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:
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194 comments:
Mayor hell, he wants to be king.
No matter who wins these or any future elections in Mooresville, we are going to be on the lookout for any hint of crony capitalism in this town. None of that bullshit of Thunberg looking the other way while his friends at SICDC didn’t pay their $350,000 debt to taxpayers, or Charlie Roberts letting golf clubs walk out the door in his friends’ backpacks, or Joe Knox throwing favors right and left whoring the town to small time developers, or Erskine Smith hiring Jimmy McKnight to the tune of $250,000. Those party days are over. From now on, you play, you pay, no matter who’s in office.
Yes, yes, yes!!!!!!!
I wish the Harvard grad, when "copying and pasting" a "research paper," would decide if he is using block style for paragraphs or indented paragraphs.
It's good to be the king, isn't it? All I know is when I'm getting screwed I want to get a good dinner with a good wine first. So far we haven't even been getting chicken mcnuggets.
Seriously, who do we demand the head of Smith on a silver platter from? I think young Jared is toast but now what is Mr. Atkins going to do for us? How many more years are we going to be at critical mass?
Now this brings me to Randy Marion. Hell, I don't blame some of these guys for taking his money and then ignoring him when he comes around for favors. What concerns me more is we have an elected state legislator married to his daughter. HELLO!!!!! And the sickest relationship there is Redmond and Marion.
This town is toxic and the biggest problem I see is apathy. They get away with it because the only people who speak up are here. I don't know if the Tribune is a wholly owned subsidiary of Smith or what but I didn't see a damn thing in it today about this crap. You would think, wouldn't you? And where are the TV stations? Here is some punk with NO VOTING RECORD and money from UP NORTH and he wants to engineer a COUP with his NORTHERN BUDDIES and it's just going on by without much more than a blurb in the Observer a week ago because 2 grown men had a little tiff in Town Hall.
No wonder this town is in the crapper.
6:37 pm, do not forget Mitch Abraham trying to give a multi-million dollar no-bid contract to his church buddy's company (that was CH2MHill), not to mention the $95 million cable scam that Chris Carney and his buddies shoved down our throats.
This is one presumptuous little jerk. And if thats a term paper at Harvard, damn, I should have been able to go and I'd have had an easier time there than At the state college I went to.
This kid went on the GI bill I'm guessing so we paid for it and he wants us to keep paying. Sorry pal. One weasel in the henhouse is enough.
That is some vision all right. He's a true son with a vision. We are going to Hell in a handbasket and he wants to put us in the express lane.
Mitch didn't "try" -- he succeeded
Ok, so all of you people that say you want to get rid of the good ole boy network, want to crucify the guy who is trying to present a way to do it? Because he went to Harvard? Because he grew up just outside of the city limits? Because he has friends and supporters from "up North?" The times they are a-changing..we fought that battle once before and lost..hell, half the people here now are from "up North." It sounds like with this system, you are stuck, at most, for two years with someone in charge that you dont want. Can you vote the Town Manager out now? Can you control who the Board appoints as Town Manager now? I am sorry but you people that attack him just because he has supporters up North, or didnt get shot while serving in the military, or had the intelligence to attend Harvard..well, you just make us all look like a bunch of bumbling Southern idiots.
Mitch was the man behind the baseball deal which is going to bring $35 million in business to Mooresville. The hotel tax alone will help build parks and enhance economic development. Give these people some credit. Queston is what have you done lately for the town. Do you know how much time these commissioners put in for the city with very little pay. Vote for Harvard Boy and see what you get. A liar that wants to line his pockets with a job which he has never had.
Why don't you just hand Harvard boy the keys to the safe? You think Crone and company lined their pockets.
We can get rid of Smitty. If enough of us band together and demand it they will have to do it eventually. Didn't Pastor Larry have a plan to march for something like that once? You get a large enough crowd you get the cameras there and sooner or later momentum kicks in.
Yeah, I remember that little parade in front of Town Hall about 3 or four years ago...what did it accomplish?
I think I see a tsunami coming..oh wait, its just a tiny little ripple :)
Don't forget all the "vacations" that Mitch takes on town money. Been to this baseball park 3-4 times on your dollar. Always ready to go to a meeting or an event where there is food.
I would like to know how many of our candidates have filed for bankrupcty. I know of one and have heard of another that is running. Guess which two.
Do tell. As for the tiny ripple, we need to start calling the media and asking why they aren't covering our election. Given the corruption and past history I think this is a good story. Someone wants to bestor who never voted?
This kid wants to get rid of one good old boy network and replace it with another. I thought Mormons were supposed to humble themselves before God and do public service and be humble there. $140 grand sure is a lit of humble wouldn't you say, mrs Royer?
I would say if Mitch had a hand in bringing the Baseball complex to Mooresville, then send him there once a month for all I care! That complex will generate MILLIONS of dollars to cover his little vacation...just ask anyone in Cooperstown. But I am sure ya'll cant appreciate that because you are just looking for scandalous tidbits to drool over.
By the way, it really doesent matter one bit if Esselman wants to change the town charter, because he cant do it without the vote of the commissioners and the citizens.
Baseball complex? Ask the folks in Charlotte how that little racing hall is working out for them.
Delusions of grandeur are not going to get you anywhere but the crapper fast.
Why isn't this in the local paper? Could it be we keep getting stuck with this bullshit because we are deliberately in the dark? Just keep the peasants ignorant and they'll just never know the difference and you can keep your hand in their pocket.
After reading these attachments, I do not see anything that would cause the derogatory comments I have been reading. I thought his articles were well thought out and asked for consideration - no more. Should Mr. Esselman have put these out there for public comment earlier? Absolutely- however, I do not see a smoking gun.
I see a well-thought out proposal that should have raised dialog amongst the commissioners and citizens. My question is, why did the commissioners not have open dialog? Why did they not consider this prior to appointing Smith? Why are we stomping on Mr. Esselman because he proposes an alternative form that is allowed per NC state legislative rules of governance and used by many other towns and cities?
Why aren't you discussing the merits of his proposal? That is what the dialog should be on this blog.
Then as the old saying goes "don't shoot the messenger"
His emails might have been worth some discussion, not that I agree, but his propsal is a bald faced power grab and a money grab too. So pardon me if I'm not impressesd. And there is nothing to discuss until the election and e en then we have to vote to change the charter. Sorry. Not buying it.
Somebody posted that Mitch Abraham is to get credit for those ballfields that some guy claims he is going to build and bring all these tourist dollars to Mooresville. Well, it's interesting that with all the fanfare they were supposed to start construction now. Then a few weeks ago, they quietly announced that construction will probably not start until spring and that they had not even closed on the purchase of the property. So, I guess we will see if it ever gets built. And, don't ever believe those economic projection numbers. What are the kids' baseball families really going to spend in the Mooresville area with truly local businesses and what are we going to get besides more traffic?
9:15, clearly you are a Jared shill. The reason he did not put this out is because, like every other slimy politician in these parts, he wanted to slide it in the back door unnoticed. One would think a change of this magnitude would be out in the front of such an important office as mayor.
By the way, $12 grand to $140grand is quite the pay hike and quite the starting salary don't you think?
I think Skippy was successful in what he tried to do; create chaos and division. He did expose something that needed to be exposed, but you would think that a person with his alleged qualifications and accomplishments would be able to approach matters with a whole lot more finesse. He has shown his true side. That permanent, annoying sneaky smile he keeps on his face is there for a reason. Sneaky Skip would be his name from here on out. Just another child wanting to be in charge.
Well we sure ain't got a problem giving that much ($140,000) to a deadbeat just because Mac Herring tells us it's his birthright to be town manager of Mooresville for life! And the heck with the town folk who sweat for the money they send up there to pay that salary!
Some clueless clown is trying to tell us that "Mitch was the man behind the baseball deal which is going to bring $35 million in business to Mooresville." My foot. We'll all believe this when we see it - never.
The problem is 10:11 that no one seems to give it any media coverage. The only person telling us about this is Mrs. Gatton. Now, I don't know who is keeing us in the dark at the Tribune but you have to wonder why this is. I picked up the Friday paper and all I see is a few items about early voting. Hmm. The bit about the little spat is a blurb in the Charlotte Observer.
I recall the lady raising hell about trash being thrown back in the yard, I am just wondering what other crap goes on in town on our dime that we don't know about? I see Mooresville cars parked at Walmart. Now, I suppose they are in buying toilet paper for Lord Erskine's private crapper but you know, enough is enough. Why is it we can't have accountability and value for our tax dollar?
