Political activist David Milum writes candidly about the ongoing dispute between he and a sitting County Commissioner. "There are always two or more versions of the same disagreement but this one happens to be mine."...
There are always two or more versions of the same disagreement but this one happens to be mine. I'm satisfied that Commissioner Richard's version will differ greatly and I welcome hearing it albeit the insults and libelous statements on his own website about me that seem totally unjustified. http://www.davidrichard.info
Few involved in local politics have not heard recently about the "Word War" that has ensued between Forsyth County Commissioner David Richard and me. Politics is inherently a nasty game usually turning ugly very quickly. If one side has something to hide, the other wishes to reveal it. The standard countermeasure for the hider is to throw up a thick smoke screen in an effort to lesson the clear view of what has happened or what is happening. We have all experienced this political trick. Some call it slight of hand. In Forsyth County it is seen as business as usual.
I could never blame anyone for wanting to see the record put straight when someone says or writes something about them that is patiently untrue. I know how untruths have hurt me and my cause to rid Forsyth County of corruption so there is no great mystery there for me, to be sure.
Oftentimes the appearance of truth comes about by way of circumstantial evidence. In other words; those citizens who have been directly or indirectly harmed by certain acts perpetrated by politicians are normally under the distinct impression that they are the best qualified to tell us who did the harming. Such is the current impasse between this political activist and a sitting county commissioner.
The harmed citizens, in two different and unassociated incidents, said that it did happen and Commissioner Richard says it didn't. This even though the commissioner apparently misquoted in one of those issues, saying he had absolutely nothing to do with it in one email, then in another he said something totally to the contrary. There is a specific word for that but I'm trying to be as nice about this as possible. If you wish to be privy to the facts I suggest reviewing the emails in question at the links provided in this article.
What got this Word War started was the fact that a local attorney managed to procure for himself a small tract of surplus county land that was originally donated by a generous landowner on Mullinax Road on Highway 9 South. The donation of the land was so that particular community could have its own fire station built on the property, as wished for by the donor.
Other land became available for a fire station so this land was sitting idle and was deemed surplus, as the county had no future use in mind for it. The parcel was rushed to a singular sale to one man while another Citizen wanted it for a vested interest acquisition. Commissioner Richard adamantly claimed that no vested interest existed for the other Citizen even though this prospective buyer's large billboard actually sat on the land in question.
I responded back by email after Commissioner Richard emailed me with an angry sounding diatribe on how I was so wrong in thinking, by way of an article I had preciously written, that the sign owner 'did have' a vested interest in procuring the land for his own company. My further argument was that the billboard owner 'did not' get an equal opportunity to bid on the tract, as he has requested months earlier.
I'll tell you now that the email conservation on this subject quickly went downhill as does an avalanche. It was made to appear as if Commissioner Richard could never be wrong and some voters are always wrong, in fact he has made such statements on his website and in some of his emails.
Not only was I thoroughly insulted by the words of Commissioner Richard, I was also made to feel as if I was some kind of idiot for even questioning Mr. Richard's judgment about it. For those of the curious nature you can read these emails starting from the newest at the top and working back in time by clicking HERE
Also posted on www.aboutforsyth.com is another email with the exact same tone, as I received, to another county Citizen who dared to ask Commissioner Richard questions or be so bold as to make suggestions to him. You can see that exchange HERE
You can also plainly see, that in my honest attempt to keep the peace with Commissioner Richard, I capitulated on numerous occasions to show my good faith effort in doing my level best to ward off the ire of an out of control county commissioner. David Richard uses his email privileges, as a county commissioner, like a poisoned dagger, not only to insult but to libel inquisitive citizens as well.
Three times I asked Commission Richard to stop threatening me by email and all three demands were ignored. I politely suggested that if he had legal problems with me voicing my political opinion that he should contact his attorney and have them write to me and make any demands he felt were necessary. I added that I would immediately respond. All attempts at normal channels of negotiation failed as the commissioner's threatening emails continued unabated.
As an opinionated, politically-interested ctizen and voter, I was appalled and I felt physically threatened. This is my second time dealing with someone who sends harassing emails like this. The other time I also had to take out a restraining order issued by a superior court judge.
Distressed that I had exhausted all avenues of diplomatic resolution that I could think of, I was ultimately forced to resort to swearing out a warrant for Commissioner David Richard's arrest. That happened hours later in the day after I had made my first of two police reports on the commissioner's "harassing communications" charges.
Commissioner Richard still insisted in sending to me more harassing emails, so again I called in the Forsyth County Sheriff's Department for yet another police report. As of today I have not received any word from the Forsyth County Magistrates Court of any action on my application for an arrest warrant applied for on March 12.
I will add history that several years ago I was arrested within six hours of a Good Behavior Warrant application when a county commissioner asked that I be jailed for no crime. That's right, no crime, but I spent seventeen hours in the county jail before being dragged into a Magistrate Court wearing in shackles simply because I was pulling county corruption records. All sorts of weird things were leveled against me but not one crime in the whole bunch.
This makes any local Citizen wonder about how the powers that be in Forsyth County select who they gang up on, and this is what we all should be worrying about. You will be hearing a lot about selective prosecution in the coming days I'm sure. In the meantime be really careful or you too could become a target. Some of us find that Commissioner David Richard's terrible name calling and online libeling is mighty stressful and has harmed us in this community.
David Milum
