Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Downtown commission hires new director

It’s a new day on Main Street.

The Mooresville Downtown Commission has hired its new executive director – downtown resident Kim Atkins – to succeed long-time director Wayne Frick, who retired in June.

Calling her “passionate,” “vibrant,” and “energetic,” the downtown business community says Atkins will bring much-needed new life to the downtown district.

Atkins – wife of Town Commissioner Miles Atkins – recently stepped down as chairman of the downtown commission’s board of directors. Her decision to give up that post came on the heels of her closing her 4-year-old Main Street business, The Garden Party, due to the downturn in the economy.

Dennis Cowardin, who succeeded Atkins as MDC board chairman, said that Atkins’ “past service” to the MDC board “demonstrated that she has the right leadership qualities, passion and determination that are needed to unite, ignite and drive initiatives.”

The MDC board of directors – consisting of downtown business and property owners – selected Atkins from a field of qualified candidates. In a statement released today, the MDC board said Atkins has what it takes to “lead the MDC in creating a vision and implementing a strategy to enhance revitalization efforts while actively facilitating a collaborative effort with key community stakeholders to achieve its desired goals.”

“Kim will bring vibrant energy to downtown Mooresville,” said downtown businessman and property owner Bob Amon. “Her experience as a business owner and resident of Mooresville should allow her to understand the challenges downtowns face and prepare her to help downtown Mooresville bloom and prosper.”

Though Atkins had to close her business doors, she said The Garden Party taught her much of what she’ll bring to the table as executive director of the MDC.

“It was my first venture into the small business world, and in our first two years we were nationally recognized by ‘Home Accents’ magazine as a ‘Today’s Top 50 Retail Stars,’” Atkins said of The Garden Party. “This award was given based upon innovative strategies and creative merchandising in conjunction with a strong presence in the community.”

The Garden Party, said Atkins, “was recognized regionally as a destination shopping experience that also served as a recruitment asset to attract other businesses to our downtown.” She said it was more than just a store – it was “a place where people gathered socially, relationships were built, and many lasting friendships were established.

“I am very blessed to have been a part of something that touched so many people in such a positive way,” she said.

Because of her experience as a downtown business owner – coupled with her 15 years of experience in sales and marketing – Atkins said: “I understand and recognize both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead” for the MDC.

Atkins will be responsible for forging effective relationships with other area organizations, such as the Town of Mooresville, the Mooresville-South Iredell Economic Development Corporation, the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce, the Mooresville Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Historic Preservation.

“These are fundamental relationships that, if approached collaboratively, will help create a vibrant downtown and strengthen the core of our community,” Atkins said. “In addition, the downtown property owners and unique merchants play a significant role in our future success. These relationships need to be renewed and sustained.”

Howard Kosofsky, a major investor in downtown Mooresville, said Atkins will be “a great addition to the Main Street Program.

“Her passion for Mooresville has been evident with her past involvement as chair of the MDC and a small business owner on Main Street,” Kosofsky said. “We are excited to have Kim on board.”

The Mooresville Downtown Commission is a non-profit organization incorporated in 1987 to develop the economic, cultural and educational potential of Mooresville’s historic downtown. The organization focuses on attracting new business and increasing occupancy rates to cultivate a vibrant downtown area.

Citing statistics from the Small Business Association, Karen Shore – president/CEO of the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce – said that “shopping dollars spent downtown have a greater return on investment for our area.

“Of every dollar spent with an independent business, 60 cents is re-circulated back into the community as opposed to only 6 cents of every dollar spent with a ‘big box’ retailer,” she said.

The downtown commission is funded by a special district tax and an annual contribution from the Town of Mooresville.

The question has already been asked: Can Commissioner Miles Atkins rightfully vote on funding for the downtown commission, which, in turn, will pay his wife’s salary?

Town Attorney Steve Gambill said there’s no cause for concern.

“I know of no legal impediment or prohibition preventing Ms. Atkins from serving as the executive director because of her being the wife of Commissioner Atkins,” Gambill said.

Citing N.C. General Statute 160A-75, Gambill said a commissioner “shall not be excused from voting ‘except upon matters involving the consideration of the member’s own financial interest or official conduct …’

“Thus,” said Gambill, “if funding by the town of the downtown commission would financially benefit Commissioner Atkins (for example, if the funding will pay in whole or in part Ms. Atkins' salary), he can disclose it to the board and ask to be excused from voting on that particular matter.

“This feature of the statute in and of itself helps to prevent a conflict of interest when a board member's own financial interests are involved,” Gambill said, “and it offers a resolution by allowing such member to be excused from voting on that particular matter.”

As executive director of the MDC, Kim Atkins said she intends to look into additional funding options for the organization. “Grant money and fundraising are areas that desperately need exploration and can supplement our monetary resources,” she said. “For our long-term success, we must create and gain support to carry out a unified vision.”

Atkins plans to lead the MDC in creating measurable goals. Short-term needs, she said, “consist of marketing and promotional opportunities, consistent branding and distinctive seasonal events.”

Mid-range goals, Atkins said, include attracting “more dining and entertainment venues.” Recruiting more “unique retail” – and lowering the overall vacancy rate of downtown storefronts – will be another mid-range goal, she said.

Long-term, Atkins said she will “be focused on new or expanded business growth and residential opportunities” and “the ongoing recruitment of potential businesses.

“Our economic vibrancy,” said Atkins, “can come from many areas, including Historic Preservation, transit and residential … but only if we are actively engaged in planning for the future.”

173 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had the pleasure of frequenting Mrs. Atkins’ beautiful shop on several occasions. I was very sorry to see it close. I am so excited about her being hired for this position, because it was clear to me as soon as I met Mrs. Atkins that she has a true love for our downtown. And that is what this job is going to take.

Anonymous said...

So, the wife of a commissioner closed up a failed business and is rewarded with a paid position for this commission? Really?

If I own a business that goes belly up, will I get a great job too, or do I need to be married to a commissioner?

Anonymous said...

chirrrpppp,chirrrrrppp
Hi there J.A.

Anonymous said...

This is absolutely fabulous news. Those of us who suffered through the twenty years of Wayne Frick’s do-nothing “style” have waited a long time for a dynamic, hard-working person with vision to come along and rescue downtown from neglect and indifference.
Kudos to the MDC for their choice.

Anonymous said...

Well, thank God the mayor’s early efforts to nix this position flopped. Looks like we finally got us a competent director, in spite of him. Hope he’s not going to be too sore about it!

Anonymous said...

What you are not told in this article is that the downtown commission is going to hire a consulant for three months at a high salary to come here and teach her how to do this job.
The twenty or so that are glad everytime that there is some change thinks this is great another one of them is in power.
Another question is what Miles is going to do get his children a position to get some benefits from his being a commissioner.

Anonymous said...

I'll bet even the preacher will think that this is great. Another one of his cronies (pardon the pun) is now ripping off the town. In regards to 11:31 PM I am sure that she has a true love for the downtown she is going to make her living off of it by having this "job" The downtown ought to be in great shape down since we now have a person that let her own business fail in cherge of the commission.

Anonymous said...

Dear Time Traveler at 12:17, let the Lord bless you and keep you. Let the Lord shine his face upon you and give you peace. You need it.

Anonymous said...

Whose J.A.?

Anonymous said...

You listen here, little miss. Commissioner Atkins didn't hire his wife. A group of sharp (and let's face it, self motivated) downtown investors did. They aren't gonna hire somebody just because of who she is. They're gonna make darn sure she can do the job and do it well. Because remember, their livelihoods depend on it. Apparently they trust Mrs. Atkins. It's not her fault that the economy turned sour or that the previous director never gave to hoots about making the district flourish, you backwoods jerk. They must have seen something in her that you don't. I'm guessing that you're not in a position of power and that we've never had the option of electing you....or else you (or your weasel husband) WERE in a position of power and we either got rid of you or cut off some of your creative funding sources.