You know, there is such a thing as letters to the editor and if enough people start writing about these things and going to commissioners meetings and demanding accountability maybe something would happen.
We are just mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. We want to see things improve for Mooresville. We want the dead weight gone. We want real leaders. We want good clean management. We want accountability. We don't care who does it. We just want it done.
Hallelujah to the last few posts. As fore Tribune, Dale Gowing checked out long ago after Randy Marion went to his boss and threatened to pull his advertisement if they didn't shut Dale up. So if you have a beef with the Tribune take it up with the King of Price (no pun intended).
I think what ya'll really want is to keep on whining and complaining about everything that goes on in this town. I think it doesnt matter who runs the town or who is mayor because you are going to find something to dislike or distrust anyway...it is who you are!
October 8, 2011 12:03 AM, didn't you get the memo? That little parade got the town rid of a corrupt police chief. Take that and chew on it for a bit.
Let's see. Remember the RATS? That was short for Rader/Abraham/Thunberg/Smith. Looks to me like the "R" and the "T" are booted. Now we just got to boot out the "A" and the "S", and we'd finally have defumigated Town Hall. THEN, we may be happy.
Ya think that did it? lol.
As long as we have elected officials who line their pockets or let the town manager line his pocket or let their friends line their pockets using my tax dollars, I for one ain't going away. Because THAT'S WHO I AM!
You wanna talk about lining pockets? Look no further than Charlie Roberts, Mr. Golf Course. The deal with Smith was that if he fired Charlie he'd get to be town manager. Except Smith did a switcharoo and Charlie got to stay with a paycut. So the board rolled over for Smith and Smith rolled over for Charlie so that Charlie don't roll over on Smith. Nice gig they got going. and who foots the bill for all this bait and switch games? me and you of course.
So if we "hire" Jared we're probably going to be getting rid of one pocket liner for another. Good to know.
I fail to see why the King of Price is keeping this out of the paper if Miles is his boy.
As for rodents, I see we have another Huston on the ballot. I live in ward 2 and I've tried on several occasions to reach Thurman. He never returned calls to me. I say we throw all the bums out.
I have not forgotten that smith had Crone's back at least part of the time. He's a loser. I've called several times for him and be is always out of town. On per dime I'm sure.
That is our dime damn auto correct.
Shhhh. Don't look now but I'm pretty sure it's obvious that Dawn Huston is not related to Thurman Houston. I mean their last names are spelled different you know. Lol. I know what you mean about Thurman Houston though. I have also tried to reach him and it has proven difficult. He is not known for being accessible to his constituents.
Before I retired down here, at one point, and this was years back before the computer age, I worked for a contractor to a public employer. We had to account for every minute of our 40 hour work week. For example, I would write down that on Monday from 8 till 10:45 I was doing audits then I answered the phone for three hours or whatever. We even had to account for supplies. Wouldn't it be awesome if Smith had to write down every bullshit thing he did every week and it ran in the paper so we could see what we were getting for &140000/year? It is OUR money, after all.
Oops. Sorry 2:21. My bad. I ain't voting for Thurman or Dawn anyway. Both useless.
2:29, love your idea. The commissioners would have to enforce that and it is their job to do so. This is where the voter comes in. Smith works for the commissioners, and the commissioners work for the voters. In the past it was ass backwards in Mooresville. Back before The Mooresville Revolution of the early 2000's, the voters answered to the town board, and the town board answered to the town manager!
The only good system is the system our forefathers set up in the U.S. Constitution of limited government.That means the mayor, commissioner and town employees are accountable to the taxpayers and are limited in what they do. So now we need to get out of the MI mess that Radar, Thunberg, Carey and Herring gave us. $95 million and counting. Next we need a refund of the $15 million in reserves. That is the taxpayer's money not the towns. Finally we need to get all town employees pay and benefits on par with the taxpayer. These employees work for us and not the other way around.
How does MI stay in business? I don't know of of anyone that uses them because they are so damn expensive. Why did this town get in bed with them anyway?
Our former mayor Bill Dumberg got us into the cable deal. He used his stooges Carney, Herring and Rader to push it through along with him. Why? Dumberg had visions of grandeur, and he fancied himself to become the next Joe Knox of Mooresville. Joe Knox was virtually self-appointed every 2 years for over 30 years. Joke around town was that he and his lawyer had the keys to the ballot boxes to insure he won every time. But Bill Dumberg's idea blew up in his face and the rest is history.
See, like I said before, ya'll will find something wrong with all of them. It kinda makes you look like a bunch of conspiracy theorists...Have the UFO's landed yet?
As for town salaries, if Erskine was running a corporation that had a multi million dollar budget, and 300+ employees, he would probably be making those million dollar bonuses like all of the other corporate execs are making. I am sure one of you guys might do his job for half the money, but with the paranoid "everybody is a thief" mentality it might be hard to keep employees.
Erskine Smith is a repeatedly failed, overly recycled bureaucrat with worn out ideas, and he is an embarrassment to boot. Where is the board’s vision? Where are their plans for the future of this town? How do they expect somebody like this to carry out any kind of an innovative plan? Get real.
You can write this down and remember you read it here...that baseball complex is DOA. It aint gonna happen. They haven't even bought the friggin land yet. This is more hype just like the Langtree project. If it does happen it will be scaled down from the original plan. AgainN just like Langtree. Write it down! friends!
3:56 p.m. It used to be that you could call whistleblowers conspirary theorists and everybody would buy it. That's so ten minutes ago. How old are you anyway? Ever heard of the Tea Party? There's a revolution going on in this country and it's leaving people like you behind. Conspiracy theory my butt. If it walks like a thief, and talks like a thief, and smells like a thief, it's probably a goddamn thief. BTW, it's cronies like you that are mostly to blame for keeping a corrupt system going.
It seems to me that the city should not be in business with a cable/internet company. It just doesn't look good and the cost has certainly borne that out. Hell, they can barely manage the water and trash pick-up. There just seems to be one bill of goods after another sold to us and we are just going broke while smith and his cronies are rolling in it. I'm disgusted. This entire county stinks to high heaven but the ground zero of the cesspool is right here.
How many people really turn out to vote in this town? I just wonder how invested people are because this crap seems to go on right under everyone's nose and nobody seems to notice. I just don't get it. It's like this is Apathyville.
Don't let this get away from Jared and what a little deceptive little rat he is.
I would like to answer a few questions that have been raised today on the blog regarding myself.
1) I can guarantee you that I am not related to Thurman Houston.
2)I have a solid reputation at Deb USA and Rubbermaid, as well as the other companies I have worked at, for my responsiveness.
If you would like to ask me a question or relay a concern you have directly to me, please email me at dawnhuston@mi-connection.com
Thank you. I hope you will all vote on Tuesday at the Primary.
This message is for "October 8, 2011 3:56 PM". You clearly understand the magnitude of the position of Town Manager in Mooresville. "Multi million dollar budget" and "300+ employees".
Tell us. Have you ever had any type of serious dealing with Erskine Smith? If you have, you would know immediately how very ludicrous it is that he has been placed in charge of such a budget and staff.
Whoever supported this decision has abdicated their duties and violated their fiduciary duties to the taxpayers of this town.
I've had dealings with Erskine Smith, that is, when he has been available, which has been rare, and he is a slimy bastard and a liar. He bullshits his way through the conversation and makes promises then either drags his feet as long as he possibly can or he doesn't do what he says he's going to do. He's your typical good old boy and it is a damn disgusting dirty shame that he is still the town manager. He should have been out the door with Crone and he wasn't. Why is that, does anyone know?
Erskin is a two dollar whore who would and has sold this town out before for a christmas ham and golf tickets to an open golf tourney. Everybody whose worked for him and with him knows this. He's got zero respect and credibility with 99% of his staff and he's a laughing stock.
Well, I happen to know for an absolute fact that this information about Erskine Smith accepting bribes was brought before the entire board, and they simply dismissed it and decided to keep him. So, I really blame the board more than I blame Smith.
You know, in most work place situations, probably for most employees in town hall even, there are employee reviews given on a yearly basis or even every 6 months. If you get a sub-par review, you get a certain amount of time to shape up or you are gone. How many years has old Bubba Good Old Boy screwed this town over now? Why can't we give him a "F" on a report card and present it to the commissioners and tell them to send him back to manager school where he belongs? They probably don't want him either, just passed him to get him the hell out of there.
