Don’t VOTE for Jim A. Richardson

For Mayor of Morganton

Diamond Jim is trying to buy Morganton!

You see his signs everywhere – they are not free.

Heard his latest platform statements?

· I will REBUILD working relationships with all Burke County municipalities, commissions and boards. I will work to end duplicated services that waste tax dollars (separate elections, separate tax billing).

· I will FOCUS on economic development. Drawing from my experience and success at WPCC, I will develop partnerships with local and regional governments, state educational systems and the NC Dept. of Commerce to bring better paying jobs to Morganton.

This man does not see the progress we have made as a city with economic development, why will he micro manage it and destroy it? His success at WPCC is more self-declared than documented. I have a document that states his abilities to Lead are questionable, it is on my main page, look at it for yourself and see what I say is true. Richardson had experience from WPCC on how not to satisfy the local demands for workers, he has failed in everything but talk, he is full of that. Partnerships with others, most others can’t stand to be around him but he does have his handful of chickens that cluck when he crows.

· I will CUT TAXES. I will conduct thorough audits of city contracts and carefully review where your tax dollars are being spent. The city budget is ripe with overindulgence and special interests.

Sure does sound like a Republican promise that is always made, is this an indication of his real party partnerships? He says the budget is ripe with overindulgence and special interests like maybe COMMA? Is all the sociable entertainment that has always cost the city more money than it has ever brought in, is this what you want to eliminate? Is the social elite who enjoy the shows at COMMA now have to go to Asheville or Charlotte to find choice and unique entertainment, a variety of worldly individual gifts? Maybe it is our law enforcement that is ripe with overindulgence? Richardson’s method of cleaning up special interests is to terminate them in the mysterious way he made all the folks at WPCC disappear when they made complaints. Were they sick or did they have something else to do, or maybe someplace else to go to?

· I will ERASE patterns of control. Your current mayor is president of the Historic Morganton Festival, Inc., a non-profit. This non-profit keeps it books at the mayor’s personal address and his personal phone number is the contact number. This non-profit is run by city employees and manned by city workers but is not accountable to city government for its profit.

Maybe this man uses the term ERASE to fire people from their long term positions because one of his friends may not like them. Have you volunteered one hour of your time to help Morganton during the Historic Festival during the past 26 years? NO, you didn’t care about the town. What do you want to do, get a cut of the profits for yourself and your rich friends who are supporting your expensive campaign?

· I will ELIMINATE closed-door government. I will insist on planning and zoning that encourages community involvement. I will go far beyond the required notices by providing open and transparent leadership that actively seeks your input.

Funny how your try to be so powerful and say you will ELIMINATE closed-door government when you have no control over it, nor can you make the changes yourself. Planning and zoning have not experienced much of a problem until you and your team of real estate owners, that is Mr. C.M. Fulenwider and his vast holdings with the Hunting Creek arm. JIMBOs political advisors do not know this town, he is going to make a total ass of himself when this is all done and those who associated with him will experience the wrath of their deceit and attempt to take over.

· I will CREATE a real teen center to give our youth a safe, professionally supervised complex with cutting-edge technology, recreation, sports and learning centers. This center will meet the interests of today’s teens because it will be developed with them, not in spite of them.

This man does not seem to understand, I don’t want my dollars spent on kids who will tear things up and disrespect the property around them. What you want to do is spend a fortune, set up a good friend with a long term contract to do what, run the rec center as a new city teen center? Who is doing anything in spite of the teenagers? You are totally out of the ballpark understanding the concerns of the local teens. This shows you are not very smart to throw away city tax dollars on such a small group, why not spend money on the seniors, they need it more.

Who is Jim A. Richardson?

“After 25 years as president of Western Piedmont Community College, I know how to help people achieve their goals and will lead Morganton’s city government with open communications, purpose and determination. I have enjoyed success as an administrator, teacher, professional fun-raiser, consultant, basketball coach, rancher and even a mule-trader – working across the state and nation with people from all walks of life,” Jim said.

Jim is currently serving on the boards of Morganton Day School, First Citizen’s Bank, Committee of 100, Enola Group, JOARA (Berry Site Archaeological Dig), Friends of Wilson Creek, the North Carolina Horse Council and the Burke County 4-H Foundation. Jim has also served as president and campaign chair for United Way, president of Burke County Friends for Animals and board member of Burke County Hospice. He is the current chairperson of the Legacy Committee at First Baptist Church.

Who is the real Jim A. Richardson?

“I say he is a liar, he lied to a federal agency about my professional service at WPCC and I have posted this story on my website.” Says Dave Tubergen, the webmaster and owner of the BurkeTruth.COM website. Compare the Community Colleges in our state over the last twenty five years and you will see that we failed in many areas. A few wealthy families tried to enhance the college but without good leadership it was very limited. Richardson is the type of person who will smile and tell you what you want to hear but when you are out of site, he talks down about you. Everyone who knows him knows this to be true, they just need to admit it to themselves that he may be talking about them too. Especially when he has had a few too many drinks in him, he does like to talk then, doesn’t he, you folks know the truth?

His self proclaimed success as an administrator with a leaf is really nothing short of a routine award for time served. I have never seen him teach, but I have never seen him as anything other than a college jerk. If the locals really knew about your wandering eye with the ladies, especially at the school, they would not have you serving on so many boards, but when you have the paper you can call yourself what you want.

He said he was president and campaign chair for the united way but he never said how unsuccessful his campaigns were.

I would like to know if the rumor I heard about him and his now wife is true; was he sleeping with her when she sent her then husband out to take her father to a doctor appointment? If this is true then Mr. Richardson is an adulterer, is he not? What do you think? Write and express your opinions.