Last night's candidates forum for Mooresville's town government was (dare I say it?) a little boring.
Questions for the candidates - Mitch Abraham and Eddie Dingler (Ward 1), Thurman Houston and Billy Hendrix (Ward 2), Bobby Compton and Skip Alexander (At-large) and Miles Atkins and Jared Esselman (Mayor) - "were submitted by the general public, chamber members and the media," according to a forum handout. "The criteria for a question being included in the forum is that it deal with either current or future issues facing Mooresville and Iredell County, and be within the purview & authority of the races represented..."
The questions were all softballs: How great should the town board's role be in business and commerce? Why are you running for office? What are the top issues facing Mooresville today, and how will you address them? And my personal favorite: If a genie were to appear and give you three wishes for Mooresville, what would they be?
At that time, I finally gave up and put my pen down.
Where was the substance?
A specific question about MI-Connection - and how to deal with it - was not raised, even though every candidate I have spoken with has said MI-Connection is the primary concern being raised by citizens, followed by water/sewer rates, during this campaign.
Candidates were able to squeeze in a comment here and there about MI-Connection or water/sewer rates. But they weren't put on the spot and asked about it. So the candidate(s) who didn't want to address the hot potato of MI-Connection didn't have to. They got off easy.
Candidates were not allowed to address or even reference one another. Questions from the floor were not allowed.
I personally left the forum feeling disappointed - like I was fed a lot of bread crumbs when what I really wanted was meat and potatoes.
I think the public's questions and concerns are important. And here, we have a forum to have them addressed publicly by our would-be government officials.
So, here's your chance.
Do you have a question for the commissioner-hopefuls? The would-be mayors? It can be directed to all of them or to one in particular. Have a question or concern about your ward? The future of the town as a whole?
The floor is yours. I will do my best to ask every question submitted. No rules, just please keep them reasonable and relevant. If I receive a number of questions about the same topic, I'll compile them into one question for the candidates.
Post your questions here, in the comments section, or send them to me at jaimegatton@gmail.com, by Monday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. As soon as I've compiled them, I'll send them to the candidates and provide a week for them to respond. Then, I'll post their responses here, one candidate at a time.
Meanwhile, if you want to check out footage of last night's forum, please visit the Mooresville Tribune website and scroll down to the latest headlines. Clips are already being posted.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
New N.C. law for campaign signs
By Melinda Johnston
Correspondent
Correspondent
Charlotte Observer
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011
Towns and municipalities no longer have jurisdiction over some campaign signs placed on their borders.
In August, the N.C. General Assembly enacted into law Senate Bill 315 which permits placement of campaign signs on the rights-of-way of state maintained roads even if those roads are in towns with sign ordinances that would prohibit, or control size or placement of the signs.
The ruling covers most major roads and thoroughfares.
"Streets within neighborhoods are probably town maintained, but all others are mostly state maintained with a few exceptions," said Matthews Planning Director Kathi Ingrish.
"Before the statute, we were able to use Matthews sign standards on state and town maintained streets within our jurisdiction. Now, as town officials, we have no jurisdiction on state streets or rights-of way where political signs are concerned."
The state standards for locating political signs are more relaxed than many of the town ordinances and enforcement is being handled by the state.
N.C. Department of Transportation District Engineer Lewis Mitchell says if a sign is found out of compliance, someone from his department will remove it, and then call the owner to come retrieve it from one of the maintenance sheds.
Other than removal, there is no penalty.
The law says that permission must be obtained from a property owner before a sign is placed in front of a residence, business, or religious institution. If a sign is placed there without the property owner's permission, Mitchell says you still need to call his office.
Don't remove it yourself. State law makes it a misdemeanor for a resident to remove a political sign from the public right-of-way.
Mint Hill code enforcement officer Margie Nichols says she hopes residents understand that her ability to deal with violations is limited to town streets.
"If the sign is on a Mint Hill maintained road and it looks like it's in violation, I will go out and take a look. But if it's on a state maintained road, they need to call N.C. DOT to report it," Nichols said.
