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RALEIGH – North Carolina elections officials have penalized former Gov. Mike Easley's campaign $100,000 for unreported airplane flights and asked prosecutors to investigate whether laws were broken.

The State board of Elections decision Friday came after hearings into the conduct of the two-term Democrat and the state Democratic Party. The party was ordered to forfeit $9,000 solicited by the Easley campaign.

The Easley campaign was told to give up $60,000 for flights costs and to reimburse the elections board $40,000 for its investigation.

The Court of Appeals has blocked temporarily an order that prevented the State Board of Elections from forcing an ex-aide to former Gov. Mike Easley to testify.

The appeals court issued Friday a temporary stay on a WakeCounty judge's order that quashed the board's subpoena of Ruffin Poole, Easley's former legal counsel.

Poole filed a petition Monday asking a judge to halt the subpoena from being enforced as the board investigated Easley's campaign and the state Democratic Party. The judge agreed but put reasons under seal.

It wasn't clear whether Poole will appeal to the state Supreme Court. The board adjourned its hearing Friday but chairman Larry Leake said it still wants to talk to him under oath.

Now that the hearing is over, political leaders and advocacy groups say reform into campaign and elections laws should begin. (Watch video)

“I do think what's at stake here is the integrity of our elections process and the faith of the voters in our democracy,” Anita Earls, of the State Board of Elections, said.

The board has tried to restore some of that faith during its weeklong hearing into Easley's campaign finances. Some say it's proof that reform is long overdue.

“They're putting political parties in the state on notice that they're going to have to pay attention to the law now and really follow the law and that they can't skirt it,” Jane Pinsky, of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Governmental Ethics Reform, said.

Political experts say sending the case to the District Attorney's Office for possible criminal prosecution is just part of a larger problem of the ongoing federal investigation.

“The testimony we heard here this week is going to be damaging to Gov. Easley,” Democratic political consultant Joe Sinsheimer said. “He's been accused of participating in a scheme to basically try to put $16,000 in his pocket: have the campaign pay for $11,000 of home repairs and collect a $5,000 insurance check on top of that.”

Watchdog groups say the state board's ruling sends a message that money and politics can be a bad mix.

“One of the things we think would be extremely helpful is if money didn't distort the political process, so we're looking at this as one more reason we need to think about alternative ways to finance our campaigns,” Damon Circosta, of the North Carolina Center for Voter Education, said.

The board's ruling does not indicate the former two-term governor has broken any laws. But there is evidence that suggests he did.

Reform groups are calling for the General Assembly to limit political party contributions to candidates. They also want to restrict major campaign donors from getting state contractors or state appointments. Also, the groups want to expand public financing of statewide political campaigns.

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