Go find somewhere else to pout, crybaby. The Atkins' are good people with pure hearts who love this community and, unlike you, their actions speak louder than words.

Anonymous said...

October 9, 2008 5:04 AM

You must be confused. Aren't you talking about Erskine Smith who got HIS son a job at the golf course run by the shady golf course director that Smith's protected for years? BTW, where are those investigation results for the stuff that went missing there, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars the course got all of us into the hole for in a span of a couple of years?

Anonymous said...

The great news is that some dynamic and gutsy business people are now running this MDC and they chose someone great for the job, even knowing they would catch some flack from the old guard, who are probably, quite frankly, just jealous because they didn't have the power anymore to put one of "their" people into the position. What goes around comes around. But in this case, what is coming around is having someone in the job who is a perfect fit in this critical time.

Anonymous said...

5:04/5:13
it must suck to be you.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Kim! We love you and we loved your store! We need young, fresh, and innovative blood in downtown, and you're it!

Anonymous said...

8:42...

That wasn't me at 12:17. Thanks for the sarcastic blessing anyway.

You have a great day pal.

Time Traveler

Anonymous said...

Kim is a great person and I like her. However, this cetainly doesn't look good, doesn't look good at all. Miles so far has gotten himself a 50% reduction on his property taxes and now he has gotten his wife a full time salaried position with the Town. I'm just curious. How many people applied for this position? Of all the applicants, was Kim really the best qualified or just the coziest candidate? Who was on the selection committee? What are the terms of her employment? What is the salary? What is her job description? Who will be responsible for reviewing her performance? It seemed that noone was responsible for Wayne Frick or at least noone would admit it.

I don't envy Kim. I imagine the folks that hired her expect her to turn Downtown Mooresville into another Blowing Rock. . .and quick. First order of business. . .get rid of that wig shop and that tatoo parlor.

Let's see now, we've got Adkins wife a job, we've got Chris Carney's brother a job. Any other family members out there needing work? There's plenty of room at the trough.

Is it just me or do you smell something too? All you Adkins fans better back up and take another look. I'm not sure he's the 'Mr. Clean' you all thought.

Anonymous said...

5:13 AM

What's next? Let me guess. You're going to put manure in a box, wrap it up with a nice little bow and try to sell it on the side of the street?

NOW you want to talk about how people are "ripping off the town"? Where were you when Bill Thunberg was winking and nodding away over $300,000 to his beloved SICDC? Where were you when Erskine Smith was slipping a quarter of a million dollar "bid" to his buddy from preschool? Where were you when Frank Rader was lunching with top honchos from CH2M Hill, a company that's been fleecing? Where were you when the former police chief was using our charity money for taking himself and his family on fancy vacations? The list just goes on and on, but no. We don't hear from you until now. Guess what? You can take your little box of manure and sell it someplace else.

The time for people like you has come, and it has gone.

Anonymous said...

A lot of supposition and needless wondering. Here's their link -- call the directors yourself and get the answers: http://www.downtownmooresville.com/

I realize that's probably the last thing you want to do because you'd rather sit here and ramble on about misconceived notions, but I thought I'd at least tell you where to go

Anonymous said...

October 9, 2008 9:46 AM

anybody who's willing to take on a corrupt police chief is plenty clean enough for me. But thank you for your concern. Could use more of that concern in other town matters though, such as when are we going to actually see the Cops for Kids audit, and when is the golf course going to stop sucking up our tax dollars, and when is the useless assistant town manager's $106,000 position going to be eliminated, just to name a few. You know, little stuff like that.

Anonymous said...

9:46 am wrote: "this cetainly doesn't look good, doesn't look good at all." Actually, it looks pretty good from where I'm sitting. Looks pretty good. We got us at least a couple of honest, fearless commishes who're not afraid of ruffling some old corrupt feathers like yours, and we got us somebody downtown who actually understands that word "work" unlike her lazy precedecessor. So, yep. I'd say it's looking pretty good so far.

Anonymous said...

Word's out that Mayor Thunberg's been pouting and brooding all week over this latest development. Poor poor baby. His little shenanigans backfired bigtime and he knows it.

Anonymous said...

Shoes on the other foot an the investigattons don't like it. We'll never know who else applied for the job, who decided or how she was selected. Why? Because jaime is in cahoots with them. She's a friend. It's amazing how fast the corruption hits the favored child and no one will question him. Getting your taxes cut in half and your wife a plum job is completely honky dory..... for now. Eventually they will turn on Atkins. They always do.

Anonymous said...

I get so sick of the poster that continues to bitch whine and moan about the Atkins getting a tax break on their taxes. First everyone that ownes a home designated as historic I eould immagine gets the same tax break. Second I'm sure that tax break doesn't come close to the amount that it takes to maintain some of those homes. Third if there wan't any incentive to buy these homes and restore and maintain them to the historic distric's specifications they would all fall to shambles and no offense but there are enough shambles of homes in the Mooresville area already. If you are so certain that this is such a huge big deal buy yourself one of these homes. I would love too however even with a tax break I couldn't afford to maintain it. So shut up already. You act like a complete child and we all get sick of hearing it. And just so you aren't confused I don't even know them and my name is Angela!

Anonymous said...

Hey! 9:46...You seem to know alot about "cozy" relationships. Tell us more. Tell us about the cozy relationships, for example, between the mayor, the assistant town manager, and two commissioners, a/k/a Rader, Abraham, Thunberg, Smith, better known as the RATS. Now, unlike you, those are the kinds of cozy relationships that worry most of us out here. Elected officials and over-paid TOWN employees.

Anonymous said...

Imagine for a moment that this was someone that Jaime did not like. The spouse of a local commissioner is a director for a non-profit for a year or so. he/she then steps down and applies for the paid position of executive director of the same non-profit not long after his/her store goes out of business.

What would Jaime say?

Seriously, what would Jaime say?

What would Larry Green say?

What would Fariba say?

What are they saying right now? Absolutely nothing except that Jaime is lavishing praise on the woman.

Give me a break.

Anonymous said...

Hey Angela.... I don't think anyone really cares about his tax breaks. It's the double standard that is used here. If Erskine or Crone or Thunberg did it, you would want their hides. If Atkins did it, he's a wonderful man and he deserves it.

Give me a break

Anonymous said...

Dear 10:17, Atkins is an elected official. I see lots of excuses running rampant here and one of them seems to be well "they" did it, so "he" can do it.
It's amusing to say the least.

Anonymous said...

Who cares what those folks would say! Was this corrupt? No. Was there a hiring process in place? Yes. Was there a board of directors involved in the decision making process? Yes. Did they follow standard business procedures and hiring practices? Yes. Did the Atkins follow the process in obtaining the tax breaks? Yes. Did his election impact that decision? No.

Did Crone have a board of directors? No. Did he follow standard business procedures? No. Did the Town condone false advertiseent? Yes.

Seems to me that when you compare the two scenarios the downtown commission's actions smell like roses.

You're trying to suggest unethical behaviors when, in fact, there are none.

Anonymous said...

Dear 10:41, actually when one of the Board of Directors steps down to become a paid employee there are supposed to be documented rules to prevent conflicts of interest. Those steps and procedures are required BY LAW to be documented and kept in place. If they are not, they will lose their non-profit status with the IRS and could face conflict of interest charges.