The Town of Pineville also is feeling the effects of the new law. Officials there also are wondering how it will be enforced.
"Obviously, with this new law, you're going to have growing pains just trying to figure it out. There are good points of it, but I think it will be difficult to enforce," said Pineville Planning Director Kevin Icard.
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011
Towns and municipalities no longer have jurisdiction over some campaign signs placed on their borders.
In August, the N.C. General Assembly enacted into law Senate Bill 315 which permits placement of campaign signs on the rights-of-way of state maintained roads even if those roads are in towns with sign ordinances that would prohibit, or control size or placement of the signs.
The ruling covers most major roads and thoroughfares.
"Streets within neighborhoods are probably town maintained, but all others are mostly state maintained with a few exceptions," said Matthews Planning Director Kathi Ingrish.
"Before the statute, we were able to use Matthews sign standards on state and town maintained streets within our jurisdiction. Now, as town officials, we have no jurisdiction on state streets or rights-of way where political signs are concerned."
The state standards for locating political signs are more relaxed than many of the town ordinances and enforcement is being handled by the state.
N.C. Department of Transportation District Engineer Lewis Mitchell says if a sign is found out of compliance, someone from his department will remove it, and then call the owner to come retrieve it from one of the maintenance sheds.
Other than removal, there is no penalty.
The law says that permission must be obtained from a property owner before a sign is placed in front of a residence, business, or religious institution. If a sign is placed there without the property owner's permission, Mitchell says you still need to call his office.
Don't remove it yourself. State law makes it a misdemeanor for a resident to remove a political sign from the public right-of-way.
Mint Hill code enforcement officer Margie Nichols says she hopes residents understand that her ability to deal with violations is limited to town streets.
"If the sign is on a Mint Hill maintained road and it looks like it's in violation, I will go out and take a look. But if it's on a state maintained road, they need to call N.C. DOT to report it," Nichols said.
The Town of Pineville also is feeling the effects of the new law. Officials there also are wondering how it will be enforced.
"Obviously, with this new law, you're going to have growing pains just trying to figure it out. There are good points of it, but I think it will be difficult to enforce," said Pineville Planning Director Kevin Icard.
For the original article or to read the new law in its entirety, click here: Charlotte Observer.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Compton and Alexander advance to the November election
The primary-election results are in, and Bobby Compton - former Town of Mooresville Fire Marshal - took the top spot for the at-large commissioner seat with 406 votes.
Robert "Skip" Alexander, a former FBI agent, came in second with 297 votes.
Both men will now advance to the Nov. 8 general election.
Seven candidates were seeking the at-large seat. The other five candidates included Dawn Huston, who received 47 votes, while William H. Washburn III garnered 23. David Roueche collected 21 votes, James Snyder received 17, and Raymond R. Gordner III collected 9.
Altogether, 820 people showed up to the polls today to cast their votes.
Full results can be found on the Iredell County Board of Elections webpage.
Robert "Skip" Alexander, a former FBI agent, came in second with 297 votes.
Both men will now advance to the Nov. 8 general election.
Seven candidates were seeking the at-large seat. The other five candidates included Dawn Huston, who received 47 votes, while William H. Washburn III garnered 23. David Roueche collected 21 votes, James Snyder received 17, and Raymond R. Gordner III collected 9.
Altogether, 820 people showed up to the polls today to cast their votes.
Full results can be found on the Iredell County Board of Elections webpage.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Supporting documents
Several readers have contacted me, asking me to provide the supporting documents for yesterday's post, Liar, liar, pants on fire. Below, you will find several documents, all which were attached to Mayor-hopeful Jared Esselman's March 13 letter to Mooresville's board of commissioners, mayor and town attorney, obtained by the Report in a public-records request.
