Moore County Republicans

05/17/2024

The Liberty Podcast distills the tyranny and insanity imposed by the unrelenting Left every day, 24/7. When the citizenry refuses to comply and, instead, rises up as an informed electorate, the Left’s foot soldiers loose their minds and accuse us of posing a “threat to Democracy”. It’s beautiful to behold.

The Liberty Podcast distills the tyranny and insanity imposed by the unrelenting Left every day, 24/7. When the citizenry refuses to comply and, instead, rises up as an informed electorate, the Left’s

11/05/2023

"This coming Tuesday will mark the end of the 2023 campaign season in the Village of Pinehurst. Lame duck and worst Mayor Ever John Strickland can quit bullying people for displaying signs for mayoral candidates other than ‘Parachute Pat’ and finally drag himself and the lil’ missus BACK to Chautauqua and Bill and Hillary FOR GOOD.

There’s ONE real important thing to remember if you’re voting for Jeff Morgan or Kevin Drum for mayor. You ALSO need to vote for Lydia Boesch and Clare Berggren for village council. A Drum victory coupled with a Boesch and Berggren victory will leave us with a council consisting of Boesch, Berggren, Jeff Morgan, and Pat Pizzella. Pizzella will be all by himself in the corner with no allies. (He’ll have plenty of time to dream about the good ol’ days with Jack Abramoff in DC. )

A Morgan mayoral victory coupled with Boesch and Berggren wins gives us a council that looks like this: Boesch, Berggren, Pizzella, and ONE vacancy. The vacancy will be filled by a majority vote of the council. Boesch and Berggren are Morgan allies, for the most part. So, the person chosen will likely be somewhat of an ally of those three. This scenario also puts ‘Parachute Pat’ and his ‘Friday Group’ goons on the sideline.

A Pizzella mayoral win, coupled with a BARB and Boesch win on council, gives us a team that looks like this: Jeff Morgan, Lydia Boesch, BARB, and a vacancy. That would result in a 2-2 split on council that would likely result in the vacancy being filled by someone somewhat palatable to the ‘Friday Group’ goons. (Same deal with Taylor and Boesch wins. Just change out BARB for Taylor.)

A Pizzella win coupled with Taylor and BARB wins would give the village a team that looks like this: Jeff Morgan, BARB, John Taylor, and one vacancy. The ‘Friday Group’ would have a 3-1 majority in picking someone to fill Pizzella’s council seat. THINGS WOULD BE EVEN WORSE THAN THEY ARE NOW. (*We predict the enactment of a hunting season or a culling period for vacation rental owners and tourists.*) The inmates would officially take control of the asylum.

SO, use your vote wisely. You might be voting wisely for mayor. But your choices for council will really determine how successful your mayoral choice will be IF he wins.

‘Parachute Pat’ and the ‘historic’ pine trees.

Pat Pizzella is following in the footsteps of his political mentor John Strickland, who is famous for last-minute slimings of his election opponents. ‘Parachute Pat is running TV ads suggesting that Jeff Morgan wants to cut all the trees down at the Traffic Circle and cover the whole place in concrete. Morgan never said anything of the kind.

Pizzella is playing to the crowd in-town that wants to do NOTHING about EVERYTHING. They fight every option or suggestion that is out there. Morgan admits that something — given the increase in traffic and the area’s economic growth — has to be done.

Last year, the village council got blindsided by some proposals from the state DOT regarding the traffic circle. Part of the problem stemmed from the obsession Strickland, Pizzella, and their Friday Group masters had with vacation rental property. A lot of other, more important issues – like traffic and the traffic circle – got put aside.

Pizzella droned on and on about not wanting to cut even one of the ‘historic’ trees at the circle. (He never did explain exactly what piece of history those trees took part in.)

The Traffic Circle is part of a state road. The DOT has the final say on what happens there. They do listen to local feedback. But Pinehurst is at a disadvantage. Strickland, Pizzella, and village manager Jeff Sanborn have reportedly antagonized and irritated state leaders so much that Raleigh is not interested in much discussion with Pinehurst. We’re not in charge of what happens at the circle — which will occur, at the earliest, in 2029. But the folks we’d need to impress and persuade are not interested in dealing with Pizzella, Strickland, Sanborn & co.

The Friday Group’s bully-boy tactics have really shot us in the foot in this area. We need to sideline them and let someone else steer for a while." https://dailyhaymaker.com/the-pinehurst-hot-mess-a-few-election-notes/?fbclid=IwAR08FGGOhK4RgTk_jE3WlbvpDVEgH8vka7RcjDLjSLzcmnzw2NP6s6bm45w

This coming Tuesday will mark the end of the 2023 campaign season in the Village of Pinehurst. Lame duck and worstMayorEver John Strickland can quit bullying people for displaying signs for mayora…

09/07/2023

VERY INTERESTING. It is not every day that someone is willing to fight for governmental transparency and not surprising it would be fought by those who have much to hide!...