Well, well, well…now the truth is spilling out. Why is this not on the front page of every local newspaper? Oh, I forgot. We have car salesmen who rule our media. One commenter reminded me that we got rid of Thunberg, and we got rid of Frank Rader. I guess that leaves Herring, Abraham, and Houston. Don’t worry, I’m not forgetting Smith. But it looks like only the board can fire Smith, so we have to fire whoever’s on that board that won’t fire Smith. Easy. As good as done. Let’s focus people.
And Jared is laughing up his sleeve that this has gotten away from him. Don't forget that he's a crooked little deceiver.
Skip is that you? stand up like a man and talk about your agenda.
At the end of the day, it will not affect me one bit where the candidates went to school and if they fought in a war or not. What will affect me, my children, and my grandchildren is whether I have open, honest, accountable government in my town, state, and country.
I like how people are blowing the whistle on this blog. The more we tell each other what is going on the more power we have to change things. If you know about public misconduct write it here and tell all of us about it. Only then can we then do something.
Who are the commissioners that back Smith? Refresh my memory, please.
HAHAHAHA. The Weasel has a new nickname. 2-bit whore. Great. We've got The Weasel and 2-bit whore running our town. Very impressive.
yes, I want to know who exactly has got Erskine Smith's back on the town board. anybody?
You're right, 6:22. I have already changed my mind on how I'm voting. I sure as hell am not voting for Esselman. I am not voting for Thurman Houston. And I am seriously reconsidering at-large.
We know this much, that it takes a majority vote to hire a town manager. So for a fact we know that the majority of the current board voted for Smith to become town manager. Now we just have to find out who voted for it.
Weasly 2 Bit Whore!!! LOL!!!
Actually, it is not sufficient to simply know which commissioner(s) voted for Erskine Smith to become Town manager. You must also examine their motivation(s) for that decision.
While Erskine Smith was Assistant town manager, the commissioners did not have the legal authority to terminate him. It is very possible that some commissioners promoted him to Town manager in order to then have the legal authority to terminate him.
Well, hell what are they waiting for? He don't answer emails, he don't respond to calls, he's always on the golf course, he's constantly traveling on our dime, and he's one arrogant and rude SOB. Terminate the sloth already.
The more I think about it, the more pissed off I feel about our town manager bringing in 140 grand. That's just ridiculous. Somebody told me he's the 5th highest paid official in this entire region. What are we getting for our money? We're getting a scandal ridden responsibility dodger, that's what.
Ms. Latimer
Sorry that this incident occurred. I have no understanding of why it happened either so I apologize. Typically we do notify residents of items that he Town will not pickup or are inappropriately placed. I will have our Public Works folks investigate. Thanks for your inquiry.
Erskine Smith, ICMA-CM, AICP
Town Manager
Town of Mooresville
PO BOX 878
413 N. Main Street
Mooresville, NC 28115
704-662-3188 (o)
704-663-4616 (f)
704-664-0301 (c)
-----Original Message-----
From: Marian Latimer
Sent: Sunday, August 07, 2011 6:55 PM
To: Smith, Erskine
Subject: trash pick-up
I would like to know why it is ok for the trash department to throw trash
back onto our lawn with no notice or explanation. We put a birdbath out on
the curb over a month ago and it was not picked up. We finally put it in
the trash bin. On Thursday I noticed the truck return to the side yard
after the pick-ups had been made. Later in the day I found that this item
had been thrown in pieces into the side yard. This is not a very adult or
professional way to handle this. If this is not supposed to go in the
trash, why is this not being explained to us? If we threw it in someone's
yard in a sneaky manner, it's littering or vandalism. Neither one of us can
lift the base of the bird feeder. Once again, the town is sneaking around
and not being open with us. It is only a few feet from my car and while my
car is old, it is the only car I have and could have been damaged.
This was not an appropriate way to handle this and I want this resolved
immediately. I consider this part of the ongoing pattern of harassment that
Carol Fitzgerald and I have been subjected to.
Marian Latimer
Mooresville
I went back to the post on Esselman's announcement and copied and pasted this. This is a prime example of Smith's leadership and what goes on behind the scenes. The fact that municipal employees even considered pulling such a stunt says a lot, doesn't it? Then he has to go back and apologize and clean up. Why is this always the case here?
This is really laughable. Erskine Smith "apologizes" and then promises "I will have our Public Works folks investigate." Yeah right! And we were all born yesterday. Talk is cheap, just like Erskine. This investigation will happen when hell freezes over.
What harassment is this lady talking about? I don't know the whole story.
Has the town been harassing citizens?
I agree with another person who wrote a comment above here. For me, this election is not about who was in the FBI, or who fought in Iraq, or who went to Harvard. I only care about one thing. Who is going to replace the fake town manager with a real one?
Jaime, I love your new quote at the top of your blog page.
"Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently... While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Steve Jobs
Count me in as one of your Crazies!!
Jaime, I love your new quote at the top of your blog page.
"Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently... While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Steve Jobs
Count me in as one of your Crazies!!
Please leave me out of this fight. I have not been well and Carol has not been well. I am trying to stay out of the hospital and I am learning that fighting back against harassment only gets you in more trouble unless you have the money to hire someone to fight for you. We've been harassed enough. All I want is my dog back and to be left alone.
This is not a very nice place to live because of the people running the show and if you speak up against them, they make you pay. I have tried to get help to get my dog back and when I was advised to call the town's dsiability commission, I was put through to the cemetery. When I called and asked if this was a mistake, I was told that this is the person who handles risk mananagement. I don't want to explain the frame of mind I was in at that point but that was hurtful. I didn't choose to be disabled and I struggle. That didn't help.
What has been done to me is bad enough, but what has been done to Carol is worse. So please, just leave us out of this. I am tired, I just want to try to survive and if you want to know what Erskine Smith and the town has done to us, I suggest you ask him. I just want to be done with all of them.
I am a Mooresvillian. I took a long nap, but I am awake now. And I do not like what I see. With the same decades old “problem child” (Erskine Smith) running the show, how can anybody expect true change?
8:57, the problem is, and I'm quite sure he and his fat cat pals are counting on this, is that people are too busy just trying to get by to pay attention.
Then when you do fight city hall, you get squashed like a bug. Where the hell else, if I am reading this email correctly, and I went back and read some of that crap, do municipal employees get away with shitting on old ladies? I don't give a damn what they supposedly did. These are people we pay and they are held to a certain standard. Now if Smith is sitting back and encouraging this shit, why aren't we hearing about it and why isn't someone doing something about it? I don't care if it's just one incident or ten. It's bullshit. And it's harassment.
Here is my question, would his boys have done this to Randy Marion or someone living out in one of those McMansions on the lake? Didn't think so. And I'll bet if I rolled up and tossed a bag of crap on his front lawn, I'd be knocked over by a couple of Mooresville's finest before I even got back in my truck. Who the hell do these people think they are?
9:16, this goes back to the post about work reviews or whatever they are. If this had happened at Target or Food Lion or at some private business, how long do you think the perps would be getting away with this without at least getting written up or suspended? I'm guessing someone working at a private trash hauler pulling a stunt like that would get canned. And, 916, if you'd have dumped trash on the weasel's lawn, that's littering, a criminal offense. So in reality, it's not a minor thing. It's a "do not pass go, do not collect $200" thing. These bastards represent the town and therefore represent us. I don't like it. I don't think anyone would like it.
Oops, I lift out the "go directly to jail" part. Wouldn't it be nice to see the weasel there?
I don't know if Smith told the trash dept to do what they did but it sure appears as if there is a culture of disrespect towards certain citizens in this town. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to let this sort of attitude fester. The fact that there are workers that even consider this sort of thing show that there is some sort of infection in the town chain of command. These people have no respect for the regular taxpaying citizen if this is the case. Dammit, we pay their salaries, even if we only pay a few hundred bucks a year in taxes, we still pay. Everyone of us is entitled to the same respect Randy Marion gets. This pisses me off.
Also, it appears that Mr Atkins requested the info that started all of this. So as far as I can see, he was interested in the idea. That has not been brought up until the attachments were posted. Surely this was "accidently" left off of the 2 pager from Skip. Another interesting note was brought up about in an earlier comment, why has this not been in the Tribune, sounds like a cover up to keep things quiet. Interesting, very interesting.