The following document, titled "Honorable Commissioners and Mayor," was one of the overall four attachments to Esselman's March 13 e-mail (click on the documents to enlarge them; once open, you should be able to click on them again to zoom in):
The following two-page document, titled "A Stronger System of Government," was also attached to Esselman's March 13 e-mail to the mayor and commissioners:
The following two-page document, titled "Town Charter Op Ed," was also attached to Esselman's March 13 e-mail to the mayor and commissioners:
Finally, Esselman included an attachment of the town's charter with some of his proposed possible changes, including granting the mayor the power to appoint "deputy mayors" to "serve at the pleasure of the mayor." Also in this document is the suggestion that the town could pay a full-time mayor a salary equal to .33 percent of the town budget's general fund. Titled "Article III of Town Charter," this was the final of the documents attached to Esselman's March 13 e-mail to the mayor and commissioners:
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Liar, liar, pants on fire
Liar.
It's a word that has been used often by Mayor-hopeful Jared Esselman and his campaign to characterize an at-large commissioner candidate, Skip Alexander, who has apparently been circulating a two-page document of his concerns about the would-be mayor and the truthfulness of some of his credentials and statements.
Earlier this week, Esselman wrote a document of his own in rebuttal of Alexander's document. In it, he makes the jump from Alexander being a liar to opposing mayoral candidate Miles Atkins being a liar, asking citizens: “Do you want another pair of liars representing you in office? These two politicians are willing to lie to you now, how much will they be willing to lie about once they are in office?”
Esselman calls Alexander a liar over an assertion Alexander makes that Esselman wants to radically restructure Mooresville's form of government, eliminating the need for a town manager and instead passing those duties – and the hefty salary – to a full-time mayor. Alexander cites a letter that Esselman wrote to commissioners in March to back up his allegation.
But Esselman says that letter was just a research paper he wrote while still studying at Harvard. “My thesis was: Instead of going through the hiring process (once Town Manager Steve Husemann resigned), here's another option,” Esselman said in a phone interview with the Report on Monday.
In his rebuttal document, Esselman says: “Skip is taking my college research and using it to deceive the people of Mooresville.”
To the Report, Esselman said that his “research paper” was essentially just “copying and pasting what (other cities) do” to provide some alternatives for the board to consider. He says he never suggested that the commissioners should restructure Mooresville's government.
But that's not exactly true.
In fact, in a March 13 e-mail to commissioners, the mayor and town attorney - obtained by the Report in a public-records request - Esselman writes: “We may not be a major metropolitan area but we are the largest city in Iredell County and we have witnessed the Council-Manager systems’ flaws and failures time and time again. Now is the time to adopt a new system!”
“ … the Town of Mooresville currently uses the Council-Manager form of Government. This form is very traditional for American cities and certainly has its benefits but also has its detriments,” Esselman writes. “I might suggest that with the rate of growth Mooresville has been experiencing and with the Town’s growing prominence in both Iredell County and the Piedmont region, transitioning to a Mayor-Council form of government could be incredibly beneficial.
“I ask the City Council to consider revising the Town Charter so as to create a Mayor-Council system of government. The timing could not be more appropriate. The need could not be more present.”
He also included potential changes to the town charter that would include granting the mayor the power to appoint deputy mayors to “serve at the pleasure of the mayor,” and he included an annual salary for the mayor of .33 percent of the town budget's general fund … just like Alexader states in his two-page document.
In a separate document Esselman sent to commissioners on March 13, the mayor-hopeful writes: “With Mayor Montgomery not seeking re-election, and since the Town Manager resigned, we as citizens are in the perfect position to vote on a referendum revising the Town Charter and creating a Mayor-Council structure for our town government.
"Mooresville needs full time leadership, and a full time Mayor."
Interestingly, on the following day, March 14, Esselman filed his Statement of Organization with the Iredell County Board of Elections to run for Mayor of Mooresville.
Just a research paper? Or a proposition to radically restructure Mooresville's town government?
You decide.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Mayor-hopeful fires back at candidate for at-large commissioner
Mayor-hopeful Jared Esselman is firing back at Skip Alexander, candidate for at-large commissioner, and a two-page document that Alexander is reportedly distributing.