Residents with short memories might have been surprised by a North Carolina appellate court’s recent ruling that revived a lawsuit against Pinehurst Mayor John Strickland brought by North Carolina Citizens for Transparent Government.

The case is rooted in circumstances that arose in late 2021 when Strickland targeted then-Village Council member Kevin Drum and fellow member Lydia Boesch for committing so-called “ethics violations”. The timing of the allegations likely cost Drum re-election to the council. Boesch was not up for re-election.

Drum is party to the transparency group’s lawsuit, which seeks to expose how Strickland (and then-council members Judy Davis and Jane Hogeman) violated open meetings law in their haste to blindside Drum and Boesch during an October 12, 2021, public council meeting.

Fast forward to the here and now, in 2023. Drum is a candidate for Pinehurst mayor on the November ballot. Strickland is vacating the seat.

Drum’s critics argue that he should be disqualified as a mayoral candidate because “he is suing the village”. This is a falsehood. As documented in a 2021 video production, efforts to smear Drum’s character in Fall 2021 were not a “village” undertaking. The effort was driven by one man -- Strickland — and two surrogates.

The video chronicles the moments during which Hogeman delivers a lecture on the council’s commitment to ethical standards. Strickland infers the council has “heard” Boesch’s concerns as to why she was being targeted for ethical misconduct (she properly and normally communicated with a member of the village staff) before haltingly calling for a council vote to decide Boesch’s fate.

“I don’t see the facts changing,” said Strickland, using a liberal definition of “facts”.

Boesch intoned that a vote should not proceed absent a complete written record of Strickland's allegations. On cue, council member Hogeman began to read a prepared statement in which he made a motion to proceed with a vote based on “perceived transgressions”. Boesch, an attorney by trade, expressed deep suspicion as to the origin of the prepared statement.

She asked Hogeman about its origin. Hogeman hesitated. Drum interjected, “It’s a yes or no question.” Ultimately, Hogeman blew Strickland’s cover, acknowledging the statement was written collaboratively (unbeknownst to Boesch and Drum).

“I got it,” Drum said. “A little cabal; you’ve got a little cabal going on. I think that’s against ethics. That breaks ethics, right there.”

This would not be the last time the council in 2021 was accused of willfully violating ethical policy to bring an ethics “violation” against another.

Drum’s lawsuit echoes a similar concern. The suit charges that Strickland violated state open meetings law to conduct internal email communications alleging that Drum’s disagreement with a fellow Pinehurst merchant was unethical. This, despite the fact that Drum’s interactions with said fellow merchant were not connected whatsoever to his role as an elected member of the council. (Drum has owned the Drum & Quill pub in the village since 2014).

If a Pinehurst resident asks how a citizen who is party to lawsuit against the outgoing mayor can justify a mayoral candidacy of his own, it is advisable to point out that the pending lawsuit seeks to eliminate the possibility that the council will blatantly violate open meetings law in the future.

“When faced with what I thought were violations of ‘transparency’, I had to think beyond my personal interests first and foremost and act in the face of adversity and prioritize the public's trust and the broader implications of a lack of transparency in government,” Drum said in a recent statement. “My thought was that by focusing on the bigger picture I could turn this negative thing into a positive impact, long term, for the citizens of North Carolina.

“My conclusion was that you must build an organization from scratch with the sole mission of protecting the public from backroom deals. I created the North Carolina Citizens for Transparent Government, a significant step towards safeguarding the rights of the citizens of North Carolina.”

Drum brings a wealth of experience in service to Pinehurst. But more importantly, the suit reflects a commitment to protecting council members from character assassination by a Strickland-style vendetta.

Citizens, and transparency in local government, are the winners if the suit is upheld going forward.

Residents with short memories might have been surprised by a North Carolina appellate court’s recent ruling that revived a lawsuit against Pinehurst Mayor John Strickland brought by North Carolina Citizens for Transparent Government. The case is rooted in circumstances that arose in late 2021 when...

08/29/2023

Bare Arms was founded by Steve Bozich, an army veteran and now concealed carry license instructor. Steve is an advocate for responsible gun ownership and gun safety, and he is passionate about making sure that all Americans have the right to bear arms. Getting your concealed carry permit, and carrying a weapon from the get-go shouldn’t have to be complicated, as so many make it seem to be. We believe that responsible gun ownership starts with simple, fundamentals. That’s why we make it a point to offer comprehensive training and resources that are designed for all levels of gun owners, from beginners to experienced shooters.

We hope that you’ll join us in our mission to promote responsible gun ownership and gun safety in America.

