Schmidly's List: On Alcohol in Asheboro - I Love It When A Conspiracy Theory Comes Together

For over a week, I’ve been pondering what to say about last Friday’s story in the Courier Tribune that the Father-Daughter lawyer team of Steve and Brooke Schmidly were going to ask for a special Asheboro City Council meeting in May to initiate the process that would put an alcohol referendum on the ballot. Steve says it won’t be presented as “new business” at the upcoming regular city council meeting (where the city will vote on the annexation of Dave’s Mountain) – because he doesn’t want to appear to be doing anything behind the Mayor Jarrell’s back (the last I heard, the Mayor opposes the sale of alcohol in Asheboro). We’ll see if Steve and the pro-alcohol brigade honor their word and keep it all above board. But based on past experience, “the word” of some of the people we’re going to be talking about is not worth the paper it’s printed on.

First, a disclaimer: This a long one folks. Before you start, you might need to stop and get a cup of coffee, or some Coke, or even an ice cold beer.

Schmid wants it all: malt beverages, fortified wine, and mixed drink sales as well as the establishment of ABC stores in the city.

As most folks familiar with my story know, Steve Schmidly is the lawyer who represented me in the litigation against Randolph Medical Associates & Randolph Hospital. I once called him friend. I don’t anymore. And as I weave my impressions of his latest endeavor with his handling of a past one (where I wound up legally victorious but lost & adrift just the same), I am going to be measuring my words very carefully. But I’m not going to be holding them back.

Schmidly’s published remarks on the proposed alcohol referendum allude to progress, “We intend to ask the council to begin the implementation of the 20/20 Strategic Plan that was formulated by the council with the input of a lot of people.”

It’s long been my theory that the Asheboro 20/20 effort . . . as well as the push to forcibly annex Dave’s Mountain . . . was all and only about getting alcohol in Asheboro.

It appears that time has proven my “paranoid”/”silly” “conspiracy theory” right. And this week “Schmidly’s List” made it perfectly clear who the conspirators are.

In Friday’s article, Schmid promised that “a lot of people” were supporting this endeavor and they would become known as time went on. As I read, I suspected that these people were “the usual suspects” . . . in my case, quite literally. It’s funny how, when I drove home (four hours one way) back in 2006 to attend two of the four Asheboro 20/20 meetings, I did not see most of the people who allegedly contributed to the effort. What I did see was an expensive hired-gun consultant putting on a show and going through the motions . . . so later-on the city could say it asked for input from the ordinary “Who’s Nots” of Asheboro. The truth is that most of this 20/20 business took place under-the-radar of public scrutiny. And it was a done deal pretty much before it even started.

This is a strategic plan that (like the annexation of Dave’s Mountain) was carefully plotted by Asheboro’s powers-that-be . . . and it’s been at least several years in the making. It has all the stylings of consultant-loving (Randolph Hospital executives) Bob Morrison and Steven Eblin all over it . . . along with the smug, two-faced machinations of Keith Crisco, David Smith and Walker Moffit. I mean, do these guys really believe that all of us are that stupid?

It’s not so much “fun” Fec (Happy Birthday), if you’re on the receiving end of the screw.

We did not have to wait long to find out who the suspects were. The pro-alcohol newspaper coverage continued Tuesday, with Schmidly proudly announcing (in a “press release”) that the “Committee for the Future of Asheboro” had been formed. Schmid released a list of 39 people who support the alcohol referendum. This distinguished “committee’s” less-than-visionary contention is that Asheboro’s future depends on booze. Quoting Schmid, “As the community can see, the makeup of this committee is a who’s who of business and community leaders who believe deeply in Asheboro and its future.”

These days Schmid and I see things very differently. For instance what I see on his list concerned community “leaders” are two unconvicted felons . . . as well as a veritable “who’s who” of the prominent names who’ve served on “non-profit” Randolph Hospital’s governing Board of Directors (Bossong, Colberson, Davis, Matney, McCrary, Redding, Pugh, Shaffner, Toledano, Trogdon) . . . all so-called “honorable men” ethically and legally responsible for the actions of these “non-profit” (what a farce!) executives – who nonetheless fell all over themselves to look the other way while contracts were breached, state & federal agreements were violated, resources were monopolized, laws were broken, and a home-grown Pediatrician was stomped into the dirt . . . because she stood in the way of Bob Morrison’s plan for total economic dominance of the medical landscape.