In the document, Alexander listed several “observations” about Esselman and his campaign, such as the mayor-hopeful's residency, his “lack of local involvement,” his donor-base being primarily out-of-state residents, and Esselman's “vision to radically restructure Mooresville's form of government.” (For more, click here.)
But Esselman is responding with a document of his own, accusing Alexander of “working for (mayoral candidate) Miles Atkins” and “actively spreading false information and lies.”
Alexander, in his document, stated that according to public records of the Iredell County Board of Elections, Esselman registered as a voter in 1999. The Board of Elections' computerized records, dating back to 1992, "indicate Jared Esselman has never cast one single vote (in-person or absentee), and that there has been no break in his Iredell voter registration," Alexander wrote.
Esselman, in his written rebuttal, stated: “Two things are wrong with his statement. 1. I was off fighting a war. 2. I was a registered voter in Charleston, SC where I was stationed at Charleston Air Force Base and did vote!”
Alexander stated that as of Esselman's Sept. 16 campaign-finance filings with the Iredell County Board of Elections, the mayor-hopeful's list of 36 named campaign contributors includes not one resident, taxpayer or voter in the Town of Mooresville. In fact, Alexander points out, 69.4 percent of Esselman's campaign money has come from donations from residents of Massachusetts, while 19.4 percent has been provided by residents outside the State of North Carolina. Iredell County voters outside the Town of Mooresville limits make up 11.1 percent of the overall total. Esselman's campaign listed no contributions from Town of Mooresville residents and/or voters.
Esselman, in his rebuttal, did not dispute the record. However, he said: "My friends and classmates from the military, Harvard, and my other travels make up a large part of my donor base. My campaign has been a small grassroots campaign with the vast majority of my donations being about $20.
"I have not sold out to businessmen here in Mooresville who are trying to buy their way into office, set on their own agendas. I don’t owe anyone any favors."
Alexander stated in his document that in a Sept. 20 conversation with Esselman, the mayor-hopeful “acknowledged that, except in his second to fourth grade years, and since July, 2011 (two months ago), he has never been a resident, and never a taxpayer in the Town of Mooresville.”
Esselman, again, did not refute Alexander's assertions, but stated: “My family moved to Mooresville when I was a child. We started in a small house on North Main street [sic]. When I was in the fourth grade my parents bought a house on Hwy 801. I will not apologize for the fact that my parents bought a home where they could afford one while raising six children and starting a family business. I grew up in that home and we did the best we could with what we had.
“Since my parents [sic] home was not inside the city limits we didn’t pay city taxes. They moved partially because they couldn’t afford to live in the city while raising six children.”
Esselman continued: “A lot of people have 'Mooresville' as their address who don’t live inside the city limits. The decisions the Mayor and Board of Commissioners make effect [sic] them too.
“The greater point here is I grew up here. Mooresville is my hometown. I am a part of the town, and the town is a part of me. I left to defend our freedoms and go to college. I will not apologies [sic] for that.
“Skip isn’t from Mooresville. He’s from Concord,” Esselman wrote. “And Miles isn’t from Mooresville. He’s from Florida. What gives these two men, who aren’t from here, the right to question my passion for the people and town that meant so much to me growing up?”
Also among the issues noted in Alexander's document was an e-mail Esselman sent to commissioners earlier this year that mentioned a restructuring of Mooresville's form of government, essentially eliminating the need for a town manager and instead paying the mayor a full-time salary.
Alexander's document states that Esselman “advocated ... the City Council … to consider revisiting the Town Charter so as to create a Mayor-Council system” and that Esselman suggested the mayor could be a full-time employee, making an annual salary of .33 percent of the town budget's general fund. That, Alexander stated, would be a salary of approximately $140,000 - “almost 4 times the Charlotte mayor's salary for wannabe 'Mayor Esselman.'”
Esselman's email to commissioners also suggested that the mayor would be authorized to “appoint one or more Deputy Mayors” to “serve at the pleasure of the Mayor,” Alexander stated in his document.