I'd be interested to see if Jaime will request to see, then publish those procedures that are on file with the IRS. Those procedures must be filed with the IRS as part of their non-profit status. AND they are public record.

The bylaws or organizational documents MUST address how directors may or may not be compensated or apply for positions that are compensated. The conflict of interest documents must also outline how the remaining directors shield themselves from conflict of interest because they were colleagues of the former director. Also, how do they shield themselves from the fact that the director's husband is an elected official? Was there any undue burden placed on those directors, or did they feel as if there would be if they did not hire her? Does Atkins have any regulatory authority over them or their businesses? Any influence at all?

So, let's see the conflict of interest policy.

Anonymous said...

10:41 said: "Who cares what those folks would say! Was this corrupt? No. Was there a hiring process in place? Yes. Was there a board of directors involved in the decision making process? Yes. Did they follow standard business procedures and hiring practices? Yes. "

Yes the board of directors were involved inthe hiring decision. She WAS ONE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS!

Anonymous said...

So let me get this straight. She got the process started for hiring a new director and then decided to close her business resign, and then HOPE the board would hire her. So I guess all the downtown businesses are in this great big conspiracy and that she is able to manipulate a group of highly intelligent business leaders into hiring her. Nice try, but that theory don't work.

Anonymous said...

10:33... there really isn't a "double standard" the reality is that for appearances sake anyway, that some of the town of Mooresville employees are less than honest and appear to abuse power. I try to keep an open mind about everything that has gone on in the last several months. I've lived in Mooresville for the last 28 years and I've watched the "good ol' boys" mentality blossom through those 28 years. I've seen many instances where there is a distinct "class" separation that continues to exist in this town which is a shame given the diverse citizenship base that Mooresville has grown to.

Mooresville is a great town with a lot to offer. Many people have had families here for generations. There are certain "class" members of this town that still continue to hold themselves in higher regard based on their lineage. That kind of mentality can no longer contine in Mooresville if we want to see growth and opportunity here.

There was a process in place to fill the role in which Ms. Atkins was hired. Let that stand. I don't think her husbands commissioner role played a part of her being hired. As far as her business closing goes... let's face it econimic times are hard and people are not spending like they once did. I applaud her efforts to maintain a business in the downtown area as I hate to drive from my residence out to 150 in order to shop. While I never had a need for the services her shop offered I found in charming to drive by on my way through town.

There are to many people remaining in positions of power in this town that feel a sense of entitlement. You can defend them to your hearts content and that does not bother me. I do not live in a glass house and care not to throw stones. What I would like is to see changes in the administration of the Mooresville government that will benefit every citizen.

As far as the MPD I have the most respect for these guys and girls that get out there in order to protect us. Their long hours and low pay does not always make their positions attractive. If Crone wasn't the leader they needed in place I do hope that they can find one that will motivate them and support them. If Crone did misuse funds and did so in a manner which was proven to be illegal, by a court of law, then he should be punished. I do think he had abuse of power issues. I've seen first hand at least on instance of this. It doesn't make him a criminal.

Just wanted to get that off my chest. Blast me if you want. Angela

Anonymous said...

Mayor Bill pouting? I doubt it. I doubt if he's even thought about you. See, he's got his sights on bigger stuff than little Mooresville. He hot foots it down to Charlotte every chance he gets so he can rub elbows with 'his kind of people'. See page 1D of Thursday's Observer. He's hanging out in South Park now. No more What A Burger for Mr. Bill. He'll drive 30 miles to talk with 'his people'. He just won't take time to meet with the people he asked to vote for him. He's moving on up.

Anonymous said...

Angela said: "There was a process in place to fill the role in which Ms. Atkins was hired. Let that stand. I don't think her husbands commissioner role played a part of her being hired. "

You want us to "let that stand" and you don't "think" her husband was involved? The point is that there could be appearances of impropriety. She was a director who could have made those decisions. I'm not saying she had a lot of influence, but she may have. There is the possibility.

Anonymous said...

11:20... we can split hairs all day long. There can be "appearances of impropriety" everywhere. Perhaps you would feel more at ease if an investigation was done to confirm? Or perhaps we should allow her an opportunity to fill the role ans see where she takes it. If it benefits the town in the end then no one looses.

Angela

Anonymous said...

Even if Adkins doesn't vote on Downtown Commission issues, we all know that there are conversations and arrangments made between commissioners. You scratch my back; I'll scratch yours. That kind of thing. And even if it never happens this way, people will always wonder if it is happening and it will taint the Board. And it will taint Miles Adkins. Already has.

Anonymous said...

If the Town wants to help the Downtown, why don't they cancel the additional downtown property tax that everyone in the downtown area pays leave them a little more cash in their pocket. Taxing the poor doesn't make much sense to me.

Anonymous said...

If the government wants to stimulate the economy why bail out large corporations instead of bailing me out :)

Anonymous said...

Her husband does not have to vote..he can recuse himself most likely will have already discussed what he wants with, His shadow Carney, Rader, and Herring. will give him and vote what he wants for his wife and things to make his life more comfortable

Anonymous said...

12:07 you are so depressing... you want someone to make things better for poor little you???

Anonymous said...

Dear Angela,
I like your attitude but that is not what this blog is about. The investigattons don't want to "give it a go" and see how it works out. We want to ensure that everything is transparent and open. We want to see the conflict of interest policy. We want to see the bylaws and organizational documents that outline the process to prevent a conflict of interest. We want to see how they met those requirements.

Anonymous said...

speak for yourself

Anonymous said...

12:22 Then perhaps you should ask for them. I too want to see that everything is transparent and open however I think the "investigattons" will loose credibility if they are constantly looking for a reason to dig in to everything that comes up.

I think Jamie does an awesome job at going after the corrupt nature of our town. I don't however think that behind every action is a "cover up". It just seems to me that there is a reason to go after everyone and everything in the town government.

Angela

Anonymous said...

What is the purpose of having a down town director?
Look at what we have to offer local people and visitors that come to our town.
When they come in to Main and McLelland and look across the tracks. The first thing they see is a run down empty service station to the left. To the right a garage or junk yard in the back weeds grown over the cars. (town does nothing about this)
Turn left and you see at Broad and Center two junkie ass junk stores with the sidewalks littered with items that are of no use except for cluttering the sidewalks. If the items were valuable they would have been stolen.
On Main street empty buildings with for rent signs on them where buisnessess have gone belly up like the Garden Shop. All along main street it is the same.
What is there downtown to draw people there? Nothing!!! A restrauant that the average person cannot afford to eat at most of the time.
The stores are not open late closed most of the day on Saturday. Go out 150 to 77 and shop and can save money stores are open all day and at evenings. No one with money to invest is going to open in Mooresville downtown. Ride along and look how the owners keep them up, Filthy looking for the most part. Back of the stores are terrible.
Get real people the downtown is alive as much as it is going to be.

Anonymous said...

A point of clarification.

The MDC director is not a town position. The board of directors of the Mooresville Downtown Commission can hire or fire the director. The commission is made up of a combination of merchants and property owners.

Mrs. Atkins resigned from the board and did not submit for the job until after she had removed herself from all MDC Board functions. A committee of the MDC Board looked at 22 applicants from as far away as Georgia and Ohio. The Committe was made up of Robert Holshouser, Howard Kosofsky, Steve McGlothlin, David Miller, Leah Mitchum of Travel & Tourism, Russ Rodgerson of Econ. Develop. Corp., and Karen Shore of Chamber of Commerce. Those individuals pared the applicants to around 8 and then held face to face interviews. Kim Atkins was the choice by everyone on that board committee and that was presented to the entire MDC board. The MDC board voted to offer the position to Mrs. Atkins.