You know, it's not like a lot of stuff goes on around here. Why don't we hear about our taxpayer paid employees committing misdemeanor littering on town time with town trucks? Why isn't this in the Tribune or discussed at commission meetings? Why is it covered up? Or is vandalism as the lady suggests? Felony, misdemeanor? I'm not a lawyer, I just play one on the Gatton Report. I just wonder how many more of these little instances we have going on in town? Maybe you could request those records and post "Garbagegate" Mrs. Gatton.
Who in the hell decided to put Humpty Dumpty in charge of the humongous budget we got in this town? This ain’t Monopoly money. You turn it over to the same guy who backed the library embezzler, the golf course director who “lost” a bunch of inventory, the same guy who turned over a quarter of a mil “commission” to his little friend McKnight from grade school, same guy who tried to save the corrupt police chief’s job? I could go on and on but you’d be sitting there reading until the cows come home.
http://www.wastenotnc.org/swhome/LitterLaw14399.htm
Lady, come forward and we will back you up. Sounds like you have been put through the wringer by these jackasses. Tell us what they did and we will back you up.
This is exactly why we don't need to trade one kind of dictator for another.
And once again the cat lady assumes her multi-personality facade to take over the Blog.
there is always one 14 year old idiot who wants a break from doing homework in his mama's basement and he has to hijack the conversation. Can't get a girlfriend so he has to get his jollies by running his mouth here.
Ignore him. He's just talking to himself.
The rest of us are talking about liars like Smith and Esselman and the crap they are trying to shove down our throats. Go away sonny, this is grown-up talk.
Saw in the Mooresville fishwrap today that "Town wants public input on how it spends your money". I would have almost believed it if it wasn't right next to the ugly mug of Erskine Smith. If you've been around Erskine for a minute you'd know he no sooner wants your input on how he spends your money than he wants a hole in his foot! "wants public input" my arse.
Shit burns? Don't nobody light a match near the weasel or the whole golf course is likely to burn down.
Please ya'll. Don't let this get away from that lying pipsqueak Esselman. That's all we need is a weasel and a pip-squeak who wants to be king spending OUR money. Let's focus people. The primary is Tuesday.
I am going to get my water bill out and answer that survey and write in big red crayon so that he can read it that I want his ass gone. I understand that a decent manager costs some but I'll bet we could get somebody who could do a much better job than he does for $80 grand. Maybe a few bucks more but this sorry boob isn't worth a tenth of what we pay him. How should the town spend our money? Oh let's see. Quit screwing around with it for starters.
We ought to start a write-in campaign. Everyone start sending in postcards addressed to Erskine Smith and you can add your own title after his name. Useful suggestions like Weasel, 2 Bit Whore, Dickweed, and so on, ce to mind. On the back you can write an encouraging message like, "resign, you useless bastard," or "thanks for screwing us, now go away." No signatures needed. Postcards would be awesome as the secretaries and who knows who else would read them before they landed on his excellency's desk waiting his arrival from the golf course. Kind of like sending Redmond a sharpie.
Well, hell, 6:57, you're talking about our illustrious leadership and would be leadership of this damn dump, which they have rendered so. I'd like to say we get what we pay for but in this case we are way overpaying and getting ripped off big time. I can't think of any other way to describe them but you're welcome to try, Mrs Smith. Or is that you, weasel, I mean, Erskine?
And by the way, 6:57, thank you ever so much for educating us dumb southerners on the meaning of "arse," which, of course, is far too sophisticated for the likes of us. Like we don't have the Internet, satellite tv, or literacy here in Podunkville. Geez, how is the view from that high horse of yours? Just how big is that stick up your rectal orifice? Or arse in your language? Bullshit much?
The anger and frustration expressed on this blog toward the current Town Manager Erskine Smith are unfortunate, yet well justified. This is a serious issue, and I fear there is too much history for it to be resolved any way other than to replace Mr. Smith by someone who garners respect and confidence.
As for the contention between Mr. Alexander and Mr. Esselman: It is clear that Esselman engaged in intellectual dishonesty when he claimed he simply shared a term paper with commissioners. His contention that Alexander is a liar appears to be unfounded.
Mr. Alexander, on the other hand, could have presented the facts about Esselman in a manner that was less biased. The choice of words in his two-page document at times revealed a lack of objectivity which in the end could plant seeds of doubt in the reader's mind.
7:58, that's a well-thought out response. At least it's minus the anger of some of the other posts but I take issue with the word "intellectual" because I don't think there is anything intellectual about what Esselman is putting out there. It's a power grab and hardly a term paper. A few pages doesn't pass for a term paper in middle school these days.
What's going on in this town is nothing short of criminal. We're expected to pay for services rendered and these dirtbags have been mishandling our money for how long now? If we don't pay, we get our water turned off, our property sold off at tax sale or whatever it is they do, and if we push back, I'm guessing that we end up with trash tossed on our lawn, tickets for parking funny downtown, or God only knows what else.
You know, it might be time to take a lesson from our unhapy bretheren overseas and have a "Mooresville Spring." Now, I am not advocating riots or violence. I am advocating that we make our voices heard. I personally know of someone who wrote a letter to the editor of the paper and it wasn't published. I think if we start writing commissioners and attending meetings and making our voices heard. I think we ought to call the TV stations and the Charlotte Observer and keep calling and come back here and post when we call so we all know that people are calling. We need to tell them that Mooresville is being run into the ground and somebody needs to come and ask questions. The TV stations send cameras to Charlotte council meetings. If hell started getting raised at commission meetings here, by God, there'd be cameras here real quick and you bet there'd be some accountability and some action taken just as quick.
The problem is as someone said, people are too busy just trying to survive one day to the next in this economy and they are counting on that. How many people are working for this town and how many are pulling crap and geting away with it? They are only as good as the leadership and the leadership is piss poor. If I were a hard working town employee, I'd sure want that dead weight out of here.
It's called a no-confidence vote. He needs to go and go now.
If it walks like a cat, smells like a cat..then it is what it is.
People are frustrated and angry and lashing out, hence the name calling. They are not being listened to and they're tired of it. You can be fairly assured that Smith is reading this blog or some of his lackeys are and reporting to him. (and I just threw up a little in my mouth at the thought of being a lackey to that jackass) The amount of money we keep adding up that is getting pissed away on a daily basis is infuriating and in this day and age when people are living hand to mouth, it's even more infuriating. How many poor families could we support on the amount of money we overpay that clown and we waste on crap in this town?
And I would not be one bit surprised if he was the one making the nasty ass comments about cats. He's about that mature. I haven't been in his office but I heard it's a shrine to a jock wannabe. He's hardly the athletic type. What a lardass. I would not be surprised if it was his idea to toss the trash back on those lady's lawn either. Like I said, he's not too mature and that's why the level of discussion has gotten to the level it has here.
He's dragging this town down to the kindergarten with him. He's worthless and he's making this town worthless. How many empty storefronts do we have now?
How long has this been going on now? Ten years? This situation is not improving. Baseball fields and tourism? My God, we are a laughingstock.
There is enough infighting and backstabbing and what have you to keep any progress from happening at all. Smith is out for Smith, that much is obvious. Essellman seems to be out for Esselman, I get it.
I have been thinking about the people who are getting harassed and how this town lets down those who are less fortunate. I have a cousin who lives in Charlottesville, VA who got juvenille arthritis when she was about 7 or 8 and then got hit by a truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel when she was older so she spends some time in one of those little electric chairs at times. If she called her city and was put through to the cemetery, I think she'd be pretty hurt. I have driven an older neighbor to the store from time to time and I know people like her have difficulties here. The family that runs out of food on Wednesday before payday on Friday should be angry when someone like Smith throws money away and they have to go to a food pantry for peanut butter and macaroni. This is just not right.
Baseball fields are not getting it folks. Erskine Smith is not doing a good job either. We are losing. This town is circling the drain and he's the one who pulled out the plug. I agree with the "no confidence" statement.
You now, most people around here are pretty conservative. So why is our money being spent like this is a liberal kingdom?
So smith wants to know how to spend our money. Like that's ever mattered to him before. Spoken like a man in fear of his job I hope.
At the risk of stating the obvious, I'll chip in ten bucks to buy that pompous gasbag a clue and a one way ticket out oF town. I hear there are some towns in Libya looking for a manager. All the money you can skim off the top you could ever want and year round golf. Those land mine hazards are a bitch though.
So how many of you name-calling malcontents threw your hat into the ring for mayor or at-large commissioner?
Irregardless of Essleman... no need to bash him here as you guys are doing a good job of that anyway. But will Atkins be any better being Randy Marion's Stooge and Puppet.