These fine, upstanding community leaders could not be concerned with medical ethics or morals or even simple common courtesy . . . turning my life & practice into a bump in their road was “just business”.

Despite the fact that it was HIS JOB to know who he was running down and why . . . at least one hospital board member on Schmidly’s list was annoyed when I tried to contact him directly . . . whining indignantly that he did not know who I was.

So it was bad business. And I am not going to “just go away”.

As I perused the names on Schmidly’s list, it occurred to me that around a third of these very important people do not live within the city limits of Asheboro. Right now, neither does Schmid. A number of the people on the list are of the Country Club set that has ready access to alcohol anyway. And a good portion of them are not native to Asheboro . . . they’re corporate carpetbaggers who found a small southern town where they could be kings. And for the last decade, they’ve certainly behaved like a bunch of little Henrys.

As I understand it, if the alcohol referendum is allowed to proceed by the Board of Elections (with whom our Schmidly is tight), only those citizens living within the city limits will be able to vote. The annexation of Dave’s Mountain will not play into a referendum because Mountain residents will not be able to vote until the effective date of annexation next June.

So I am not quite sure what Schmid’s game is here. Perhaps it suddenly dawned on Schmid and the city council members who strongly support alcohol in Asheboro (if I had to hazard a guess, Crisco, Smith & Moffit) that proceeding with the forced annexation of Dave’s Mountain was a HUGE tactical error – and they’ve alienated an entire voting block – smart, savvy now-REALLY-PISSED-OFF professionals who will vote NO on alcohol just for spite.

David Renfro, publisher of the Courier Tribune, is also on Schmidly’s list. No big surprise there. When it comes to the news coverage of local events, Mr. Renfro has never met a conflict of interest he could not blithely ignore if it got Asheboro where he & his wife, Bonnie (of the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation) wanted it to be. Our local newspaper barely pretends anymore to be fair or balanced in its coverage of the issues – or the people behind the issues.

Many of us who are not in “the club” can testify that the Courier Tribune stopped being a “hometown paper” long ago.

It’s just a sad, sorry mouthpiece for the people on Schmidly’s list now.

The only doctors on Schmidly’s list are the Director of the North Carolina Zoo and a retired dentist. I’ll be the first to admit that there are some bad apples in medicine (who like their sauce) but most medical doctors are generally pretty keen as to what easy access to alcohol really means and brings to a community. I know many of them are grateful that, medically speaking, they don’t have to deal with quite so much of it. I expect a lot of the doctors in Asheboro also realize that a good portion of the patients they serve vehemently oppose alcohol sales here – and it would be bad for business to admit they support it.

Of course alcohol-based trauma and pathology just means extra business for the hospital, so it’s quite logical that the hospital-based suits on Schmidly’s list (Morrison/Eblin/Thornton/Shaffner) are going to “proud” to embrace it. They’re also going to tell gullible city leaders that not having alcohol in Asheboro is one of the reasons they’re having trouble recruiting young medical professionals to the community.

It’s an easy deflection from the REAL reasons medical professionals are not flocking to Asheboro . . . reasons with which Steve Schmidly is very familiar.

Back in 1994, when I did my original interviews with Randolph Medical Associates, Bob Morrison and Steven Eblin (the aforementioned unconvicted felons proudly peacocking on Schmidly’s list) were confidently telling potential new-hires that there were new sheriffs in town (i.e. the aforementioned carpet-baggers that they palled around with) and they fully expected alcohol to be voted in on the next referendum . . . as if that was a big selling point to doctors looking for a family-friendly burb where they could build a nice practice and raise their kids. Having lived here all my life, I knew better . . . and (as I expected it would be) alcohol was voted down.

I remember not being terribly upset about the outcome – and, in fact, being pleased that “ordinary folks” had beaten the smug, “we-know-what’s-best-for-our-mill-town” crowd back.

Since then there have been several ill-fated, back-alley schemes to sneak alcohol in over the years – all of them have failed. Like Fec said in his comment on my last post, it’s been fun to watch . . . to see the plotters and schemers handed their hats by simple people who could see through the ruse.

I think that the pastors and religious leaders opposed to alcohol in Asheboro (some of whom I’ve conversed with on the subject) are genuine in their piety and concern for the “evils’ that seem to be permeating our town. I hope they will be more bold in standing up and saying so this time – in organizing and mobilizing their flocks to act against those evils - now openly advocated for the sake of profit by the people on Schmidly's list.