The MDC meets the first Wed. of each month at the Charles Mack Citizen Center at 1:00pm. Our meetings are open to the public and we would love to hear ideas on how Mooresville can better serve the citizens, merchants, and property owners.

John J. Amon
MDC board member

Anonymous said...

I'm a taxpayer. I'm a 'nice person'. Can I get on the dole?

Anonymous said...

I imagine it was the same group of people that held the previous director to such a high standard that made the decision to hire Adkins.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Amon,
Would you mind pointing me to your conflict of interest policy where it is documented that any member of the Board of Directors may apply for a position after a certain "time period" after resignation from the Board? Would a Board membere resign if he/she did not already know they would get the job?

Anonymous said...

Man are we lucky or what. People from all over the country were interviewed and guess what? The most qualified person for this position was someone from right here in Mooresville! Imagine that! And, she is a former board member AND she just happens to be the wife of a town commissioner. What were the odds of that happening? Does the Downtown Commission really think this does not look just a little suspicious?

Anonymous said...

And Jaime is trumping this up as some sort of celebration. Guess why? Because she is tight with the Atkin's.

Anonymous said...

To the 1:00pm post since I do not know your name.

If you will attend our next month meeting or contact me I will be happy to provide you a copy of the bylaws. I can only speak for myself, but I do not believe that any decision was made to have Mrs. Atkins resign because she was wink wink going to get the job. The people on that committee did a lot of work and I believe that they did not have any pre-conceived ideas about the job or the person to be hired.

I realize that I will probably not change your opinons and I am not trying to but I do think that Kim Atkins has the drive to make the downtown a great place to live, work, and play.

John J. Amon

Anonymous said...

John,
Did the fact that her business failed factor into the decision making process?
In the spirit of openness, why don't you just cut and paste the portion of your filed documents that cover conflict of interest here on this blog?

Anonymous said...

Since everyone seems to be commenting on this post I should state a couple of other things before I respond to 1:15pm.

Trick or treating will be held 3:00pm to 5:00pm on Fri. Oct. 31 downtown. The merchants will again have candy and the Citizen Center has a pumpking carving/painting contest at 4:00pm

The Christmas Parade will be Tues. Nov. 25th begining at 3:45 at Satesville Ave. and travel down Main Street to Wilson Ave.

Santa Claus will be in the John Franklin Moore park on Thurs. & Fri. of December from 4:00pm till 7:00pm with a tree lighting ceremony, singers and other holiday surprises.

ok, now that the MDC ad is out of the way, I will answer 1:15pm.

The question on the bylaws is an MDC question and I believe that if you would like to know, come to a meeting. We are very open and have some lively discussions.

Cutting or pasting can and does get taken out of context. The same way people hide behind Anonymous to make accusations and threats that run opposite of their own personal views.

I do not mind stating that I am bias to Mooresville and the downtown. I live and work in the downtown area. I have invested in that area. I believe that Downtown Mooresville has a lot to offer and I would state that vacancy rate is actually very low. The number of buildings downtown that do not have a tenant leased are three by my count.


John J. Amon

Anonymous said...

Again... you bring up the fact that her business closed. You imply that it failed. I believe that many business, large and small, are having to reconsider operating under these difficult economic conditions. Please make sure you take that in to consideration with your posts.

I do agree witht he post that mentioned some of the business that operate on the south end of town.. some of them could really use some sprucing up and maybe that can be something Ms. Atkins looks in to.

Angela

Anonymous said...

Anybody still think Miles Atkins isn't just another good ole boy?

Anonymous said...

I love it. The downtown business owners want help getting their businesses to succeed from someone whose business failed.

Anonymous said...

Wow... just appears to be you!

Anonymous said...

I love it. The downtown business owners want help getting their businesses to succeed from someone whose business failed.

You must be a miserable little, and I mean very little, shit!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Amon,

It may help to also remind this group that you are not a 501(c)(3) organization and do not promote yourself as such. Your articles of incorporation, which anyone can access, indicate that the organization fulfills the requirements for a 501(c)(4) organization.

It may also help if the organization would post the bylaws and governing documents on their website. That would save your organization from having a group of whining, complaining, malcontents show up to your meeting to attempt to prove their conspiracy theory.

Anonymous said...

No, I think we are Maschochist and we all enjoy the company at our meetings.

John J. Amon

Anonymous said...

501(c)(4) must still have a conflict of interest policy and they are there exactly for the reason of what is happeneing. Non-Profits must still have a conflict of interest policy and use them. At the veery least, the directors mut be aware of them. Pretty clear that Mr Amon is not even aware of them.

Anonymous said...

John, some of your pain is self inflicted. That's the whole point. Quit shooting yourself in the foot.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Amon since Ms. Atkins is so great for this job, why is the commission going to hire her a consulant to TEACH her how to do the job? Please answer this.Also if it is public record what is her salary and benefits?

Anonymous said...

They will never release that information? They don't want the public to know how much more this family is ripping off the town and the tax payers
Even the preacher man ain't saying anything about this. Guess he doesn't want to say anything about people in his little group.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Amon since Ms. Atkins is so great for this job, why is the commission going to hire her a consulant to TEACH her how to do the job? Please answer this.Also if it is public record what is her salary and benefits?

Wow... John it really seems like someone here, hint posted above, really has no specific life of their own and insists on living through others. It is clear that not all on this blog have an outside life. Please ignore the posts and if this person is truly interested in the information they contine to goad you on they will perhaps show up at your meeting as you have suggested in several posts.

I do think it's nice however that this blog provide those less fortunate enough to have a life of their own with value and meaning to live vicariously through the lives of others.

All of us "investigattons" are so hard pressed that we have to look for something to stir up.

Anonymous said...

All of us "investigattons" are so hard pressed that we have to look for something to stir up.
Should have said NOT so hard pressed!!

Anonymous said...

Even the preacher man ain't saying anything about this. Guess he doesn't want to say anything about people in his little group.

Read this sentance and then realize what education level you're dealing with.

Anonymous said...

Dear 3:27, wow, that is a stunning post. How aout some substance. Ther person who made that post may be a hick, but I am not. I have the same questions and I am very well educated.

Hint, if you are losing in a debate, just make fun of your opponent. But I guess you already knew that.

Anonymous said...

I reread the story. Not only was Mrs Atkins a Director on the Board, she was the CHAIRMAN of the BOARD of DIRECTORS. She was the top person.... unpaid of course. Now she is the top person, only paid now.

I'm beginning to smell something. Jaime, for you to gloss over this like it's a fluff story is truly amazing.

Anonymous said...

Or just keep asking the same questions over and over.

No one wins in this situation. You want answers GO TO THEIR MEETING.

Anonymous said...

I reread the story. Not only was Mrs Atkins a Director on the Board, she was the CHAIRMAN of the BOARD of DIRECTORS. She was the top person.... unpaid of course. Now she is the top person, only paid now.

I'm beginning to smell something. Jaime, for you to gloss over this like it's a fluff story is truly amazing.

GET A LIFE! Better yet do your own investigating. There is no debating with someone that can only see one side, theirs, to every question. If you want answers show up to their meetings.

Anonymous said...

I want to know why Jaime, Larry, Fariba, Cliff etc all think this is not a big deal? I won't find that out at their meeting.

Can only hear about that right here. So? Come on. Don't be shy.

Anonymous said...

Job description from Downtown Commission website says : "Position requires education/experience equivalent to a four-year degree and 5+ years experience; a record of accomplishment in economic or downtown development, real estate development or simiilar fields- Main Street Experience preferred. Architecutre, planning and/or historic preservation experience encouraged."

Record of accomplishment. hmmm I'm a little fuzzy on that.

