Cabarrus Cheap Seats

Last week, Commissioner Coy C. Privette that he would resign after making real estate arrangements and hand-picking his successor. He stated this decision had nothing to do with his recent conviction for six counts of aiding and abetting prostitution; but rather a decision based on his and his wife’s shared desire to live in a retirement community in Thomasville.

Really, that’s what he said…I couldn’t make this stuff up. Why would he think that he could push forward such a deal?

I have a two theories.

For starters, Coy Privette never had any respect for the Party organization. When I was elected to the Executive Board, Coy Privette sent me an e-mail advising me that I was to support Republicans. Here’s what he said

As a member of the Executive Board, you don’t pick and choose which elected Republicans that you will support. You are to support the elected Republicans.

We have some Republicans who have refused to be nominated to the board in the past because they felt that they could not support all Republicans. You have to commend them for their honesty

I’d written a lengthy reply to his underhanded threat, here’s a taste:

I took the time to read the County and State Plan of Organizations. My duties - as an Executive Board member consist of participating in the following:

- Cooperating with the District and State Committees in all elections and Party activities;
- Endorsing qualified candidates for all elections within the County;
- Adopting a budget;
- Recommending nominees to the State Chairman for appointments for County Board of Election;

I didn’t see “supporting all Republican elected officials” there and I certainly don’t see “agreeing with all of their harebrained public fabrications” either…But, let’s be clear on this one point: as long as you and your network of sycophants continue to spread half-truths and fabrications around this community - I will be just as, if not increasingly, as vigilant in exposing those lies. If you and/or your friends want to construe what I do as party disloyalty…well, allow me to quote the President - “Bring it on”

Many of you know that during a debate over his vote against the North Carolina Research Campus TIF bond, Coy C. Privette took out a 3/4 page ad in the Kannapolis Citizen to counter what I had said in response to an Op-Ed of his where he propogiated his fiction.

I can’t help but believe that his ad had less to do with the content of my letter to the editor, but rather my insolence in refusing to be servile to his wishes.

And that brings me to my second point, Coy Privette had no respect for Cabarrus County Republican Chairman Chris McCartan.

Last Monday, - I’d thought that it might have been part of some deal. I knew that Chris had kept lines of communication open with Coy. That’s why I posted my Thanks Coy message. I was out-of-town and out-of-touch and wanted to be clear that I would support whatever it took to get this apparent deal moving forward.

I acted on bad data.  There was no deal - it was a stunt by Coy. By making this move, Coy tried to look like a reasonable guy: “put a person in that I like and I’ll quit”. He was trying to play the press and elements that were still loyal to him against Chris and the majority of the board. Coy started making demands like the Executive Board should meet in public to appoint his hand-picked nominee.

Coy’s plan back-fired. Chris McCartan and the local party refused to meet Privette’s demands. North Carolina Law doesn’t allow for selecting a successor until there is a vacancy. Chairman McCartan released a statement closing the door to Coy Privette’s line of negotiations - leaving Coy with this public statement of his intent to resign.

If Coy would have resigned immediately following his conviction, he could have left without too much press attention. Even though he chose not to do that, there was still an avenue of discreetly and respectfully dealing with the Chair of the Executive Board; but Coy Privette preferred to stage a political stunt and limit his options again.

Now we’ll have to wait and see if he’ll make good on his promise to actually resign.