There's an old line from Star Trek that comes to mind (an admonishment to Captain Kirk by my childhood hero, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy): "Careful Jim. Evil usually wins unless Good is very, very careful.

As Fec alluded, Asheboro's biggest problems clearly lie with some of the people sitting in these church pews. It is at refreshing, at least, that some of those people attending the prayer breakfasts while supporting alcohol on the sly now at least have the spine to sign their names.

They never have before.

Of course, I’ve heard some rumors wafting along the Mountain’s crumbling streets that Morrison and several of “the Who’s” on Schmidly’s list were doing some back-tracking after being publicly named. They were not too keen on being publicly identified as “pro-alcohol”. It's bad for PR.

Immediately after my appearance at the April 10th Asheboro City Council meeting addressing the annexation of Dave’s Mountain (ironically speaking immediately after Schmidly) . . . I joked to my Mother and the YaYas that I had quite unexpectedly become the “unofficial leader” of Asheboro’s “anti-alcohol” brigade.

Let’s review how that came about by looking at how I closed my remarks to the Council on April 10th:

Finally, if the God-fearing, anti-alcohol residents of Asheboro (who have been in the voting majority for my entire lifetime) knew the truth about the way January’s “Sacred Assembly” got off the ground, your seats would be very hot indeed. Local pastors were approached by city & business leaders and asked to consider supporting an alcohol referendum – for the “economic good” of the community. The forced annexation of Dave’s Mountain is ALL AND ONLY about quick money and alcohol – about David & Bonnie Renfro’s carpet-bagging notions of what our small town should be. It’s about ensnaring the 200-plus Dave’s Mountain homeowners and their families into something the vast majority of us do not want – taxing the crap out of us – and then expecting us to reward Asheboro with a “go” for alcohol on the next referendum (because the Council assumes that alcohol is what well-educated, successful professionals want).

I have a suggestion for all of the Dave’s Mountain residents in this room. If our neighborhood is annexed against our will – and with no consideration for our happiness or welfare – with no care for what our voices are telling these people that we never voted for – then I suggest that when that alcohol referendum finally rolls around, we all vote NO.

And we vote NO FOREVER.

Because we can.

You should have seen the looks on some of those council faces when I spoke on the machinations behind the “Sacred Assembly”. For those who are not regular readers and don’t know, local business & city leaders really did have the cahoones to approach local pastors and ask them to support an alcohol referendum!?! I don't know what these guys were drinking, but I know they were smoking something. Of course, the pastors balked and instead our fearless “leaders” got a prayer service (I am still amazed that lightening did not strike some of these money-changers down when they graced the pulpit). As I made the connections during my prepared remarks, council members visibly squirmed . . . and I remember seeing David Smith go absolutely white at the council table.

For me that was worth showing up.

I expect Mr. Smith never imagined that some of us are not so gullible as to believe the pee on our shoes was rain.

As I made my “speech” to the council, I had my back turned to the assemblage. I did not know what was going on behind me. Afterwards, I was told that Schmidly (who I’m told was there not only to support annexation, but also to offer “moral” support to a hospitality tent for VIP’s at Copperheads games – the request was approved - opening a whole nuther can-of-worms) got up during the first part of my presentation and left the room . . . grinning like a hyena.

In stark contrast, when Steve addressed the council, I had sat quietly and listened to him make his statement. When she was told about what Schmidly had done, my Mom was pretty put out, “That’s just wrong. He should have had the class to sit there and listen to you. You listened to him.”

Of course, I listened to him once before. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In the interest of full disclosure, there is considerable irony in this turn of events (i.e. my opposition to alcohol sales in Asheboro), in that the bulk of this commentary was conceived and written last Saturday night as I sipped & savored my own special invention . . . a Margarita-lemonade concoction . . . in the privacy of my own home. While I myself am a “once-in-a-while” drinker (mostly for medical reasons . . . I seem to have a paucity of the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol . . . and more than one or two drinks can really ruin my day), I enjoy entertaining my friends who suffer no such physical restriction. And, like many Asheboro residents, I have a cabinet & baby refrigerator especially dedicated to spirits hard and soft. I also have a wine rack well-stocked with the fruits of “the-little-winery-that-could” in Duplin County.