Anonymous said...

Dear 3:42, I have done my investigating and the information is right out in the open. The only thing not public at the moment is a statement from the group that they used a coflict of interest policy. I'm sure we'll hear of something in a few days when they have had enough time to put one together.

I'm just curious why Jaime would post a story about it and not ask these questions herself. This smells funny and I'm shocked Jaime is rolling over on this. Well, not really shocked, since Jaime is buds with the Atkins, Fariba, the cop, and the reverend. Sounds like Gilligans Island, doesn't it?

I guess we'll see some "favors" going around big time as these people get more and more involved in local politics. Just didn't think it would be this blatant or this fast.

Anonymous said...

It has been asserted by a certain persistent poster on this thread that Jamie Gatton was somehow in “cahoots” with Mrs. Atkins in obtaining her position as the director of the Mooresville Downtown Commission. One can only presume that if indeed this was the case, that Ms. Gatton would have been the last person to expose it in the form of a blog entry, complete with a comment section that would provide a platform for scrutiny and criticism of her and "the group" this poster continues to allude to.

Anonymous said...

3:46 pm Eat your heart out baby. You're out in the cold and hating it looks like. Can everybody say J-E-A-L-O-U-S all together?

Anonymous said...

The assertion is that Jaime is buds with Mrs. Atkins. Not that Jaime helped her get the position. If this were Erskine's wife, we'd have the FBI called up and everyone would be marching with signs.

What a double standard.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps, unlike yourself, Jamie felt this was a positive move in the ToM direction.

Now if Ms. Atkins pilfers funds, abuses her power, uses ToM golf facilities the MPD gym... then we might have a story.

Give it up.

Anonymous said...

3:51, actually I have a pretty good job. I would not want to do what Mrs. Atkins is going to be taught to do. That is not my line of work. So, no, I am not jealous.

I am frustrated with double standards. And you are just trying to throw out a "Red Herring". Nice try, but it won't shift the focus.

Anonymous said...

Dear 3:53, Yes you are right. The wife of a commissioner who was a volunteer chairman of the Board for a non-profit should quit her position for a paying one inside the same organization especially with who her husband is.

Why do you think the IRS requires a conflict of interest policy be in place AND USED by non-profits? When they don't use them, or ignore them, they lose their status with the IRS. They take that stuff pretty serious.

If they used such a policy, why be afraid to share it? John Amon doesn't even know what one is. Jaime won't ask. Why? Because she is friends with the Atkins. This is what you should expect if Fariba or Cliff run for office. Remember that Cliff and Fariba have paid Jaime in the past for work.

Anonymous said...

Well maybe a second career coice would be a PI. Go for it and when you uncover something big come back and let us know...

Anonymous said...

Who's to say Jamie isn't asking? I've seen many times that she's posted something with limited information that was available and then follow up on commenters questions and suggestions. Then again she's not getting paid by your or anybody else to do this work to my knowledge and she isn't advertising herself to get you to come here and read. From where I sit she can write whatever she damn well pleases and I'm amazed that she gives you a platform to spew your crap about her on HER blog. yeah, she MUST be evil and dirty. Go start your own blog.

Anonymous said...

Looks like we're going to have to change name of investigattons to instagattons. Investigators investigate everything. Instigators pursue their own agenda. That's what this looks like. Jaime, I'm disappointed.

Anonymous said...

.......and I bet Jamie is losing sleep over that. maybe she's trying to disappoint you so that you don't come back. =)

Anonymous said...

For the poster that states that I do not know about the conflict of interest. I believe that the bylaws Article V addresses this concern as to what the MDC board has a right and responsibility regarding the hiring and firing of the director and all employees.

Again, I will be happy to discuss with anyone and give my opinion. I will not try to get into a discussion or argument with a nameless message on a blog.

John J. Amon

PS: I forgot to mention that there is a Boutique Warehouse sale this Friday and Saturday at 183 N. Main St. Up to 90% off.

Anonymous said...

The chirp at 12:17 was I , and it was directed to those who want to smear the nomination of Ms.Atkins, an intelligent,dynamic person who will help revitalize the downtown and carry us into a new phase for Mooresville.
I don't think we can point a finger at anyone here in Mooresville for the turns the economy has taken.Mr. Frick had his era, now we are in a new one. Kudos, Kim. Best of luck to you.

Anonymous said...

Considering Gatton herself approached the town attorney to see if a conflict exists, it's a tough sell to the rest of us that there's any hanky panky going on. Sorry. I went back and re-read this portion of the article:

"The question has already been asked: Can Commissioner Miles Atkins rightfully vote on funding for the downtown commission, which, in turn, will pay his wife’s salary?

Town Attorney Steve Gambill said there’s no cause for concern.

“I know of no legal impediment or prohibition preventing Ms. Atkins from serving as the executive director because of her being the wife of Commissioner Atkins,” Gambill said."

Anonymous said...

Hey Kim, do me a favor will you? Can you PLEASE convince shop owners to park in back of the stores and not on Main St.? There is little enough parking now.I'd love to see the diagonal spaces like we had in the sixties and seventies. They are still used in Statesville's downtown and are very easy to enter and exit. Just a thought, thanks.

Anonymous said...

October 9, 2008 1:07 PM. You wrote "And Jaime is trumping this up as some sort of celebration. Guess why? Because she is tight with the Atkin's."

Maybe I'm missing something, but I, too, went back & read the article again to see where all this celebrating was going on. Couldn't find it. What I found was local business owners celebrating, but I could not for the life of me find "Jaime" celebrating.

It looks to me like we have us a fat liar on this thread, purposefully trying to lead us all by the nose using lies and deceit. Wonder exactly what their agenda is. Any thoughts?

Anonymous said...

I hope they light a fire under the butts of the snails doing the road work downtown. That crap has been going on since the fourth of July week. I think it's ridiculous to spend 750,000.00 on inserting bricks in the sidewalk and cutting diamond-shaped slices in the pavement. Why do we need to look like Huntersville? Mooresville has it's own character and judging from the amount of people moving here, it must not be bad.

Anonymous said...

Anybody who had the pleasure of being inside The Garden Party saw firsthand what a class act Kim Atkins is. She is creative, innovative and strong. She has everything we need to get the job done downtown. My personal thanks to those who offered her this position that is so vital to the growth of our treasured downtown.

Anonymous said...

My thoughts are that it's the same person so concerned about the taxes that they pay.... or maybe this person was themselves overlooked for the job or third they just plain ol' have nothing better to do with their self.

Anonymous said...

I am so SICK of hearing that red herring crap! will you just find another suitable phrase?

Anonymous said...

I am so SICK of hearing that red herring crap! will you just find another suitable phrase?

Anonymous said...

Dear Mrs. Atkins,

It would be so lovely to have some outdoor background music downtown, perhaps playing on some outdoor speakers? Music sets a nice mood and could be conducive to more visitors coming to our downtown. Thanks for considering this humble request. And congratulations on your appointment.

Anonymous said...

11:16 AM. I don't care where Thunberg's going as long as it's out of MY Town Hall! His deaf/dumb/mute ass has gotten on my last nerve. It's time to depose King Thunberg. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he hasn't put one of his operatives on to this thread to attack Kim Atkins hoping to get back at Miles Atkins for not towing the party line like a good little boy should. What people like this are too stupid to understand is that the rest of us see right through this crap and it just reminds us of exactly what it is we're dealing with here. We're dealing with some pissed off crooks and deal with them we will.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the business owners parking in the spaces around their businesses. Not very smart, definitely self centered and self defeating. But they continue to do it. And have for years. Also, it interesting that people will park in front of Wal Mart and walk a half mile to the place but they don't want to park in the lot behind the bank and walk to a store downtown. Best wishes to Ms. Atkins and the forward thinking property owners downtown who will get that deal turned around because they will no longer tolerate mediocrity.