But Esselman, in his written response, said, “I have never claimed this in my campaign and I have no intention of changing the structure of our government. I took an interest in researching the structure of city governments and actually worked with Miles Atkins, who helped me with some of the research, and wrote an email suggesting some ideas that other cities had done.
“The research was interesting and I learned from it but it is not, absolutely not, part of my campaign nor is it part of my vision for Mooresville. Skip is taking my college research and using it to deceive the people of Mooresville.”
Esselman said, “I do not propose to increase the Mayors’ salary. I will earn my own keep. By my God given talents and efforts I will earn my own living. I do propose to be a fully engaged mayor and be available full time. There will be no increase in the mayors [sic] salary, only in the effort contributed.”
As for Alexander's assertion that Esselman wants deputy mayors, said Esselman, “Again, this comes from college research, which was a learning tool. Not, I repeat, not, my campaign platform.”
Alexander also took issue with Esselman having 25 U.S. Flags “and 10 of his own campaign signs on the house, yard and fence at his rented house on Institute Street” during the week of Sept. 19. Said Alexander: “The U.S. Flag Code prohibits using the United States flag for advertising.”
Esselman responded in his written document: “This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. And yes I have flags flying. The flag of the nation I fought to defend.
“I am an American Soldier! I have earned the right to fly the flag, by placing my life on the line in the defense of others. Neither Miles nor Skip have.”
Alexander also stated that while he acknowledges Esselman's service as an elisted U.S Air Force Aircraft Loadmaster – and while “all available information indicates that Jared served our country honorably” and “I salute his and every veteran's service” - several people who have agreed to place Esselman-for-Mayor signs in their yards “have said they were given the impression he was an Air Force pilot and officer.”
Esselman responded: “I was a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force. I enlisted. I am proud of that! I volunteered for service! As a Staff Sergeant I am a Non-Commissioned Officer. I was a loadmaster on C-17’s. And… get ready for this Skip, I am a pilot! I am a licensed pilot. I have never claimed to be anything other than what I am.”
Alexander also stated in his written document that “to date, Jared has accomplished nothing with his Spring 2011 Harvard diploma, and apparently sought no job.”
Responded Esselman: “The point here is, I HAVE a Harvard degree! I have the determination, discipline, and dedication it takes to earn a Harvard degree. Skip doesn’t, and Miles doesn’t.”
Esselman continued accusing Alexander of “playing dirty” with Atkins and, in his rebuttal document, asked citizens of Mooresville: “Do you want another pair of liars representing you in office? These two politicians are willing to lie to you now, how much will they be willing to lie about once they are in office?”
“I am a true son of Mooresville,” Esselman said. “I am an American Soldier. I am a Harvard Graduate.
“I am coming home, and trying to make home a little bit better.”
To read Esselman's rebuttal in its entirety, click on the documents below:
In the document, Alexander listed several “observations” about Esselman and his campaign, such as the mayor-hopeful's residency, his “lack of local involvement,” his donor-base being primarily out-of-state residents, and Esselman's “vision to radically restructure Mooresville's form of government.” (For more, click here.)
But Esselman is responding with a document of his own, accusing Alexander of “working for (mayoral candidate) Miles Atkins” and “actively spreading false information and lies.”
Alexander, in his document, stated that according to public records of the Iredell County Board of Elections, Esselman registered as a voter in 1999. The Board of Elections' computerized records, dating back to 1992, "indicate Jared Esselman has never cast one single vote (in-person or absentee), and that there has been no break in his Iredell voter registration," Alexander wrote.
Esselman, in his written rebuttal, stated: “Two things are wrong with his statement. 1. I was off fighting a war. 2. I was a registered voter in Charleston, SC where I was stationed at Charleston Air Force Base and did vote!”
