WBTV Investigation: Lt. Gov. Robinson “Failed to Disclose” His Wife’s Charter School Role In Ethics Filing

Yesterday, WBTV reported that Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson had “failed to disclose” his wife’s role on the board of several charter schools in his 2023 Statement of Economic Interest, “as required by law.” They also noted that he “presided over the North Carolina Senate in August as lawmakers overrode the veto of a bill that established a new board to approve new charter schools in the state.” This came after the State Board of Education had twice rejected the application of a new charter school in Monroe – a school that the Lieutenant Governor’s wife sits on the board of.

Former general counsel for the North Carolina State Board of Elections Josh Lawson argued that these disclosures help the public “understand if there are areas where the public official is leveraging power where they shouldn’t be.” When asked about Robinson’s failure to disclose his wife’s role with the charter school, Lawson said: “Seems like a real problem.” As applications pass through the new Charter School Review Board – a board on which Robinson sits – Lawson says “the law says that you should be concerned.” 

While WBTV had planned to interview Robinson regarding his charter school disclosures, they reported that a campaign spokesman “cancelled the evening before the interview was set to take place.”