Anonymous said...

1. The IRS does not require a conflict of interest policy. It is strongly recommended.

2. A conflict of interest is defined by the IRS as a situation which results in a director making a decision which directly benefits that person or their family.

3. The Downtown Commission is not a federally recognized non-profit, but is recognized by the state of NC as a non-profit.

4. Mrs. Atkins resigned her position well in advance of the Board's decision to offer her a position.

5. If Mr. Atkins were to vote on any issue involving the Downtown Commission, he would be violating law.

6. If any other elected official owning land/property/business which benefits from the work of this group must refrain from voting.

7. The Downtown Commission has an established board of directors with established roots in business and the community, and they made the decision to hire from "within" - even though she wasn't "within" anymore.

8. The Town Board awarded the contract to CH2M based entirely on the fact that one particular individual was employed by that company. CH2M was the lowest ranked company and some of the Board are on record that the major factor impacting their decisions was the employment status of one particular individual.

Anonymous said...

Seems to me that the Town Attorney has approved quite a few actions in the past that we here on the Gatton report don't approve of. Jaime included. It still does not meet the issue of conflict of interest. Whether a husband can vote to fund his wife's position or not is immaterial. The fact remains that the Chairman of the board of Directors has been hired (by the Board she oversaw) as the Executive Director. There must be a conflict of interest policy in place. If there was not, they will lose their non-profit status from the IRS and perhaps more. That's if they find out of course. They may never know.

I guess if the questionable acts are done by friends, it's not quite as big a deal, right?

Anonymous said...

Au contraire mon frere, the Commission is a federally recognized non-profit. They may not be a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, but they are still listed as a non-profit.

Anonymous said...

There must be a conflict of interest policy in place. If there was not, they will lose their non-profit status from the IRS and perhaps more.

Where do you find that requirement in the codes/laws? There is no such requirement.

Sorry to let the facts get in the way.

Anonymous said...

Dear 5 pm, what the heck does number 8 have to do with mrs Atkins?

Anonymous said...

Au contraire mon frere, the Commission is a federally recognized non-profit. They may not be a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, but they are still listed as a non-profit.

OK, so prove it. I just searched the IRS database and found nothing related to this group.

Anonymous said...

Nothing ... except to remind folks that we're focusing on public corruption.

Anonymous said...

Just in case I can't read correctly, somebody please review this list of non-profits and tell me if I've missed the Downtown Commission:

http://www.irs.gov/app/pub-78/search.do?resultsPerPage=500&nameSearchTypeStarts=false&names=&nameSearchTypeAll=false&city=Mooresville&state=NC&country=USA&deductibility=all&sortColumn=name&indexOfFirstRow=0&isDescending=false&dispatchMethod=search

Anonymous said...

Dear 5:07,
You better hope that the IRS knows who they are. You cannot find them because they are not a 501(c)(3) which is a charity. They are not a charity, so you can't find them. They are still a non-profit and from what it sounds like, partially funded from the Ton? I read something about the Commissioners voting on fnding for them?

In any case, check them out here: http://www.taxexemptworld.com/organization.asp?tn=414014
They are a non-profit. If they are not, I'm sure the IRS would like to see what sorts of taxes they have paid.

Anonymous said...

Mooresville Downtown Commission:
http://www.melissadata.com/Lookups/np.asp?ein=561581821
Shows them to be a 501(c)(4) and that their last filing was in June of 2007. They should have filed in June of 2008. It does not show up, but I would guess that they did, right?

Anonymous said...

Hey Kim, can you get some benches and tress downtown? Maybe move those benches from McLelland up to the part of Main Street where they might actually be used.

Anonymous said...

will the Investigattons be marching in the Christmas Parade? Jack boots, Sam Brown belts, brown shirts.

Anonymous said...

Thank you 5:20 for the link. I retract my previous statement that they are not a federally recognized agency. But I still stand by the statements regarding conflict of interest -- unless you can show a link for that being a requirement.

Anonymous said...

I hope this year there will be something more exciting than the boring so-called downtown Christmas decorations last year. It was downright boring. Looked like Frick had let slip the only thing he actually did, which used to be actual decorations. Please bring some festivity back to downtown during the holidays. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

hey 10/9 4;46 great suggestion, i second that!

Anonymous said...

Need to look who led the charge for this hiring stated by John Amon himself. Robert Holshouser, David Miller, John Amon, be sure that John's dad Bob was also involved. Would this be part of the new guard!?! or the old guard still wanting to be in control? By the way, who hired the first and only director of the MDC? You'll see at least two of the names above. Should be an interesting next MDC meeting. John, can you post the date,time, and place for that meeting? Someone may want to ask who has actually had control of hiring and firing of the Director for the past 20 years. See you there!

Anonymous said...

When I was a child back in the sixites, I use to love to come downtown and see the lights sturng all the way across the street. I know I feel sorry for those draft horses pulling people up and down the street until they're lathered up in the freezing cold. I'd like to see bolder lights this season.
I also think the low-class variety of bars on the opposite end of the buildings from Soiree is an eyesore. Maybe we can attract better tenants there. I also had hoped maybe the old k&d(former H.T.) on Main Street could've been used as a Soup Kitchen rather than the current cramped location. There are so many things we could actually discuss now and have someone LISTEN. I hope if the commission decides to undertake a new direction they will ask for OUR opinions, not some stupid consultant who doesn't even live here and doesn't know squat about the day-to-day life of the average Mooresvillian. While I'm asking, does anyone on here know when Church St. is due to be widened from E. Wilson to Mclelland? People insist on driving in the middle of the road and you just about flip in the ditch driving. I also wish folks would realize who has the right-of-way on S. Academy near the speed bump/traffic table. The people who live there INSIST on parking every vehicle they have on the street were there are 3 cars wide coming and going. Do to them what you did on W.Wilson and install a bike lane where nobody can park on either side. One side of Academy already has no parking. Just make the opposite side a bike lane. problem solved for a littlew bit of paint. It would also ease our pain during the Christmas parade parking nightmare.
Enough for now, sorry for the long post, it's just exciting to know we might actually have someone listen now instead of the status quo.

Anonymous said...

Hey 6:47pm

I believe that I stated the Meetings are at the Charles Mack Citizen Center at 1:00pm on the first Wed. of each month. Of course I stated that in my first post but of course I can't believe that you did not already know that since your omnipotent self seems to know so much.

John J. Amon

Anonymous said...

to 6:59pm post

I agree the lights that were used on the wreaths last year were not very bright. The MDC has taken the Christmas light responsiblity from the Chamber of Commerce this year. We are working to have the lights brighter instead of the frosted blue look from last year. The John Franklin Moore park will also have 20 Christmas trees that will be illuminated in that park nightly. The MDC is holding a window decoration contest for the merchants downtown, so hopefully that will get everyone in the holiday spirit. The MDC is open to any and all ideas and I encourage anyone to attend a meeting or contact a member.

John J. Amon

Anonymous said...

John,
With as much grief as I am providing to you and the MDC over the Kim Atkins hiring, I do wish you the best of luck in your mission. You guys seem motivated and the mission is good. good luck.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Amon, I also applaud you for being willing to stick your neck out here knowing full well that people were going to drop the blade. It's easy to stand behind anonymous and attack people who post with their names. It's not as easy to do what you've done. I don't think you're on here looking for praise but I wanted to let you know that I do applaud you for being bold.

Anonymous said...

