Buncombe County Commissioners voted to remove a former politician's name from the county health services building, last night.
The William H. Stanley Center will go back to it's old name - which was just 35 Woodfin St.
It's related to the fallout from the ongoing investigation into corruption in the Buncombe County government that sent top leaders to federal prison. From the Asheville Citizen-Times:
The county's outside attorney, Ron Payne, gave a legal update during the board's Dec. 17 meeting. In it, he said former Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton gave sworn deposition alleging Stanley accepted "things of value" from Joe Wiseman.
Payne said he consulted with an attorney representing Stanley's family who said the former commissioner "is unable to admit or deny allegations made against him."
It's been rumored that Stanley is in declining health.
In his final days as a Buncombe County Commissioner, the Democrat bristled at public demands to cut commissioners' salaries - which were the highest in the state.
From the Mountain Xpress in 2011:
That didn't stop the metaphorical beating, however, as Chad Nesbitt, chair of the Buncombe County Republican Party, stood up to demand that Stanley resign, based on his previous comment (reported in the Citizen-Times) that he "wouldn't work for a penny less."
Stanley countered that hoping he would resign was "wishful thinking."
"The majority of people put me in here, and the majority of people will take me out — maybe," he continued.
The Citizen-Times also reports that the Commissioners are suing former Manager Wanda Greene and former Democratic Commissioner Ellen Frost over another racket to siphon taxpayer funds for personal perks related to equestrian events.
Also, Daniel Walton from the Mountain Xpress noted:
Pete's Prep: Wed. Dec. 18, 2019
- President Donald Trump wrote a lengthy letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as her Democratic members ready to vote for impeachment.
- The NY Post: "The problem, multiple members [of the women-only The Wing social and work spaces] have told The Post, is that the men physically take up too much space with their bigger bodies and belongings. They hog up the phone booths. And they aren’t respectful of some of the rules, ignoring the four-hour cap on guest visits and bringing in outside food. While they aren’t using the members-only changing rooms and showers (yet), they are in the guest bathrooms."
- NC Civitas: "Long past time for ‘North Carolina governed by chaos’ narrative to die"
- New Belgium Brewing employees voted to sell the company, despite protests from human rights groups.
- Asheville Citizen-Times: " Officials revealed the three candidates vying to be the city's top law enforcement officer."