For those on the Asheboro City Council and Schmidly's List who tout alcohol as a solution to all of a community’s problems, economically speaking, the Duplin Winery is doing very well, but the county notsomuch.

The celebrations & rituals of Ya often include adult beverages. Indeed once, we even tried to summon green fairies with an exotic emerald elixir that tasted like burnt licorice . . . brought in from a country far, far away.

Alas, the fairies did not grace us with their presence. I was mightily disappointed. But then again, alcohol does not always deliver what it promises.

These things being acknowledged, even the liveliest YaYa events are relatively tame compared to the legendary bashes thrown at Steve Schmidly’s house. Schmid is big on the baseball/Copperhead scene. I’ve heard some pretty wild stories.

Of course, I helped pay for his deck.

I am compelled to note that one of the differences between my parties and Schmid’s is that the YaYas can have loads of fun without setting fire to their Queen’s back porch. From what I’ve heard through the community grapevine, Steve Schmidly almost became an alcohol statistic. Yet he can still push for this referendum with a straight face? I don’t get it.

The point of "full disclosure" is to acknowledge that I know “alcohol is here”. I know full well it’s “brought in”. But the biggest difference between me and Schmid is that I’m content for alcohol to be here without it being everywhere here – without inflicting it on the good, very concerned townspeople who care deeply about Asheboro’s future and don’t want it around.

I very much respect these people. I don’t think the 39 "Who's Whos" on Schmidly’s list do.

I/many others are not so gullible as to believe that the civic “revenue” from the sale of alcohol in Asheboro will offset the misery that will most certainly come with it . . . the increase in crime and motor vehicle accidents . . . the seediness and inevitable decline of older/poorer neighborhoods . . . not to mention the medical pathology and aberrant/irresponsible behavior.

I also think that the notion of throwing some of that lovely civic revenue towards “alcohol education” is a cop-out . . . a balm to soothe the guilty consciences of the well-named people on Schmidly’s list.

Anticipating criticism for my position, I don’t find it “hypocritical” to be a Pediatrician (or even a “lapsed” Baptist) and enjoy the occasional adult beverage (after all, I am a responsible adult exercising that free will) . . . yet to oppose the sale of alcohol in Asheboro. It might not be “cool”, but I like Asheboro without alcohol sales. I think it’s unique and charming – an example for other towns to follow. And despite what the people on Schmidly’s list would have us believe, I’ve done some research and the truth is (economically) Asheboro IS growing and prospering without alcohol.

If it’s not, then a lot of the 39 people on that list have some explaining to do – for if things are so awful, maybe we need new leaders with better eyesight.

I also think that a truly smart, progressive, “visionary” city council would figure out ways to market what makes Asheboro truly different from every other North Carolina hamlet (that has booze readily available) . . . and what makes it truly “family friendly”.

Asheboro is already a “destination” for many people. We are a stone’s throw away from a pottery-lover’s paradise (a paradise I miss regularly cruising). We are home to a world-class, state-of-the-art zoological park. We are surrounded by the greenery and beauty of the oldest mountain range on the North American continent. Just up the road is a newly-minted lake (although the machinations behind that are a whole nuther story) that has been stocked with fish that presumably will eventually draw sportsmen and sportswomen. We are home to two prominent Baptist camps. We have our own little speedway – as well as both a motorcycle & aviation museum. Richard Petty’s museum is right up the road (even if his racing operation isn’t anymore). Baseball is big here. We don’t need the booze to bring people in.

We do need, however, to be proud of who we are. And we don’t need to apologize to any of the big-shot “Whos” on Schmidly’s list. It's also my opinion that so many of the ordinary people in this town should stop being afraid of them too.

If the majority on the Asheboro City Council gets its way, the “demographics” of Asheboro proper are set to change a great deal – and Schmid (who lives on Dave’s Mountain and is in the very small minority of residents who want to be annexed in) knows it. I expect the pro-boozers on the city council were planning to wait and capitalize on that change – until the annexation effort turned sour.

It does not take much reading between the lines to understand that the powers-that-be on Schmidly’s list will also be playing to stereotypes in this campaign . . . and are counting on the Hispanic and Catholic vote to turn water into wine (those “changing demographics” again). The very sad truth is that once again, the powers that be plan to use and manipulate people of Hispanic descent . . . and of faith . . . to their own ends. After all, they’ve been doing it for years.

These people looking for a better life don’t even realize they are pawns.

