Cabarrus Cheap Seats

When we last left our two participants at the Odell Lobbying seminar being taught by “Fella From Odell” the instructor from was suggesting that being rude should help when offering bribes doesn’t.

Part 3: “File a phony ethics complaint”

Participant #1: You did what?

Fella From Odell: We’d all but lost. So, we figured we’d file a phony ethics complaint. It’s kinda like throwing the gun when you’ve run out of bullets.
Participant #2: I can’t help but note the irony of a group who would offer a bribe to an elected official filing an ethics complaint against anyone.

Fella From Odell: Well, we had help from the John Locke Foundation.
Participant #1: OK, why would a bunch of God-fearing folk in Cabarrus County need help from a slick, well-financed Raleigh think-tank?

Fella From Odell: C’mon - we need all the help we can get. We called Kannapolis an “undesirable address” before we needed their vote.

Participant #2: Well, what’s the think-tank’s interest?

Fella From Odell: Funny Story. The month before this complaint was filed, they had on the cover of their monthly paper a picture of Coy Privette - who provided most of the text for the cover article critical of the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) TIF. The article written by Paul Chesser. It wasn’t too long before Mr. Chesser, and his boss, received e-mails pointing out that Coy Privette was a strong supporter of the NCRC during the 2006 Cabarrus County Republican Primary. Information that could have been found from reading local blogs and/or searching Google. Also, at the same time that Privette was their standard-bearer-of-the-month, he was arrested on six counts of aiding and abetting prostitution. They had a little problem that their paper had the same guy on the cover as the other papers - but for different reasons.

Participant #1: What does that have to do with the ethics of a state Senator?

Fella From Odell: Well, Privette had already made an attempt at maligning the character of Senator Fletcher Hartsell for his firm’s performance; but that didn’t work out too well.

Participant #2: So, this Chesser guy had to save face and went after a favorite target?

Fella From Odell: Yeah, they picked our issue! Can you believe the luck? We’re really excited!

Participant #1: OK, so what did this guy do.

Fella From Odell: Well, read Chesser’s article. Hartsell supported a forced-annexation bill with Linda Johnson and Jeff Barnhart that would extend the area that Kannapolis could gobble our area. The evil Keith Wayne wanted to develop his property in a way different from our very narrow view of the way development should happen. To top it all off, Hartsell was Keith Wayne’s lawyer.

Participant #2: Did Hartsell vote for the bill?

Fella From Odell: No.

Participant #1: Did he vote against it?

Fella From Odell: No.

Participant #2: Well, what did he do.

Fella From Odell: He asked to be recused from the vote to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Participant #1: Did he do this because of the pressure your group put on him?

Fella From Odell: Not exactly.

Participant #2: From the John Locke Foundation?

Fella From Odell: Well, um, no.

Participant #1: He was following an edict from the Ethics Committee?

Fella From Odell: Um, they were not opposed to him voting on it.

Participant #2: So, he went to the Ethics Committee - on his own - and they checked it out; but he asked to be recused from the vote anyway?

Fella From Odell: That’s right.

Participant #1: And you’re submitting your complaint to the same group that checked it out already?

Fella From Odell: You make it sound so silly. Look, Fletcher Hartsell was the lawyer of the nefarious Keith Wayne.

Participant #2: Oh, Keith Wayne was being actively represented by Fletcher Hartsell on this matter?

Fella From Odell: Well, um, “active” is a bit of a stretch. You see, a little more than a year ago, he represented Keith Wayne in a zoning matter before the Board of Commissioners.
Participant #1: Let me guess, Fletcher Hartsell used his influence to sway the Board to serve Wayne’s interest. 
Fella From Odell: They voted in favor of our side.  Keith Wayne lost.

Participant #2: OK. You filed an ethics complaint on the basis of conflict of interest against a Senator that didn’t vote on a bill because it might cause the appearance of a conflict of interest. You’re putting in the complaint with the same Ethics committee that already cleared it because the bill was an annexation issue and not a zoning issue AND Wayne was no longer Hartsell’s client.

Fella From Odell: Well, when you put it that way…

Participant #1: Well, you’re doing what you can. I mean, this Wayne guy is trying to work a forced annexation of your entire area.

Fella From Odell: Um, yeah, well, um, he asked for the annexation.

Participant #2: He asked for the annexation. I heard once that a number of land owners in the Odell area were asking to be in the Kannapolis City limits.

Fella From Odell: Well, they don’t want to follow our rules. We’re trying to preserve the rural feel from the area.

Participant #1: Is it all zoned agricultural?

Fella From Odell: No, we want a one-house-per-acre limit for residential development.

Participant #2: Sounds like a city-slicker’s version of “rural” to me. How did you get a conservative think tank that preaches for property rights and against onerous zoning to help you in your efforts to severely limit a landowner’s effort to develop his own land?

Fella From Odell: Well, if you would have seen the pictures from the cell phone pictures of Coy Privette following his conviction - you can understand why they’re looking for a new standard-bearer in Cabarrus County.

Participant #1: Again, you all got used by someone else for their own gain without making any progress towards your own goals?

Fella From Odell: That’s one way of looking at it; but we are satisfied.

Participant #2: Well, I’m not…with this class. Where can we ask for a refund?

Participant #1: I’m with you, bro.

Note: This is a work of satire. While there was no class; but the support materials in this article are all true.