No Randy Marion's puppet is already in the state house and sitting uP in the sheriff's office. I don't see Miles having a suck-up fest on his FB page with the King Of Price. And of course, look who his daughter is married to. I wanna puke every time I see a commercial of theirs knowing what I know. He's also the king of a lot of messes around here.
And this should not be Randy Marions plantation. Those days are done. We outnumber these clowns. This is our town not their exclusive club. Together 35000 people pay more than Randy Marion.
9:31 he may not be on FB but he sure as hell sold his sole for $4,000.00 how can he not be impartial. I know that he will say that he will recuse him self but he still has at least two others Herring and Carney who will vote his way and God forbid if Abraham gets re elected and we pray that he won't he would still get what ever Randy wants.
He took a campaign donation. That is legal. Now if you go to Redmond's FB page and look at the back and forth between him and Marion, that's a whole nother ball of wax. Randy Marion's daughter is married to Grey Mills and that's a real concern too. I would say 4 grand in Miles Atkins' campaign coffer doesn't necessarily make him a wholly owned subsidiary of Randy Marion yet. I have real concerns about Esselman being a wholly owned subsidary of his greedy ambitions and Massacusetts money.
In the overall scheme of things, the way money is being pissed away in this town, $4000 doesn't buy much. It probably barely paid for Smith's last golf junket to the coast or wherever he goes to meet with his fellow overpaid city managers to discuss how to screw over us mere working stiffs. It's probably only a day's worth of gas in the garbage trucks so they can take and toss garbage around at the houses of the people who make trouble for Smith.
I'm guessing Randy Marion is spreading his money around and hoping it just might buy him something. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I'm hoping Miles Atkins will take a lesson from some of the posts here and show some scruples.
Think about it people. If Atkins wins the Mayors race and either Houston or Abraham win then they will have control of the board it will be the same thing and REMEMBER they all voted to make Erskine the City Manager.
Vote out Houston for Hendrix, Vote in Compton and then vote Dingler in and then vote Esselman in as Mayor and new people run the town and Carney and Useless Herring will be no body, and then maybe they will see who runs the town WE THE PEOPLE. Esselman CANNOT do anything about the town charter unless it is approved by the people and the state senate or house
You think Compton 30 years working for the town is unbiased and new blood?
I sure do!!! Talk to him and see how he was treated and passed over and how he was treated by his superiors in the FD. You would be surprised if he told you what went on there. If you don't believe me this ask some of the retired mooresville firemen. You would be shocked at what they will tell you. Don't forget his wife worked in the office for years and was passed over many times by supervisors just because she would speak her mine.
I will bet that if he wins you will see some resigning or retiring because then he can open it up to what is happening and the manager and the board will do nothing about it.
Compton will not rock any boats, ever.
Erskine was the unanimous selection of the current town board. As I understand it, there was no way for the town board to remove Erskine from his position as assistant town manager. Even when he served as interim town manager, the worst the board could do was fire him from that position which then meant he would revert back to his position as assistant town manager. The only way for the board to have any possible way of getting rid of him was to make him the town manager. They now have direct supervisory authority of him and can, if needed, fire him.
Esselman is a nice enough person, but I'm not sure he is ready to get into office and run the show; although the mayor has very little power and only votes in specific circumstances -- which I believe is to break a tie. His perspective on town government would not become a reality in the ToM as there would be very little public support to do what has been suggested in terms of changing the town charter. I wonder sometimes if he isn't a poster child for Rader, Thunberg, and the good ol' boy regime.
Miles is a nice enough fellow as well, though I don't agree with his rationale for voting in favor of hiring Smith, or his very public support of Mi-Connection. I have no problem with his house being declared historic, as it is a historic home by the definitions set forth by the state and the town's historic preservation group. I'm not comfortable with his wife working for an organization which is partially funded by tax dollars. He has consistently abstained on voting on issues involving the Downtown Commission, so legally and ethically he has done the right thing. Nevertheless, the appearance of impropriety leads me to think that one of them needs to step down.
Dawn Huston serves on the board for Mi-Connection and has been a very vocal advocate for that publically owned company. She seems to have a good track record in the business world, which is probably why she was tapped for the MIC board. I wonder if she will be able to be neutral on the issue of MIC and to view it as an albatross sitting on the necks of the taxpayers. I suspect she's got too much time and energy invested in MIC to admit that getting rid of it is the only solution that makes sense.
Bobby Compton is an "old-timer", but that doesn't mean he's necessarily a "good ol' boy". He certainly has a passion for Mooresville and the entire community. His service to the community through the fire department was impeccable, and he genuinely cares about the welfare of the town. The only strike against him is that he attends the same church as Erskine. I'm not sure how that might impact him if he were to be elected and the board were to consider firing/disciplining Erskine.
Mitch Abraham is just a mess. He voted for the water-sewer system bid based on his a friendship he had with an employee who worked for the winning company. Never mind the fact that the town engineers recommended Black and Veach, who came in well under CM2H. Go read the minutes of the town board meeting when they voted and you'll see him and Alice Lee saying the town needed to hire CM2H because they employed 'so and so' who used to work for the town.
Thurmon Huston is a nice enough person, but I think his time has come to get off the board. He does not stand up to the power structure and appears to be nothing more than a "yes" person.
Regardless of where you stand on the issues, we are fortunate to live in a country where we have the right to vote and to effect change through the voting booth. If we stayed focused on the issues rather than the mud-slinging I think we could get much more accomplished and could have a much greater dialogue about what matters to our community.
I would like to hear more about the cat lady. Meow!
Randy Marion is influence peddling, no doubt about it, but whether or not it's successful is up to those who take his money. I would say that Miles has a little more in the ethical sphere than Jared "flew 300 sorties" Esselman. When did that boy sleep? He is proposing replacing Smith with another Smith and a less experienced Smith and a posse of deputies to boot.
As for Randy Marion, don't forget he is all up in Redmond's backside and Redmond's got a deputy with a trial coming up and once Tommy Adams goes to jail, Redmond and his circle of hangers-on are going to find their brand tarnished. There is enough taint to go around with that crowd. It would appear Miles Atkins is staying aloof from this crapola. Can't say that I blame him.
I am voting for Hendrix. As for at large, I'm leaning towards Dawn Huston because she is the only one that has had the guts to come on here and speak up. I hope, quite sincerely, that the subject of the management of this town comes up at the next forum and I wonder if the mayoral candidates will be putting in an appearance?
I don't think that things are going to change in this town until things are open and transparent and until the paper covers what really goes on. So far, I don't see much in the paper. Keeping the peasants in the dark seems to be the order of the day. Either this town's government is accountable to the taxpayers or we throw the bums out. Simple enough.
2:58 p.m. Salute from one "fly on the wall" to another. You have your facts 100% correct. Thanks for having the courage to share with others. At the end of the day, none of us own these facts. They belong to everybody. Kudos.
Do share what you know about Smith. Some of us would love to hear what this buffoon is like behind closed doors. How in the world does this idiot hold onto power? Does he have pictures of the commissioners in compromising situations with farm animals or what?
You don't have to be a fly on the wall to know that several years ago in a closed session Miles Atkins tried his damnest to get rid of Erskine Smith. He was shouted down by Bill Thunburg Frank Radar Mac Herring Mitch Abraham and Thumond Houston. Since Erskine was the Assistant Town Manager only the Town Manager could fire him. And the Town Manager was told by the ones I named to not fire Erskine so Erskine got to stay.
Another reason why I am voting for Miles Atkins. I am not happy with everything hexhas done but I know that Houston and Abraham are worthless. Worse than worthless because of what they have cost this town. And precisely who decided that Smith was worth being the 5th highest paid official in the area? Who in the world negotiated that? What have we got to show for our money but a bloated old gasbag? He spends more time out of the office than in it.
Things discussed in closed session are supposed to be kept secret. If so how do you know what Atkins said.If he told you he broke the rules. What say you?
You forget there were at least 9 people in that room. And most of them have wives, and the wives have friends, and the friends have friends...
Erskine Smith would make mincemeat out of Jared Esselman. He's already salivating.
Oh please. Things don't stay secret long around here. Smith probably is passing that around himself thinking he will undermine Atkins in his warped sense of logic.
What does it matter anyway? It would seem that you could have live video footage of Smith helping himself to town funds and Crapping on the mayor's desk and he'd still get to come in and put his feet up on his desk at the crack of noon everyday.