I think that those who now want to ram alcohol down the throats of a community that for decades has said, “WE DON”T WANT BOOZE HERE!”, take much for granted . . . and have nothing but disdain for the deep-fried history & religious tradition of our small Southern town. It’s a history and a populace that I deeply fond of – for all that I have been unable to safely return and serve the people and children of Asheboro for ten years – because of what some of the prominent people on Schmidly’s list did.

Of course, as many older citizens can tell you, we’d have a lot more “history” to see in Asheboro if the city fathers had not approved so much if its physical destruction in the name of “progress”.

As a life-long resident of Asheboro myself, I don’t care at all for the undertone in Schmid’s published statements on his planned “aggressive” push for “opportunity” and “progress” . . . for moving into “this century”. Schmid and his “Who’s”, as they run their “positive" campaign have already started to portray those who oppose alcohol as backwards, stupid, ignorant hicks who do not care about Asheboro’s future. It’s not even subtle.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

As my sainted Mother and I sat in Chili’s on Saturday afternoon and conversed over iced tea and their most-excellent spinach-avocado dip, Mama asked me if I thought any of the other people in the (nearly full) restaurant looked like they needed or wanted alcohol with their meal. I looked around to see several young couples . . . a few families (one with a big fat adorable baby) . . . some groups of friends . . . and table full of what appeared to be businessmen . . . all enjoying their meals and one another’s company.

And so, the answer was no.

I am also a frequent customer at Rockola. I know for a fact that the management is quite happy not to have to deal with the booze and the drunks and all of the liability issues that alcohol brings. This very nice restaurant is thriving. They don’t need alcohol.

There are several other very nice restaurants in town that allow brown-bagging. So if you want a touch of alcohol with your fancy dinner, there are ways to have it in Asheboro.

I cannot envision my hometown with booze in every grocery store and bars on all the predicable corners. I think it’s a good thing that people have to pause and think about taking a drink . . . about how and where they are going to go to get it. I think it’s good that the Yas have to talk about designated drivers before we drive to Randleman to get the booze . . . or to Greensboro for that fancy, expensive dinner (we usually just stay at the palace).

While we’re on the subject, I wonder. Has anyone advocating the sale of alcohol as the be-all and end-all of civic progress and success bothered to really look at Randleman or Greensboro? Randleman has sold the booze for years – but that has hardly turned the town into a bustling metropolis. And does anybody in Randolph County really want the mess that Greensboro has on its hands . . . with vice and corruption permeating the city council and police department?

Of course, we already have a pathetic, vindictive, grudge-holding coward for a District Attorney - whose office shamelessly panders to the VIP's on Schmidly's list. Justice for the "little people" in Randolph County is a sorry joke. Unfortunately, we're stuck with Garland Yates because no one ever runs against him. We really need that write-in campaign this year.

If gangs & crime are on the upswing now, I shudder to think what things might be like with alcohol readily available.

There are several lawyers on Schmidly's list. Like the hospital, more alcohol means more business for the local Bar.

The pro-alcohol brigade likes to smugly admonish those religious “zealots” who oppose drinking for any reason that even Jesus Christ turned water into wine (for a wedding celebration). They harp on hypocrisy if Christians drink in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. But that’s just another diversion. Our Lord was big on moderation and personal responsibility. Drinking was not the sin – drunkenness was.

A number of religious denominations in the Asheboro area recognize that many, many people are not capable of moderation – and it is reflected in their creeds & approach to a Godly life by avoiding alcohol altogether. These beliefs have been reflected in the laws governing our town. It makes civic sense to help people prone to this particular vice avoid alcohol by keeping it at arm's length. These people of faith recognize that with freedom comes responsibility (particularly when it comes to parenting), and there are very goods arguments to be made that Asheboro should not make it easier for those who are not capable of moderation to get alcohol.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reports that nearly 18,000 Americans died in alcohol-related automobile crashes in 2006. I wonder. What will Schmidly (or any of these other important well-named people) say to grieving parents and friends when the first car-load of kids meets their Maker on prom night . . . after sucking down the six-packs they got at the local Asheboro grocery . . . or an innocent dies in the path of a drunk who got in the car after having one too many at a local eatery?

More of the ugly statistics on alcohol can be found here. Now this is a list that the people on Schmidly’s list will not be circulating as, in their "concern" for the community, they push this referendum forward.