Alexander stated that as of Esselman's Sept. 16 campaign-finance filings with the Iredell County Board of Elections, the mayor-hopeful's list of 36 named campaign contributors includes not one resident, taxpayer or voter in the Town of Mooresville. In fact, Alexander points out, 69.4 percent of Esselman's campaign money has come from donations from residents of Massachusetts, while 19.4 percent has been provided by residents outside the State of North Carolina. Iredell County voters outside the Town of Mooresville limits make up 11.1 percent of the overall total. Esselman's campaign listed no contributions from Town of Mooresville residents and/or voters.
Esselman, in his rebuttal, did not dispute the record. However, he said: "My friends and classmates from the military, Harvard, and my other travels make up a large part of my donor base. My campaign has been a small grassroots campaign with the vast majority of my donations being about $20.
"I have not sold out to businessmen here in Mooresville who are trying to buy their way into office, set on their own agendas. I don’t owe anyone any favors."
Alexander stated in his document that in a Sept. 20 conversation with Esselman, the mayor-hopeful “acknowledged that, except in his second to fourth grade years, and since July, 2011 (two months ago), he has never been a resident, and never a taxpayer in the Town of Mooresville.”
Esselman, again, did not refute Alexander's assertions, but stated: “My family moved to Mooresville when I was a child. We started in a small house on North Main street [sic]. When I was in the fourth grade my parents bought a house on Hwy 801. I will not apologize for the fact that my parents bought a home where they could afford one while raising six children and starting a family business. I grew up in that home and we did the best we could with what we had.
“Since my parents [sic] home was not inside the city limits we didn’t pay city taxes. They moved partially because they couldn’t afford to live in the city while raising six children.”
Esselman continued: “A lot of people have 'Mooresville' as their address who don’t live inside the city limits. The decisions the Mayor and Board of Commissioners make effect [sic] them too.
“The greater point here is I grew up here. Mooresville is my hometown. I am a part of the town, and the town is a part of me. I left to defend our freedoms and go to college. I will not apologies [sic] for that.
“Skip isn’t from Mooresville. He’s from Concord,” Esselman wrote. “And Miles isn’t from Mooresville. He’s from Florida. What gives these two men, who aren’t from here, the right to question my passion for the people and town that meant so much to me growing up?”
Also among the issues noted in Alexander's document was an e-mail Esselman sent to commissioners earlier this year that mentioned a restructuring of Mooresville's form of government, essentially eliminating the need for a town manager and instead paying the mayor a full-time salary.
Alexander's document states that Esselman “advocated ... the City Council … to consider revisiting the Town Charter so as to create a Mayor-Council system” and that Esselman suggested the mayor could be a full-time employee, making an annual salary of .33 percent of the town budget's general fund. That, Alexander stated, would be a salary of approximately $140,000 - “almost 4 times the Charlotte mayor's salary for wannabe 'Mayor Esselman.'”
Esselman's email to commissioners also suggested that the mayor would be authorized to “appoint one or more Deputy Mayors” to “serve at the pleasure of the Mayor,” Alexander stated in his document.
But Esselman, in his written response, said, “I have never claimed this in my campaign and I have no intention of changing the structure of our government. I took an interest in researching the structure of city governments and actually worked with Miles Atkins, who helped me with some of the research, and wrote an email suggesting some ideas that other cities had done.
“The research was interesting and I learned from it but it is not, absolutely not, part of my campaign nor is it part of my vision for Mooresville. Skip is taking my college research and using it to deceive the people of Mooresville.”
Esselman said, “I do not propose to increase the Mayors’ salary. I will earn my own keep. By my God given talents and efforts I will earn my own living. I do propose to be a fully engaged mayor and be available full time. There will be no increase in the mayors [sic] salary, only in the effort contributed.”
As for Alexander's assertion that Esselman wants deputy mayors, said Esselman, “Again, this comes from college research, which was a learning tool. Not, I repeat, not, my campaign platform.”
Alexander also took issue with Esselman having 25 U.S. Flags “and 10 of his own campaign signs on the house, yard and fence at his rented house on Institute Street” during the week of Sept. 19. Said Alexander: “The U.S. Flag Code prohibits using the United States flag for advertising.”
Esselman responded in his written document: “This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. And yes I have flags flying. The flag of the nation I fought to defend.