These clowns practically flaunt their shitty behavior in our faces and get away with it. When does it stop?
Some of you crack me up talking about the connections between Marion and Redmond, or commissioners and developers, etc. LOL do you have no problem that Miles Atkins' wife holds a job in this town?
4:21 p.m. You, too, have your facts right. The only thing missing is the fact that Commissioner Chris Carney joined Miles Atkins in the effort to force Erskine Smith out.
Hell I thought everybody in town knew that Erskine Smith almost got canned for good a couple years ago. This is old news people. What shocked the crap out of most of us was how he suddenly got propped up as manager.
In that case Atkins and Carney are my friggin' heroes! Down with the asses that stood in their way of ridding us of the Smith Plague.
Sounds like William Washburn is the man for Commissioner at Large, a fresh start for this town is what we need. He sounds like he really wants to make a difference, if you were at the Town Forum you would know, that he seems like he really cares and is passionate about putting people first.
5;40, who keeps saving the plague's bacon? And who decided that the weasel was worth $140K a year? Inquiring minds want to know. What the hell do all those letters after his name mean? Let's all call his cell phone at 4 in the morning and ask him when his tee time is. LOL. What a useless piece of crap this clown is and a damned expensive one at that.
Seriously, anyone who has tried to dump this piece of trash is a hero. Go Miles Atkins!
Just catching up with the Gatton Report. Somebody told me there's some good stuff on here. And I read that Mitch Abraham is out there telling people he's bringing in millions of dollars into the town with the baseball fields. And I'm here to tell you that's all a bunch of bull---t. First of all there are others who worked and sweated for this. Second of all its turning out to be a big pie in the sky. Abraham is a do nothing zero. Always has been and always will be. He needs the little bit of cash he gets from being on the town board to stay afloat. A man like that's ripe for being willing to let somebody grease his palm. Ward 1 needs to give him his walking papers.
October 10, 2011 5:01 PM
Are you counting the town clerk in your headcount? She's got the biggest mouth in town and she takes all the minutes. Even if she's not actually in a closed session she's still responsible for the minutes.
I just see too many elected officials trying to grease their palms we need a fresh start. Compton is a dirty player, from his days with the fire department we knew that, I GREW UP WITH HIM I KNOW FOR A FACT.... Alexander is a stubborn old fool. Houston is only trying to make Mi-Connection work I'm afraid she could be our only hope on fixing that problem but is already too tied into the current board.... WE NEED NEW FACES, Gordner, Rousche, Snyder or even Washburn would probably be the best bet for this towns survival. We've been through alot from when we were a small town where you couldn't keep a secret, now all the elected officials do is whisper and grease their palms....its a SHAME that we can't all be happy and live in a good environment. So thats my opinion US THE TAXPAYERS need to go out and put my OPINION OUT THERE. GO SNYDER, ROUSCHE, WASHBURN OR GORDNER, DO YOUR PART AS COMMISSIONER AT LARGE TO MAKE THIS TOWN BETTER!!!
Many of you people must not have the brains of a flea! LOL
You've contradicted yourselves in most of these posts.
You say you want rid of Smith, and then you condemn the guy who you say wants to eliminate his job.
You criticize cronyism and money connections, and support Atkins, who has his wife a nice job under the town umbrella.
Now here's a two parter, so try to focus poeple.. try to think about this for just a minute.
#1 Getting elected mayor has absolutely NO ABILITY to change town government structure. So what's all the excitement?
#2 Last time I checked, "kings" are not elected. So, if Esselman truly hopes the citizens and commissioners of Mooresville change the structure, then he's willing to put his performance truly on the line. Better do a good job, or get voted out. Simple.
Reasonable people would conclude that anyone in that position, IF it ever came to be, would be highly motivated to make the voters happy, or lose their job.
Can you at least ponder that for a minute before posting knee jerked out of joint comments?
okay, we get it. You're saying that IF we don't support your candidate (Jared Esselman), THEN we have the brains of a flea. Did I get that right, teacher?
That's the way I read that too. Doesn't exactly make me want to break my neck running over to vote for Esselman. Sorry. Try another tactic.
Gee, Carole, are you Jared's auntie or gramma or Sunday school teacher or some other apologist? Can't he come out and fight like a man for his own campaign platform?
You say he won't be king and we can vote him out in 2 years. Yeah, well, big whoop-dee-doo. We're still stuck with him from the get-go aren't we? Ask the people up in Ohio who bought a bill of goods and then found out they were sadly mistaken and conned and stuck with a sorry case of buyer's remorse after the fact.
He can do a lot of damage in 2 years, can't he? We've had Mrs. Royer last week and now we have you, Carole. Jared sure is a big man, now isn't he, with all the women doing his talking for him.
Oh, my, Carole, that's the way to win votes for your boy. Tell us we have the brains of fleas. You're so smart and we're so stupid so clearly we need Jared to lead us through our ignorance. Yup, we'll be at the polls bright and early in November to vote for MILES ATKINS because we're all too stupid to read such a big word as Esselman.
Way to win votes, woman.
Did you copy and paste that post from one of Jared's Harvard papers, Carole? Or did one of his Massachusetts fleas dictate it to you?
to 7:15.. Nope, didn't say that. You should vote for who you think you should. You're just not using any thought to do so.
to 7:25.. It's not a tactic. It's logic. And you don't have any it seems, if that's what you read.
to 8:54.. You're no man, or much else. I have to address you as a time for pete's sake. EVERY candidate has already been more man than you because they're willing to say who they are when they give an opinion, whether it's a good one or not.
I asked some real simple questions that none of you attempted to answer.
This isn't a blog. It's your secret closet to blow your sadly ill-informed thoughts onto.
LMAO.
Oh, missed a couple.
to 9:08.. Yes, you clearly have indicated you can't read even little words. You didn't answer any question either.
and 9:11.. You don't deserve a respones. I'll just say your post creates an image in my mind of some kid who got asked to come out and play, and mommy said no. Awww.
I believe it's been pointed out that there are some inherent problems with Miles's wife working for the Downtown Commission. But as I noted previously, he has behaved ethically and legally by abstaining from voting on issues related to that commission. That's all I expect of elected officials -- ethical behavior and honest.
Carney's relationship with developers is a matter of fact which has been discussed on multiple occassions, as was his position on the "Bridge to Nowhere".
The same applies to Mitch Abraham and his role in getting CH2M voted in as the contractor for the water/sewer treatment facility. Those are just cold, hard facts -- not rumor or one person's thoughts.
I'm not sure how you define what a reasonable person is. Regardless, I don't think you can speak for all "reasonable" people. You make the assumption that elected officials really care what the people think. I, personally, don't hold that same viewpoint. I think elected officials, unless held accountable, will do whatever they can get away with. Cynical? Yes, but based on years of watching it happen at all levels of government.
Nothing I shared is considered "confidential". All that information is available to the public, so go and investigate it for yourself.
Regardless, the town is at an important juncture, particuarly with regard to the at-large seat. I hope people will vote based on facts rather than friendships, rumors, or incorrect information. The community needs change, and it starts tomorrow with the primary elections.
Happy voting!
to 9:30..
I sincerely appreciate your post. I had doubted anyone would get out of the playground sandbox to have real opinion.
I am aware of the issues you mention.
I can understand your view and you deserve yours just as I do. Even if he's acted ethically, best we can tell, I believe his character should have led him to know that situation was a bad move. They (he and his wife) didn't have to put themselves in that position.
I never told anyone who to vote for. Wasn't trying to win votes, as one said. Wasn't trying to fight battles, as another said. I asked a couple questions to try to get some people to see they appeared to have been for and against the same things in their posts.
Mostly what I got was childspeak. Thanks again for a reply with real thought.
Umm, Jared, I mean Carole, you know what they say about when you ASSume, you make an ASS out of yourself? I'm 8:54 and I never said I was a man. I said Jared wasn't much of a man sending out others to defend him and explain for him. I'm all woman, W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it t again, I'm a woman! LOL. You're an idiot. What's more your boy is a fool and you're making him an even bigger fool. The John F Kennedy School at Harvard must be shaking its head in shame and humiliation at the conduct of one of its alumni. Shame on him for sullying the name of our martyred president. He is an embarassent to himself and to Harvard. And you are NOT helping his campaign. Grow up, woman. We are, for the most part, reasonable, decent, intelligent people with common sense who are sick of the waste and corruption in this town. And we don't see a little pompous punk with a bunch of overblown credentials and delusions of gradeur as a way out of that little mess. Your little darling got caught in a lie and a temper tantrum. Ooh, let's give him the keys to the kingdom, shall we? Don't think so.