For twenty years Wayne Frick showed up to pick up his paycheck and report to a small handful of downtown business owners, leaving everybody else hanging out to dry. His only job was to spy on everybody and report to the good ole boy network that is dying out right now. The mayor wanted to replace Frick with somebody employed by the town so that he could control that person, too. It didn't work out and now he and his fast disappearing friends are none too happy about it. That's about the long and the short of it.

Anonymous said...

5:20 said "Mooresville Downtown Commission:
http://www.melissadata.com/Lookups/np.asp?ein=561581821
Shows them to be a 501(c)(4) and that their last filing was in June of 2007. They should have filed in June of 2008. It does not show up, but I would guess that they did, right?"
I guess that would be a question for Wayne Frick since he worked through the end of June, right?

Anonymous said...

10:31, while that may be true, it is not the long and short of it. I have never met the mayor and don't know anyone in the "good ole boy network", but I still find the hiring to be a little shady and slimy. But, again, I applaud Mr Amon for his work. But the hiring of the recently resigned Chairman of the board who is married to a commissioner is a bit greasy at best.

Anonymous said...

10:35 I'm almost starting to feel sorry for you. Almost.

Anonymous said...

October 9, 2008 10:33 AM made the statement "If Erskine or Crone or Thunberg did it, you would want their hides."

The writer of that post is absolutely right. Why? I can only speak for myself, but my reason is a simple issue of trust. I do not trust Erskine. I do not trust Crone, and I do not trust Thunberg. Why? Because of their past words and actions, much of which has been well documented.

On the other hand, Miles Atkins has earned my trust by his words and his actions, which also have been well documented since he took office.

Unfortunately for Erskine, Crone and Thunberg, they made conscious choices that led to many people mistrusting them and their motives. That has not happened with Miles Atkins. If anything, it is the exact opposite. I have never trusted an elected official as much as I trust Miles Atkins, and I know for a fact that I am only one of many in this community who feel that way, and for good reasons.

We reap what we sow...

Anonymous said...

10:35 blah, blah, blah! You've said the same thing ten times using slightly different words. You bore me. Read my lips. WE DON'T CARE who Kim Atkins is married to and who is friends with who and who doesn't like who and who did what to who when and where. We want somebody COMPETENT AND HONEST to come and fix our problems downtown, somebody who is NOT going to be up the butt of our shady mayor and his cronies behind closed doors doing their little dirty deals like they did for decades. Get it through your thick skull!

Anonymous said...

10:54, you got some of that Kool Aid on your shirt.... watch out, it stains.

Anonymous said...

11:00, the shady deals are still happening. Just different players.

You reap what you sow.

Anonymous said...

It would have been so simple to pick someone new and fresh. Someone without any baggage. But, by hiring Adkins, you have put a cloud over the Downtown Commision. There will always be a question in some peoples' minds whether or not everything is on the up and up or whether the Director is receiving special handling. Oh, I know, the Adkins are wonderful people and so dedicated to downtown and Miles practically walks on water. But it still just doesn't look quite right.

Arrested Development

Anonymous said...

Prove it loser. Just cause you say so doesn't make it so. We've already seen that you'll lie on this thread to try and deceive and mislead us.

Like I said, you're boring. All I hear from you now is blah, blah, blah, blah.

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness for a voice of reason.Marie, you took the words right out of my mouth.....except I couldn't have said it any better.Miles Atkins really has no place in this discussion because he did not hire his wife for this position.From what I've read in these blogs, I don't get the impression that Mr. Atkins is in the loop, if you will, with the other members of the council, so for anyone to insinuate that he has the power to make everyone bow at his feet are really out of touch. If people disagree with the way Mr. Atkins has conducted business they can vote against him if he decides to run again. That's why it's so great to live in America.

Fieldstone Presbyterian Church said...

Hey Jon,

Why not coordinate some Christmas Caroling in the Park for a few nights leading up to Christmas? Different choirs from churches and schools could take part? Just a though.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for bringing some gaeity back to Christmas lights John.I'm sure we'll love it!

Anonymous said...

Dear 11:04, oh no, you have it all wrong. The Investigattons will rally on town hall with signs. Or not. The reverend, Jaime, Fariba and Cliff are all endorsing this shady deal. There will be no public questioning. There is no accountability when it is one of "your own".

Anonymous said...

larry, better watch it, you may be offending those like Fariba who are not Christian. We must be politically correct and include buddhists, muslim, jewish, etc.

Anonymous said...

just a few corrcetions: Miles' last name is A-T-K-I-N-S, not Adkins and John Amons' first name isn't Jon :)

Fieldstone Presbyterian Church said...

Oh well, I don't think I could say anything which would not offend someone --

Anonymous said...

The negativity from some of you posters is just oppresive. i hope I never meet someone in person who has such a dismal outlook on life in general. You have many things to be thankful for. You live in a free country,hopefully you have a roof over your head tonight with a warm bed and food in your stomach as you go to sleep. You have the freedom to express yourself in a lawful way. Please don't take these things for granted.
I get aggravated with some of the things that happen here in Mooresville, but I love this town and it's people. I was born and raised here and I have no intention of leaving. Some of the best folks I've ever met in my life live right here in little Mooresville, my hometown.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the Fariba stalker, aka the Blog Bigot is back on line and obsessing again. You know, there're pills you can take for that.

Anonymous said...

Here's another idea for this holiday season. Pick someone who you may or may not know who needs some help with something you know they can't afford.Maybe they need a blanket or it's a senior who is having trouble paying a utility or needs groceries. Sometimes, all they want is your time. Maybe there's a mother in your neighborhood who has a husband serving overseas. She might need help winterizing the home or doing yard work. Offer your time to serve others in other words. When we take the focus off ourselves we are free to be used in areas of service. Include others in your daily life by choice. Speak to someone you've never met the next time you go shopping. You never know where kindness will lead you.

Anonymous said...

11:01--

Grasshoppa say: Never trust a man who knows not how to spell the name of his opponent. This man does not pay attention.

Signed: The Happy Buddha

Anonymous said...

October 9, 2008 10:41 AM wrote something that is going to be very hard to argue with:

"Was this corrupt? No. Was there a hiring process in place? Yes. Was there a board of directors involved in the decision making process? Yes. Did they follow standard business procedures and hiring practices? Yes. Did the Atkins follow the process in obtaining the tax breaks? Yes. Did his election impact that decision? No.

Did Crone have a board of directors? No. Did he follow standard business procedures? No. Did the Town condone false advertiseent? Yes.

Seems to me that when you compare the two scenarios the downtown commission's actions smell like roses.

You're trying to suggest unethical behaviors when, in fact, there are none."

There is clearly a desperate attempt underfoot to retaliate against the Atkins for their strong stance against corruption in Mooresville government. We as citizens must not tolerate such retaliation against elected officials who have courageously fought for clean government in this town.

Anonymous said...

Dear 12:55, Crne did in fact have a Board of Directors. As t othe other statements about him I can't answer. But do we measure actions of those in the present against what is considered acceptable or do we just compare them to the acions of what is considered the "old guard"? If Erskine or Crone did worse, then it is ok, right?

Bad bar to compare against if you ask me.

Anonymous said...

There is no documentation that Crone had a board of directors.

Anonymous said...

So what does new Director say to promote downtown? "I had a nationaly recognized business Downtown and it failed but you can cetainly try it."

Anonymous said...

You gotta love it. They tried as hard as they could to drag the local activists/rabble rousers into this non-issue hoping to distract them away from the REAL CROOKS in this town, some of which happen to be sitting in Town Hall. They must still think they’re dealing with a bunch of dummies. Of course, their latest trick hasn’t worked, and it’s frustrating the hell out of them.

