We won if you didn't know! - Dr. Jody Inglefield - November 7, 2013

We won if you didn't know!

The number of votes for change was much higher than expected. Typically we lose 65% to 35%, but this race was much closer at 55% to 45%. 500 votes made it a squeaker for the status quo.

Seismic Shift!! How did we get this 10% boost? It was the hard work of telephone calls, canvassing, and getting out the vote. Also, our cyber champion the Hickory Hound Thom Shell has moved the numbers with his news and analysis after years of providing the only recordings of city council meetings. Shazam!

Think about how hard everyone worked! CJane Johnson, my sister Wendy, and their relentless heroes rallied tirelessly at home and at headquarters fighting for the people of Hickory. Grassroots democracy lives in Hickory! I join our whole region in thanking my campaign staff and the voters of Hickory for their courageous efforts in helping reclaim our city for the people. The fierce grip of the old days and old ways prevailed; but the balance is shifting.

We have learned that hard work in the field makes a difference in Hickory. We can use this as we move forward. Words fail me as thanksgivings arise for everyone who stood up to help me, for everyone who lives in Hickory.

I do not list the names here due to the real possibility that they could be hurt and intimidated by the powers that are in control. You know who you are and I will be thanking you personally.


A special thanks goes to Jason, my communication director, who threw his heart into the campaign. He was an outstanding advocate for me and for my values. I greatly appreciate as well Jeff and Susan Brittain's brave endorsement. I was happy to stand with Anetia Wright in her run for city council, and Karen Hoyle her manager. I appreciate her support and willingness to stand up for Ward 4 citizens. She was the choice of her ward, but denied the right to represent them due to the at- large system that has corrupted the vote in Hickory.

Desperate signs popped up like weeds in the last week of the campaign (as my signs strangely disappeared?) at every abandoned lot and intersection in Hickory and at the polls election day. Those signs seemed to point to Rudy Wright's Tumblr site!!! (who is that masked man????!! Beware of getting on his bad side!!!) I got a real headache the last time I looked.

If you want to read about what is happening in Hickory government don't depend on the Hickory Daily Record, voice of the incumbents, or the Charlotte Observer that completely ignores the city with no reporting of any substance. The days of the press investigating and balancing the forces of government with truth finding and fair reporting are long gone. If they even hint at issues they get stomped on, like the issue of conflict of interest, at least they forced one council member out.

Don't forget it is all "insider trading," all of it. It is pay to play, just look at any city committee or commission. "Detractors" is the term that we hear as our moniker, we should wear it with pride. Yes, we don't care for cronyism, no bid contracts, refusing to produce public information, destroying public recreation facilities, and failing to report conflict of interests. How many times can you rebrand again and again? "To be, rather than to seem"(esse quam videri) is the North Carolina motto, certainly not Hickory's.

Never again will the shenanigans of Hickory Inc. go unnoticed. Join me as we move forward to continue to detract, irritate, and exacerbate our city misleaders and mismanagement. We have only just begun. Keep following the money, it is all they care about, not you.

Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support as we Move Forward.

Sincerely,
Dr. Joseph T. Inglefield III