Don't call me Jarod. I gave you my name you jackass.
Everything you just said is delusional. I wasn't sent by anyone, certainly not Jarod.
You still fail to answer any questions and are incapable of speaking to any points in my questions, so you'll just try to sling the biggest mudball. You obviously can't speak to any of the points in my questions.
Go ahead. Waste cyberspace. It's free. The cheapest toys entertain little kiddies. :)
Carole, I would offer this opinion - if Mr. Esselman has his way and the Town Charter is changed then the Mayor would be the Mayor FULL TIME for 2 years - right? Let's play that scenario out for a minute. That means that only somebody without a job or somebody willing to quit their job for just 2 years would be willing to run for Mayor. I think Mr. Esselman's plan is very flawed in that regard. The person who has a job but would quit to be Mayor for 2 years would probably have a hard time getting back into the private sector after 2 years as Mayor if we vote him out after 2 years. OR, he would just keep running for Mayor to keep a full time job because finding a job is hard these days in this economy in case that's a surprise for anybody here. I don't want Mooresville to attract unemployed people or career politicians as Mayor. That is why I will not vote for Mr. Esselman. Thank you.
Carole keeps referring to her questions. These are the only two questions I saw Carole ask.
"Getting elected mayor has absolutely NO ABILITY to change town government structure. So what's all the excitement?"
"Can you at least ponder that for a minute before posting knee jerked out of joint comments?"
Are there any more questions from Carole that I am missing?
Jared Esseleman does not understand local government structure to begin with since he thinks government can be changed by a Board vote or a Referendum. He does not understand government. Where did he graduate from again? What was his degree in again?
This is why I won't vote for him.
But you already knew this didn't you, Carole?
That is very reasonable. I have reservation about the idea that he proposes.
However, I have confidence that our board and town would not let that happen unless the majority of voters felt it was best.
You make a great point about the 2 year employment deal. I wonder what other cities who have that type of setup have seen in the way of "come and go" mayors.
I can see good and bad to both structure types. If the person making city manager decisions was subject to being voted out, how would that job be done differently? Lots of answers for that. I think in some ways, performance would be better. OTOH, some decisions might be made out of fear, based on the most publicly perceived opinion, that may not be the best decision.
Let's be truthful. The great majority of townspeople don't know diddly about how town government works, and their perceptions can get pretty one sided without having all the facts.
It's a lot to think about. I just propose people be open to at least learning what some of the differences might be, rather than jump to crucifying just because something sounds new and weird.
Well, I hope 10:36 knows I was responding directly to their post.
Should have known Queen Victoria might type in there real quick while I was actually exercising thought.
Oh yeah, the weather is great right now! Perfect.
Thank you Carole. I am glad that we could find some common ground. I agree with the other person who said Mr. Esselman does not know enough about Local Government since he wrote the letter to our Board to ask that they change the Town Charter. I just think he needs some time to figure some things out before he runs for the Highest Elected Seat in this Town. I hope you understand.
I'm with Queen Victoria. Lady, you don't have a clue and now you're back-peddling. You come on here and insult anyone who doesn't agree with you and oh, now you have reservations? And you're all bent out of shape when people insult you back? Here's your sign, lady. Get over yourself. Hope Jared's friends in Boston have a job lined up for him after the election. The rest of us know how to work for a living. We're not waiting for a bunch of flea-brained voters to hand it to us.
11:08 - show me where any of you didn't insult someone who disagreed with you.
And I'm not backpeddling. You made assumptions from my post based on the fact that I didn't jump on the bash wagon with you.
I never said vote for any particular person. Nor did I say I was all for changing our town government structure. I only asked why so many of you seemed to desperately want rid of our current manager, and at the same time, condemn the guy who seemed to be proposing just that.
Me, bent out of shape? Most of y'all are so bent out of shape, you didn't read my post. You only saw someone who wasn't throwing rocks with you.
Look lady, for the hundreth time, we don't want to trade one Smith for another. Why should we replace a gasbag with some inexperienced wet behind the ears wannabe? And unless the commissioners adopt his plan, they're still the only ones who can fire Smith, so just go away and let the smart people handle this, clearly Junior's Harvard education hasn't rubbed off on you.
I am concerned for this towns well being, when we have people on here arguing like idiots, it reminds me why America is politically ignorant. You guys arguing may mean well, but this doesn't solve anything, what does solve this, is voting for who you think is right. Esselman or Atkins, the 7 candidates for Commissioner at Large, what matters is getting this town clean and not CORRUPT. It is the small town version of Gotham City full of filth and scum. WE NEED to find our BATMAN, to save us from this mess. I think Thurman Houston is a talking puppet, Abraham is far from impartial and Atkins is okay but being a part of the board who have made questionable decisions makes me personally think no, Esselman has issues but he is fresh start think of it that way, he can't change the government structure without help from the actual town via a referendum so don't worry about that. So if Esselman is the mayor then who will be the new Commissioner at Large, Dawn Huston rants on and on about nothing but her experience at fortune 500 companies, yes that makes her qualified but her close connections with the board that voted in MI-Connection is an obvious NO. Skip Alexander, an intriguing candidate, however his babbling about Esselman's plan shows immaturity for an old fart like him, he and Atkins are in this together if they both won they would help control the board and that's the LAST THING WE WANT. David Roushe I know he was on the Rowan County ABC board, he has board experience, but at the same time he just seems too fancy, and too conservative, I agree with Fiscally Conservative politics, but he seems as if he wouldn't spend anything whatsoever. Raymond Gordner seems like an asshole to me, and during the political forum at the Charles Mack Citizen Center he was very arrogant and I seen him laughing at some of the candidates during their turn to talk, NO THANK YOU. James Snyder, you know what he seems like a smart kid and he means well, and is very passionate about fixing this towns main problem, Mi-Connection, and he did offer to do the job for free so I have no issue with him. William Washburn, a newcomer in politics, I've read he's lived in this town for something like 15 years, I've met him personally once during this political season. He seems to me like a nice older gentleman, wanting to help focus on taking care of parts of the town like parks that haven't been worked on in forever, IT'S ABOUT SOMETIME SOMEONE STANDS UP FOR WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, and wants to help make parks more disabled friendly and easier to be accessed by emergency vehicles, about time someone focuses on something else for once A NEW ISSUE NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED! Finally we have Bobby Compton, longtime resident of Mooresville and to a lot of people in this town "The Best Guy for the Job" REALLY? I've known him a long time, as have most people in this town that have lived here most of their lives, he was a Fire Marshal that conducted some shady inspections to be sure, back in those days however it wasn't all that uncommon still that doesn't MAKE IT RIGHT, his CHARACTER is easy to question as his personal relationships have had issues INTEGRITY WISE, I wont go in too deep, no bias here but political wise he seems similar to Atkins to me, as if HE LITERALLY WOULD BE TAKING ATKINS PLACE ON THE BOARD. SO this is what i make of Election 2011, you decide for yourself what you think, I'm just a concerned citizen who is worried about our fair towns future!
11:47, what the hell are you trying to say? Do you have a point in there somewhere?
11:47 I’m not buying into the argument that Miles Atkins is “guilty by association” because of whatever Skip Alexander has done or said. I judge each man’s merit according to their own words and actions not the words and actions of another. So far, Miles Atkins’ words and actions have convinced me that he is a man of character and integrity, and I will be casting my vote for him come November.
Bingo, 12:11. That is precisely the point. Miles has not gotten down in the dirt or slung mud. He has stayed aloof from the antics of Jared and Skip. In short, he's been a professional. He has not sent a bunch of apologists to fight his battles for him either.
We need someone in the mayor's office who has some ethical standards and who is going to finally look out for the real people who make up the town, not the money grabbers who want to take us for all we are worth and to hell with everything but their own personal agenda.
We don't need a bunch of fancy pipe dream schemes that supposedly are going to bring in tourists. This is Mooresville, not the Magic Kingdom. We need a town we can live, work, and recreate in with some decent quality of life. No corruption needed. I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?
