had ordered DOT to begin collecting the tolls starting
April 1. Cooper’s office sided with the legislature in an opinion issued
Friday morning, saying Perdue had no authority to nullify the
legislation. Perdue asserted Friday afternoon that her action was “both
legal and right.” She said the Republican-led legislature should vote to
overturn her moratorium if it wants to implement the tolls, as it voted
to do last year.
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