Finally, study after study has proven that, for many individuals prone to addiction, alcohol is ALWAYS the first step on the path to illegal drugs. I wonder (not wishing to leave any crack covered or stone unturned) what Schmid’s position is on that?

As I said in my precious post, here’s the thing that really grates about Schmid’s big headlines in the Courier. Back in the good-old-early-lawsuit days – when I really needed some front-page print-space to counter the under-handed corporate dirty tricks Randolph Hospital executives had pulled to drive me out of town (and eliminate both the criticism and the competition), Schmidly & his law firm did not rate a story or a quote . . . not even when I sued the hospital’s “controlled affiliate”. I’m not sure a “press release” was even issued.

Oh, over a year later there was the obligatory “fair play” article . . . after the humiliation of the hospital SLAPP-suing me (ultimately unsuccessfully) for “libel”. But from day one, it was crystal clear whose side the Courier Tribune was on.

When the boys ultimately ran from an open battle in the courtroom, the Courier covered their tracks by reporting my legal “victory” as a second-page short take. Once again, Schmid did not rate the front page.

But Schmid rates bigtime when he talks about alcohol. In his Sunday (April 27th) Editorial, Ray Criscoe announced that “It is time” for another vote on alcohol. Criscoe basically re-mouthed Schmid’s pro-alcohol talking points. It was clear our local daily is not just for today’s residents having their say in a referendum (which is the way the editorial was styled).

The Courier Tribune clearly wants residents to say, “It’s time for alcohol”.

I think “it’s time” now for a little background information. Steve Schmidly was not my first lawyer. I went through two to get to him. The first was Jane Redding – an old high school chum – who I consulted immediately after getting the “warning” letter from the higher-ups who were so concerned with “care you can trust” that they felt compelled to tell me to shut up or else. The infamous nursery incident a couple of nights later made it clear that Morrison & Eblin had set conditions that were incompatible with the practice of good/responsible medicine. I was not about to roll over and hang up the phone on frantic LDRP nurses when a baby was dying due to another doctor’s ignorance and arrogance. And I wasn’t about to say “bygones” either . . . to cover up the mess.

Alas, gentle Jane was not quick enough on the draw, and I wound up fired before she could even get a nasty, “you-need-to-rethink-your-approach” letter out to Elbin & company.

Jane immediately referred me to a local lawyer (with Schmidly’s firm), Andrew McVey, who specialized in employment law. I quickly found out that in North Carolina, a physician might as well be a night-shift janitor at one of the local mills. No offense to the night shift janitor . . . but unlike other “mill-town” employees, doctors train FOREVER to do what they do, and swear Oaths, and are licensed to meet obligations that the great state of North Carolina IN NO WAY protects or defends.

Andy left the firm shortly after I filed my lawsuit against Randolph Medical Associates (the one the Courier did not report one word about to the general populace). He left me to the care of his senior partner, Steve Schmidly.

Over time, in a situation like this, one’s lawyer is one’s lifeline – one finds oneself sealed in a box . . . instructed to talk to no one about one’s case. Short of a therapist (which I could not afford because I was consumed with making the mortgage and paying the attorneys fees that built Schmid’s deck), the lawyer becomes the only person to whom you can really pour your heart and soul . . . and your anger.

I was very, very angry about what Randolph Hospital did to me. I still am. It never should have happened. It never should have been allowed to continue or compound. Many of the well-named, so-called “concerned citizens” on Schmidly’s list could have AND SHOULD HAVE moved to stop it. They could have exercised some of those “small town values”, and made their executives play fair. They did not.

I have no use – no respect – for any of them now. And I think, that as they play their games, more and more people are coming to the same opinion.

I digress. My parents and friends were not entirely enamored of Andrew’s “hand-off” . . . or of Schmid’s representation. They postulated that Schmidly’s bar stool at the Country Club was clearly in danger if he too aggressively represented the Pediatrician that Randolph Hospital’s suited goons wanted to “just go away”. They did not appreciate the occasional not-so-subtle hint Schmid dropped that I should just accept my lot in life and move away from Asheboro.

But I trusted “Schmid”. He was affable and had an easy-going good-ole-boy charm about him that I found very appealing. He knew the players and I had been told he was very good in the courtroom (not that I ever go to see it). Over time, I learned to overlook our political differences (Steve is a Democrat greatly enamored of John Edwards and Bill Clinton, while I am descended from a conservative Republican who sat just to the right of Jesse Helms), and I even began to consider my lawyer my friend.