“I am an American Soldier! I have earned the right to fly the flag, by placing my life on the line in the defense of others. Neither Miles nor Skip have.”
Alexander also stated that while he acknowledges Esselman's service as an elisted U.S Air Force Aircraft Loadmaster – and while “all available information indicates that Jared served our country honorably” and “I salute his and every veteran's service” - several people who have agreed to place Esselman-for-Mayor signs in their yards “have said they were given the impression he was an Air Force pilot and officer.”
Esselman responded: “I was a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force. I enlisted. I am proud of that! I volunteered for service! As a Staff Sergeant I am a Non-Commissioned Officer. I was a loadmaster on C-17’s. And… get ready for this Skip, I am a pilot! I am a licensed pilot. I have never claimed to be anything other than what I am.”
Alexander also stated in his written document that “to date, Jared has accomplished nothing with his Spring 2011 Harvard diploma, and apparently sought no job.”
Responded Esselman: “The point here is, I HAVE a Harvard degree! I have the determination, discipline, and dedication it takes to earn a Harvard degree. Skip doesn’t, and Miles doesn’t.”
Esselman continued accusing Alexander of “playing dirty” with Atkins and, in his rebuttal document, asked citizens of Mooresville: “Do you want another pair of liars representing you in office? These two politicians are willing to lie to you now, how much will they be willing to lie about once they are in office?”
“I am a true son of Mooresville,” Esselman said. “I am an American Soldier. I am a Harvard Graduate.
“I am coming home, and trying to make home a little bit better.”
To read Esselman's rebuttal in its entirety, click on the documents below:
Monday, October 3, 2011
Document was at center of candidates' dispute
A two-page document prompted Friday's spat between two candidates for political office in Mooresville.
Mayor-hopeful Jared Esselman said in a phone interview today that he confronted Skip Alexander, an at-large commissioner candidate, at the town board's agenda briefing Friday about the document which Esselman said Alexander has been handing out.
“He's been spreading a two-page document around, chopped full of lies,” Esselman said.
On Friday morning, when the two men came face-to-face at the town board's agenda briefing, “I confronted Skip and told him, 'You're a liar and a coward,'” Esselman said. “It got loud. I was firm, but I didn't yell. I'm not going to sit and let someone lie about me.”
But contrary to what was reported in the original article about the argument, Esselman said Mooresville Police Chief Carl Robbins never stepped in to break up the disagreement. “The chief never said anything to me,” Esselman said.
He said Alexander's document “is misrepresenting my information, my campaign and me.”
“He doesn't even know me, and I don't know why he's doing it,” Essleman said.
The document, provided to the Report by Esselman, includes a disclaimer that Alexander is the sole author and that a more detailed letter is being prepared. Alexander could not be reached for comment today (Monday).
In the document, Alexander lists several “observations” about Esselman and his campaign for mayor. Among those observations, Alexander homes in on Esselman's residency, his “lack of local involvement,” his donor-base being primarily out-of-state residents, and what Alexander calls Esselman's “vision to radically restructure Mooresville's form of government.”
“According to public records of the Iredell Board of Elections (IBOE), Jared Esselman registered as a voter in 1999,” Alexander's document reads. He said those same records “indicate Jared Esselman has never cast one single vote (in-person or absentee), and that there has been no break in his Iredell voter registration.”
Citing Esselman's first “35-day report” filed with the Board of Elections on Sept. 6, Alexander points out that “not one of the 36 named donors (to Esselman's campaign) is a resident, taxpayer, or voter in the Town of Mooresville.”
In fact, Alexander points out, 69.4 percent of Esselman's campaign money has come from donations from residents of Massachusetts. Meanwhile, 19.4 percent of his campaign money raised as of the filing on Sept. 6 was from contributions from residents outside the State of North Carolina. Iredell County voters outside the Town of Mooresville limits made up 11.1 percent of the overall total. Esselman's campaign listed no contributions from Town of Mooresville residents and/or voters. (Candidate finance reports are available online at http://www.co.iredell.nc.us/Departments/Elections/finance_reports.asp.)