You know, I really like Miles Atkins as a person, I think he's a great man, I'm just concerned that he having been apart of a terrible combination of board members makes me wonder, well if he made decisions like that he can again. As mayor you only vote in ties so you have really no physical power however you can be influential if you are a true leader. I say that if he can truly be as great a mayor as he is a person we would have nothing to worry about. I'm just concerned as I said in my last post that if he is involved with Skip which I think is a great possibility I don't want him to be drug into it and act like Skip. I LIKE ATKINS and I DONT like SKIP, skip reminds me of the old guard republicans that are real conservative and don't change their minds for anything because their so stubborn and believe their way is the right way, even if it does harm to most of the population and only helps the rest, for instance 1% of our population in America is the super wealthy, 1% equals like 60-70% of the total wealth in America due to policies implemented by Republicans like that, I believe in Trickle Down Theory but their is a point where you have keep it regulated. So yeah, if Atkins truly has no connections to Skip I would have no problem voting for him this morning at 6:30 am because I'm not sure who to vote for yet...I just don't want the same shit that's been going on in this town for years now to continue, eventually you will run out of room at the landfill for your shit....
Oh don't worry concerned citizen. Apparently when they run out of room for shit Smith has his boys toss the trash on whoever's lawn that displeases him. So I'm just sitting here waiting to go vote. I'm going to make my opinions known and then I'm coming back bright and early in November. Then I'm going to kick some shit on Smith's lawn when I see him rolling on out of town.
The level of maturity on here makes it hard to take any of you concerns seriously with the name-calling and the mostly vague claims of corruption. Someone said that the board members "grease" their palms? Got proof? And I will ask again since none of you bothered to answer before...How many of you threw your hat into the ring to run for mayor or at-large commissioner?
Has that baseball park broken ground yet?
Abraham is greasing his stomach off of it. Free meals at meetings about the park and several trips to NY off of your tax dollars. Free vacations and food.
Only reason on the board is for insurance.
They get insurance? Wow. How sweet is that? I now have to pay the big bucks for my prescriptions and office calls because my insurance was cut to the bone and I work more than 40 hours. And we pay for it. Nice.
As for level of maturity, what do you call the trash guys who threw trash back on somebody's place? Seems to me we got some real immature people working for the town and it starts with Smith. Read his email.
Going out to vote on my lunch hour. After this I hope Jaime will give some coverage to the Ryland development here in Mooeresville included in the EPA fine we saw on WSOC last night. Seems it's the very sub the cat lady has been complaining about. Just more pollution in our local water for the almighty dollar.
Yes, it's primary day and I figure maybe 5% will turn out. This is why we get stuck with the likes of Redmond and company throughout the county. This is why corruption and the good ole boys thrive. They feed off of voter non/participation.
So who is everyone considering for commissioner at large, since it is primary day?
They get free health Ins, Eye Ins, Dental ins and they also can purchase it for their spouse at the group rate.
They also get mileage for using their own cars. What a life. Wish I had that and just think Erskine gets all of this and a car and about $140 grand a year.
Polls opened at 6:30, I went at 7. I thought I was in the wrong place, totally dead. I was the 2nd voter, when I left at ~7:15, still no one else to be seen. 5% turnout may be wishful thinking.
I went and placed my vote at the Fieldstone church, where the Christian Acadamy is and boy their was a few people out there greeting, Bobby Compton was there, and a rep for Alexander was there and a young kid was there representing William Washburn his son I think he said, I spoke to them briefly, planned and voting Compton but thought about it and voted Washburn, I was impressed, I was voter #71 at Fieldstone Church.
Can anyone give us an up to date report on the cat lady? Thanks.
I went out and voted at about 1. I went to the War Memorial. This is where we usually vote. I was the only one there and they could not find me. Seems we now have to go vote at Sheperds Fire Dept. So after picking up my groceries since this is closer to my house, I voted at 2;30 and was still in the 50's in numbers. Pathetic.
The electorate in Mooresville does not care. They exhibit total apathy.The fact of the matter is that the individuals who post here, notwithstanding their firm convictions, unfortunately do not represent the mood of the general public. It will most likely require a major kick in the pocketbook or a substantial scandal to generate sufficient interest for voters to " throw the bums out."
The primary elections consistently have low turnout. This is often to the lack of hype and rhetoric which is common for the "real" election. I wouldn't necessarily equate low voter turnout with apathy as much as I would with pure laziness. I think most people really do care, but don't take the time to become well informed on the candidates and what they represent. With the at-large field as large as it is, it can be fairly confusing.
4:00, this county-wide apathy is why we have that slimy sheriff a d it's why we have a group of commissioners who have stuck us with Smith. It's why we have Mayor Montgomery and need I go on?
It is correct that it's going to take a scandal or a hit in the pocket but wait, haven't we already had those?
I'm just sick of the same old same old year in and year out. I just hope that the right folks got their supporters out to the polls. It's just a damn shame that maybe a few hundred, if that, are deciding who we are going to be voting for next month.
2:10, do you care or do you just want to kick those women around? Don't forget, one of them has cancer. Or is that just another sport for you?
Bobby Compton by a landslide with Skip Alexander in 2nd place. Ah, that will be a good race.
2:10, the cat lady is not doing well. Her lawyer thought her had a deal worked out, given the health of both women, that she would plead no contest, and at least get her service dog back. That has to go to appeal now. Of course, the puppy miller in Caldwell County gets to have pets but a woman with one healthy dog can't have it back until it goes though the courts and the puppy miller was found guilty.
Neither of these women are well. Not that this matters to the HOA. Apparently the HOA has been assessing a fine for one thing but then decided to say it was for something else. Because the "cat lady" as you like to call her has had plenty to say on Face Book about the pond here the HOA, which has told us tht they do not have to have elections BTW, has decided that she has to go. Either she goes or they will enforce the fines. If Miss Carol's friend goes, no fines.
In other words, the HOA can say who lives with someone and if they don't like what someone has to say on FB, it's just FU. Now, you got a 70 year old woman with cancer who has a car with no heat and who will have to be living on half the income she had to live on before, but what the hell, as long as the HOA board is happy, who cares?
Oh, yeah, did y'all see that report on WSOC last night on the EPA suing Ryland Homes and getting fines for water pollution and how there are several developments in this very area that they screwed over? Well, guess what? One of them is our very own Winborne Subdivision. That's right. Turns out that pond she was bitching about was crap to begin with and probably made worse by the powers that be neglecting it. And a whole lot of us said that it stunk and noticed the mosquitoes.
And me, well, I'm just wondering what this does to our property values.
Oh, and on the subject of fines, a lot of people in this subdivision have noticed that the president has had a lamp down with the wires exposed out on the sidewalk in front of her house since the first part of September. Surely that's some sort of violation...
Maybe they ought to make somebody move out of her house.
Well the results are in and as you can see we will have the good old boys going in the wrestling match. I hope that the right guy will actually do what the public wants. Bobby the big spender and Skip a do nothing. What we have is two people that will become a 'yes' man. We better start now to put more of your money aside to pay more to live here.
How do you define "landslide" 8:27 PM?
I just hope the bad old days are on the way out. Starting with Erskine Smith.
Winborne Neighbor, if even half of that is true, it sounds like it's illegal, discrimination, or who knows what? Nice to know a HOA can kick around a couple of sick women. This town sucks. I hope the Yankee goes back to where she might be treated better.
Excuse me, am I reading this correctly? Somebody has their panties in a wad so someone gets evicted and a couple of women who didn't have a pot to piss in to start with mow is just a one woman with cancer on her own driving herself in a car with no heat in it? What law got broken here and who is going to make up for the financial slack here or does the other lady get the lights cut for Thankksgiving? WTF? Why are we bothering with elections? Wasn't that other woman in the hospital for stress? I'm sure that's just another word for nervous breakdown or whatever they call it these days. And crack dealers run loose. Yeah. This seems all good to me.
I didn't know that Sybil had cats.
7:27 nobody asked you. A woman has been suicidal. Why don't you take your meanness to the sanbox where it belongs? I'm sure some 5 year old could kick your sorry butt.
Jaime can you look into the water story please? This might be getting into all of the town water.
I would like to know how a HOA can say who gets to live with someone. What's next? If you're an atheist, you're out or if you're Jewish? What about a same sex couple? Or unmarried? If you ask too many questions you get fined or they don't like your curtains? I don't know about this. Who is going to pick up the extra costs of keeping these people in their homes and get them to the store and their doctors when the HOA throw their friend's out? All because they don't like them? Wow. What kind of deal is that?
Are there other Ryland developments in Mooresville or in the county?
Winborne neighbor are you saying a dying woman must have her friend and caregiver move out? That sounds a little harsh.
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