On her first day in office yesterday, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue signed an executive order (http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=315680) setting up a task force that will work to create an endowment to finance gubernatorial elections in the state.  As one of the pioneers of public financing of campaigns, North Carolina has already seen its judicial Clean Elections program expand to Council of State races and this executive order represents yet another step in the right direction to eliminate special interest influence in politics.  With a reform-minded governor in office and the success of the existing public financing systems in the state, momentum continues to build. With its continued Clean Elections expansion statewide, as well as support for reform on the national stage, as evidenced by Rep. Walter Jones' (R-N.C.) co-sponsorship of the Fair Elections Now Act in Congress, the Tar Heel state remains at the forefront of the reform movement.