Liberty and Justice, For All The future is now... If you can assemble an AR-15 and use a microwave, then you can put together our printer and start making your own frames and receivers in the privacy of your own home.Our printers come loaded with pre-sliced files, so all you have to do is decide whe...

08/22/2023

The war on medical tyranny persists.

Medical freedom, preserving the record of crimes against humanity. Advocating for patient rights, in the hospital & out. Addressing the massive loss of life during the Covid pandemic, in hospitals. Click to read FormerFedsGroup Freedom Foundation’s Newsletter, a Substack publication with hundreds ...

07/20/2023

Drum filed first for mayor of Pinehurst on July 7, 2023. Drum, who has lived and worked in Pinehurst for 52 years, served the Village of Pinehurst through various civic bodies for more than 10 years before his election to the village council in 2018. Drum has a longstanding track record of leadership in historic preservation, land-use planning, project management and community outreach.

Orthopedic surgeon Jeff Morgan who retired holding the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army in 2017, has lived with his wife Laura in Pinehurst since 2012. Jeff Morgan practiced surgery within the Veterans Services Administration, and later became a regional chief medical officer and interim Chief Executive Officer where he currently still serves as active.

Pat Pizzella moved permanently to Pinehurst in 2021 after serving in various federal government posts, including most recently as an assistant labor secretary in the Trump administration. During the Obama administration, Pizzella was appointed as a member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

Kevin Drum’s experience and track record as a steward of Pinehurst’s rich heritage is likely to appeal to local unbiased voters and small business owners. Drum is a business owner himself. He established the Drum & Quill pub in 2014. Drum married Dr. Jennifer Stoddard, a prominent kidney specialist, in 2011.

Jeff Morgan was elected to Pinehurst’s village council as a first-time candidate in 2021 after holding several leadership positions in Friend to Friend, a non-profit created to assist victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

If Morgan is elected mayor, his incomplete term as a village councilman would require a special appointment by the council. His term was scheduled to run through 2024.

Pat Pizzella and his wife have been homeowners in Pinehurst since 2012. He was elected to the Pinehurst village council in 2019. Pizzella was a proponent of barring homeowners in Pinehurst from placing their properties in short-term rental pools, which has been common in the area for decades due to a steady influx of golf tourism. Ultimately, the council voted to retain short-term rental rights for those currently renting while banning new rental properties from coming into the market.

Each of the three candidates is a registered Republican in Moore County.

Kevin Drum filed first for mayor of Pinehurst on July 7, 2023. Drum, who has lived and worked in Pinehurst for 52 years, served the Village of Pinehurst through various civic bodies for more than 10 years before his election to the village council in 2018. Drum has a longstanding track record of lea...

07/20/2023

"Welcome to the Jungle"

Ronald Reagan’s most enduring speech on America’s future was presciently entitled, “A Time for Choosing”. It was a speech that found the America we knew and loved at a crossroads in 1964.

With all due respect to Axl Rose, its words were considerably more eloquent.

By Steve Woodward The church where I worship recently welcomed a young associate pastor who, owed to growing up in the mid-1980s and during the 1990s, draws from a more contemporary trove of cultur…

07/20/2023

https://www.moorecountyresident.com/post/school-board-adopts-stance-to-target-remove-vulgar-literature

Most of the books Holmes is targeting, with board support, were found in two high schools, Northern Moore and Union Pines. But several titles are available in middle schools — Crain’s Creek, Ellise, New Century, Southern and West Pine — and, alarmingly, in elementary schools — High Falls and McDeed’s Creek.

07/20/2023

Pinehurst Councilwoman Jane Hogeman, who suffered an undisclosed "significant medical event" late last month, died Wednesday, her family said in a brief statement. She was 72.

07/18/2023

"6 Years Experience Serving on Village Committees.

Served on the Village Center Enhancement Committee

Served on the Planning/Zoning Board

Served on the Board of Adjustment

Served on the Historic District Guidelines Revision Committee

4 Years Experience & Accomplishments on Village Council.

Served on Regional Transportation Partnership (TARPO)

Served as NC Department of Transportation Representative

Served as Triangle J Partnership Representative

Served as Partners in Progress Representative

Served on “First” Tri-Cities Group

The village became debt-free in 2021 under my Administration for the first time.

Achieved 4 years of a Balanced Budget –

Collaborated on 4 Annual Strategic Operating Plans

Approved Golf Pride which was the first Golf Company to Success

Dedicated two years to working on the 40-Year Land Use Plan

Built the Village’s first Community Center

Ensured Pinehurst Elementary School remained in Pinehurst

Approved first-ever Moore County Transportation Plan

Approved budget to create Stormwater Management Plan

Responded to COVID quickly and converted to digital Council meetings

Part of negotiating team to move USGA headquarters to Pinehurst

Worked with Park Service to ensure Pinehurst retained its National Landmark Status

Under Kevin’s tenure, the Village was granted a Baldrige Award Site Visit

Approved Hospital Cancer Center & Garage

Led Saving the Given Memorial Library."