Fieldstone Presbyterian Church said...

A preliminary list of submitted questions is available at cfrgm.org.

If you have others, please e-mail them to me or post them within this thread and I'll add them.

Anonymous said...

I will not be attending the Oct.15 meeting. I don't understand why this was scheduled on a church night(for most of us)but even if the meeting is moved, I'm out.

Anonymous said...

Like you've ever been "in". What a joke! Something tells me this train's gonna keep going with or without you. The Gravy Train's in some other station!

Anonymous said...

It is becoming more and more clear that there are specific sides and causes that are "important" to groups here at this blog. Each side has to resort to name calling and childish behavior is someone challenges your particular stance on an issue. And if someone asks a legitimate question about an actual issue no one bothers to respond because you all are too busy backstabbing each other. I have asked over and over what is the status of the openness that the Manger has promised? What happened to his priority of naming a new Police Chief? I know I will not get an answer because all of you are too busy playing games.

Anonymous said...

The new Town Manager can deliver openness, or he, too, will follow his predecessor out the door. We're not looking for empty words. We're looking for action.

Fieldstone Presbyterian Church said...

Wednesday was the only night available at the library, and I did not have the time to go search for another location.

The questions regarding the new chief and the statements from the Town Manager are on the list of questions; however, if they are answers you want answers to immediately you might want to e-mail Mr. Husemann and get a response directly from him. As you can tell, if any answers are provided in this forum they are immediately attacked and the validy is questioned. Mr. Husemann will respond to your questions.

Anonymous said...

The action you are looking for has been taking place all summer. It's called an investigation. There is an interim Chief and he is doing a fine job. Nothing will change by naming him permanent Chief. The Town does not want to make a mistake by naming any new chief until the investigation into the former Chief is complete. I know that in these times everyone demands instant gratification, but the truth is that these things take time, at least whe they ae done right they do.

Anonymous said...

Larry,
The list of questions on your site look great. For those of us that cannot attend, will you post the answers afterwards?
Thanks

Anonymous said...

3:50 "instant gratification", did you actually use those words?! Let's see. The story broke in early July, and it's now mid-October. John Crone's still walking around free as a bird to cook up his little stories. Erskine Smith's still taking up space in Town Hall, and Rader's still spreading his propaganda. So what "instant gratification" exactly are you talking about? I am formally introducing the "B.S. Meter", and it just made a wild upward motion.

Anonymous said...

This "church on Wednesday night" as an excuse not to engage in civic activities is a little on the lean side. But of course, that's what it is, just an excuse. I'm sure it wouldn't keep somebody from going to a Panthers game or something important like that.

Anonymous said...

So why would an elected official not attend your 'town meeting'? There's only about 20 of you folks. Hardly a plurality. If none of you vote for him or anyone else I doubt if it will swing an election. You are not looking for information. Your mind is already made up and there is nothing in hell that is going to change it. All you are looking for is a public forum to vent your emotions and beat up on these elected officials. So why would someone go? There's absolutely nothing in it for him. If he does not go, you rant and rave. But if he does go, you still rant and rave. Same result. So let me think about this. For 20, maybe even 50 voters, should I subject myself to this? Maybe not. How do you figure it?

Anonymous said...

hey 10/10 4:14
Did you know Walmart offers many generics for $10.00 and under now. this does include psychotropic drugs as well in case your prescription has run out. Calm down,please. The anatagonistic nature of your posts isn't doing the cause any good.

Anonymous said...

4:58
It's called a commitment, a deep founded belief system. I marched, were you there? Or were you in the comfort of your AC on that 98 degree day? You take care of yourself and stay out of my business, because it isn't any of yours! Got it? I work for my political party and volunteer. I don't have to explain myself to a nameless, faceless post who probably isn't even registered to vote. So go cry to Springer, nancy. Oh and don't forget your usual arguement about anonymous posters. See ya.

Anonymous said...

10/10 5:22... Erskine, go home. The City golf is over for today!

Anonymous said...

5:22 P.M. - just keep deluding yourself, right up to the end. Delusions are a good thing. They keep you comfortable until the inevitable zing. It worked for Crone, it worked for Rader, and now it's working for you.

4:58 P.M. - thanks for calling Herring and Abraham out for their "church" excuse. Okay everybody. Now we're going to report back to the blog every time one of these two is sighted somewhere besides a church on Wednesday nights. Happy sightings.

Fieldstone Presbyterian Church said...

Yes, the answers will be posted and a video will eventually be available online.

Anonymous said...

Dear Rev. Green,

Who was invited to the meeting? Was it all the elected officials including the mayor? Also were any non-elected officials invited?

Thank you for organizing this meeting.

Anonymous said...

10:43
Worry about your own life. You are not their judge.

Fieldstone Presbyterian Church said...

The invitation was sent to all of the members of the Town Board, so yes the Mayor was invited.

Atkins and Carney will be present.
Abraham e-mailed and said he had prior engagements.
Herring told the Charlotte Observer he would no be attending, and later called me to say that the paper did not include his statement about having a church engagement that night.

Rader responded to the Observer, but has not responded to the invitation.

Houston has responded to the Observer, but not to the invitation.

Thunberg has not responded to anyone on this issue, from what I can gather.

I did not invite non-elected folks to be part of the Board because I think the voter's first step should be to talk directly to those who represent us.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Rev. Green for your response. Your proactiveness is deeply appreciated by many including myself.

Anonymous said...

I may be wrong but is enough of the board attends to create a quorum and they intend to discuss Town issues it is a public meeting and therefore all the requirements of the public meeting laws kick in. I doubt very serious anyone of them, include those that are supportive of the idea of this meeting will say anything of substance without the Town attorney being there as well. I hope I am wrong and THANKS Rev. Green for your hard work and dedication.

Fieldstone Presbyterian Church said...

I believe Mr. Abraham's original comments alluded to the fact that there's if a certain # of Board members are present then it's considered an official meeting with all the requirements. I did not follow up with Mr. Gambill as I really wasn't interested in learning all the nuances of that situation.

I really feel, though, that Mr. Carney and Mr. Atkins will be as open and honest as possible. I've sent them, and the other town board members, the link to the questions and I'll continue to update that list as more questions come in.

Anonymous said...

Reverend Green, you are a true gift to this community. I have watched what you have had to endure simply for asking questions that every one of us wished they could ask. You did not allow the attacks to deter you, and you have set quite an example for the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

For Oct 10 @ 10:43 & 4:58:

Do not knock anyone going to church regardless of who they are and what day it is.

Anonymous said...

As long as they're not using church as a cover to make their dirty little deals like Mitch Abraham did with the absolutly corrupt Wastewatergate involving the very shady CH2MHILL company. Just go and do a little research on them and know that thanks to him and his friends on the town board not to mention the assistant town manger, we've pretty much given that company a blank check. Gives one a warm fuzzy feeling, don't it.

Anonymous said...

Is there any way we can get another nice coffee shop downtown? Maybe a Starbucks or a Caribou? I like Pat's Gourmet, and it serves a wonderful clientele. I think there's room for another one that would serve a different type of clientele, too. Just a thought! Best of luck to you, Mrs. Atkins. I know you'll do a great job downtown.

Anonymous said...

No post today? I'll take care of it.

Crone is a crook.
Smith is a leech.
Frank is an elitist.
And to all you previous posters: you're all idiots. I'm the only one that really knows whats going on and I'll come get you if you say I can't.

I think I covered everything.

Anonymous said...

say goodnight Vic!

Anonymous said...

3:22 pm You said it all in a nutshell:

"Crone is a crook.
Smith is a leech.
Frank is an elitist"