Alexander also took issue in the document with Esselman's residency. Alexander says in a conversation he had with the mayor-hopeful on Sept. 20, Esselman “acknowledged that, except in his second to fourth grade years, and since July, 2011 (two months ago), he has never been a resident, and never a taxpayer in the Town of Mooresville.”
Also among the issues noted in Alexander's document was an e-mail Esselman sent to commissioners earlier this year that mentioned a restructuring of Mooresville's form of government, essentially eliminating the need for a town manager and instead paying the mayor a full-time salary to carry out the duties now assigned to a town manager.
Alexander's document states that Esselman, in his letter to commissioners, “advocated ... the City Council … to consider revisiting the Town Charter so as to create a Mayor-Council system.”
Alexander states that in the e-mail, Esselman suggested the mayor could be a full-time employee, making an annual salary of .33 percent of the town budget's general fund. That, Alexander stated, would be a salary of approximately $140,000 - “almost 4 times the Charlotte mayor's salary for wannabe 'Mayor Esselman.'”
Esselman's email to commissioners also suggested that the mayor would be authorized to “appoint one or more Deputy Mayors” to “serve at the pleasure of the Mayor,” Alexander stated in his document.
Esselman said he confronted Alexander on Friday, “and I asked him, 'Who did you ask for that e-mail?'”
Esselman said the e-mail to commissioners was simply “a research paper I wrote on styles of government. I never campaigned on a research paper I wrote in college.”
When former Town Manager Steve Husemann resigned while Essleman was still studying at Harvard, Esselman said he contacted commissioners, encouraging them to explore all their options. “My thesis was: Instead of going through the hiring process, here's another option.”
He said much of what he sent to commissioners was “copying and pasting what (other cities) do.”
Esselman said if elected, he will not change Mooresville's form of government: “Hands down, I'm not going to do that. How self-serving would that be?”
(To read Alexander's two-page document in its entirety, click on the documents below. Once I've obtained a copy of the e-mail from Esselman to commissioners that Alexander references, I'll post it.)
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Police chief breaks up meeting spat
By Joe Marusak
Robbins told the Observer he allowed the men to remain in the room after they agreed to stop arguing.
Esselman is a political newcomer running for mayor in November against Mooresville commissioner Miles Atkins.
Alexander is among seven candidates in an Oct. 11 primary for Atkins' at-large seat on the Board of Commissioners.
The spat came just before the 8:30 a.m. start of a Mooresville Board of Commissioners "pre-agenda" meeting.
Commissioners hold such meetings on the Friday before their regular Monday board meeting to discuss what items will come before them at their regular meeting.
The meetings are open to the public, but only a handful of residents typically attend the meetings, where commissioners generally don't vote on issues.
For more from the Charlotte Observer, click here.
Charlotte Observer
jmarusak@charlotteobserver.com
The argument between mayoral candidate Jared Esselman and Mooresville commissioner candidate Robert "Skip" Alexander grew so heated that Mooresville commissioner Mitch Abraham told them to take their argument outside the Town Hall meeting room.
Police Chief Carl Robbins had to separate two candidates for local political office when they began arguing loudly face to face with one another before the start of a Mooresville Board of Commissioners meeting on Friday morning.
Robbins told the Observer he allowed the men to remain in the room after they agreed to stop arguing.
Esselman is a political newcomer running for mayor in November against Mooresville commissioner Miles Atkins.
Alexander is among seven candidates in an Oct. 11 primary for Atkins' at-large seat on the Board of Commissioners.
The spat came just before the 8:30 a.m. start of a Mooresville Board of Commissioners "pre-agenda" meeting.
Commissioners hold such meetings on the Friday before their regular Monday board meeting to discuss what items will come before them at their regular meeting.
The meetings are open to the public, but only a handful of residents typically attend the meetings, where commissioners generally don't vote on issues.
For more from the Charlotte Observer, click here.
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