From boyhood bike rides along its tree-lined streets, to bussing tables at a landmark inn, to a decade as a village business owner, Kevin Drum’s lifetime is woven into the fabric of Pinehurst.

07/18/2023

We need to make the impossible happen using limited resources and against ominous odds. We need keep our eyes always on the prize. And in that final hour, when we know the end is near and our work is nearly done, we take a nap, and rise up stronger than ever to stand victorious with the wind and a soaring eagle at our back.

This is not platitude. This is the story of how Moore County’s Republican Party was represented on July 4, 2023, on the streets of Carthage, with throngs of waving, applauding citizens as far as the eye could see, observing with awe Miriam’s Eagle.

A brilliant sun rose July 4, 2023, over Moore County and, soon a brilliant Carolina blue sky emerged. In every hamlet and town, children were reminded anew what this day is about. Mom and dad brought out the red-white-and-blue shirts, and little American flags to be waved by little hands. There was....

07/18/2023

Led by election integrity champion Carol Wheeldon, Moore County Republican Party volunteers are engaging in a comprehensive campaign to answer a basic question: Are voters on the Moore County voting rolls still residing at the address found on their registrations? And, if not, do they remain Moore County voters, or have they moved out of state, and, thus, should be removed from the system as registered voters.

Led by election integrity champion Carol Wheeldon, Moore County Republican Party volunteers are engaging in a comprehensive campaign to answer a basic question: Are voters on the Moore County voting rolls still residing at the address found on their registrations? And, if not, do they remain Moore C...

07/18/2023

An upstart group that essentially is held together by a page and three fringe organizations — the Sandhills Coalition for Peace, Love and Justice — continues to badger the Village of Pinehurst council about adopting a resolution denouncing conduct that heretofore has not plagued the village or its citizens.

An upstart group that essentially is held together by a page and three fringe organizations — the Sandhills Coalition for Peace, Love and Justice — continues to badger the Village of Pinehurst council about adopting a resolution denouncing conduct that heretofore has not plagued the vil...

06/02/2023

Rampant government overreach and weaponized science during the COVID virus era infringed on individual liberty and upended lives and businesses. In at least one case, hospital administrators refused to perform a kidney transplant to sustain the life of a teen-ager. She has a name. Yulia Hicks. She and her family reside in Moore County. This is their story.

Shunned by Duke's Children's Hospital, a teen prevails with community support Yulia Hicks, a teen Moore County kidney transplant candidate, was forcibly denied access to the life-saving procedure in 2022 when administrators at Duke Children’s Hospital insisted she receive a COVID mRNA jab. Her par...

05/24/2023

https://www.moorecountyresident.com/post/bolshevik-narrative-nagy-strikes-again-on-moore-county-schools

Nagy, who writes for The Pilot, in an ongoing effort to subvert local parents and usurp American Values with his Bolshevik narrative promotes that teachers are being targeted as scapegoats for every shortcoming in public schools. He defends them as “first responders to the social, emotional and in...

05/24/2023

Pilot editor still pushing to keep pornographic content in our Moore County Schools.

"Nagy complains further that books are being removed by board members and their surrogates “unilaterally from classrooms”. This is a real humdinger. It’s not true. The books under scrutiny have been discovered lurking in school libraries. In one case, the content of a book was so graphically vile members of the former board cringed as passages were read aloud by a citizen during a board meeting. This scene has been repeated at school board meetings around the nation."

By Steve Woodward Public education reform is on the move in Moore County, and long overdue. Who is the hysterical citizen standing in the breech, shouting, “Halt!”? It’s none othe…

05/23/2023

"As a retired law enforcement officer, I followed my passion for teaching and thought I could make a difference teaching in a public-school setting. This will be my second and last year teaching in the (Moore) public school system."

Handwriting is on the wall, but kids can’t read it By Rick Montes As a teacher in a middle school here in Moore County I can attest to everything (Steve) Woodward has written (Unmasked, May 16, 2023). As a retired law enforcement officer, I followed my passion for teaching and thought I could make...

05/19/2023

https://www.moorecountyresident.com/post/sponsor-a-local-first-responder-27th-annual-reburn-memorial-tournament

For the 27th year the Moore County Republican Men’s Club on June 19, 2023, is hosting its annual golf outing and fundraiser. This is the club’s most consequential fundraising effort of the calendar year. Heading into the 2023 municipal election cycle, which begins with a candidate filing period ...