That was naïve and stupid, as the “simple country lawyer” played both ends against the middle. In the end, Steve Schmidly wasn’t my advocate at all.

For if he had been my advocate, Steve Schmidly would have gotten those tax returns – the ones that Morrison & Eblin lied under Oath about being “confidential” – and thoroughly reviewed the profits/losses/salaries with me BEFORE he presented a beyond low-ball settlement that IN NO WAY reflected my true losses. He would not have even entertained or relayed the, “But we’re nearly bankrupt” line offered up by the hospital’s trial lawyers . . . the same lawyers who filed those false answers on behalf of Morrison & Eblin. He would not have brazenly LIED to me about punitive damages not being taxable. He would have insisted my attorney’s fees were paid in full by the hospital that filed that despicable SLAPP suit.

Finally, if Steve Schmidly had been a true advocate, when I finally figured it all out – he would have MOVED to fix his mistakes. He did not.

But something has always gnawed at me. Steve Schmidly was too smart to make those kinds of mistakes. The painful truth is, Steve, my lawyer and my “friend”, sold his client out. For you see, Schmid was for Schmid. The goal was to appease me, yet let the boys at Randolph off cheap . . . a “win-win” for him in terms of membership in that elusive “club” . . . and forever securing a seat at their bar.

The truth dawned on me after one of many “inflammatory” e-mail exchanges with Bob Morrsion after the settlement (as I fought to gain my footing and found every door slammed in my face) . . . when let it slip that he was going to convey a message to Steve personally. Schmid had always led me to believe that he and Morrison were casual acquaintances (through things like Rotary and such), and that he had no use for the hospital crowd.

But Morrison tipped that hand. He gave Schmidly up.

I vividly remember the moment at the keyboard when the truth dawned. A line from Shakespeare came to mind - and all ironies apply.

Flash forward to the present day. Just a few weeks after my appearance at an Asheboro City Council meeting – where my “conspiracy theory” put all of the pieces together in terms of the real motives behind the annexation of Dave’s Mountain – Schmidly gets the Courier’s front-page treatment – and he’s rubbing elbows with all of the big names who did me wrong.

So is his daughter. Brooke is an ex-public servant too. She did some time in the military (I forget which branch) – and if memory serves, she’s an ex JAG lawyer. Schmid was very proud – as he should be. My parents – lifelong residents of Asheboro without Country Club memberships – were proud of their daughter too. But when I did my turn in public service, I was thrown out on the street for putting a patient first . . . for doing my job the way it was supposed to be done. Every hometown dream I ever had was destroyed. In stark contrast, when Brooke was done, she came home and joined her Father’s firm.

Brooke's is the classic American success story that was supposed to have been mine as well. Now there are a number of oversight issues that I will likely be taking up with the state of North Carolina soon – if they do not shortly take action to hold Randolph Hospital accountable for what it did to me (again, perjury has not statute of limitations – and restitution is possible through the prosecution of a criminal claim) . . . but a large part of the reason why I am not practicing in Asheboro today has to do with the fact that Brooke’s Father did not fight hard enough to give me and my parents what he wanted and got for his own daughter.

My Dad died before he could see his daughter truly vindicated and restored and back in Asheboro. I understand that some of my neighbors will be protesting the annexation of Dave’s Mountain downtown this week. While I cannot attend, I will be with them in spirit. Several of them (knowing that I have some experience with that kind of thing) have asked for my advice.

Those conversations have brought back some very strong memories . . . of navigating the series of machinations on the part of Asheboro's City Manager (over parade and building permits – really absurd stuff – a real affront to free speech that made it crystal clear city leaders were in cahoots with the hospital). It all culminated in me standing before the Asheboro City Council on April 8, 2004 to tell my story of woe.

One of those memories is of my Dad, a very proud man, standing up after I spoke and pleading with city council members to exercise their influence to right a wrong and help bring his daughter back home. He was my hero.

Of course, the council turned a deaf ear – and subsequently appointed Bob Morrison to chair its 20/20 efforts. Chosing this unrepentant liar to lead them into the future could not have been a bigger slap in the face. And it spoke volumes about what the Asheboro City Council really values.

The other memory is of Pops, who feared for my safety (we all knew the city & powers-that-be were turning the screws tightly – to push the buttons and make me so angry I might do something that would get me arrested) coming to walk with me when I protested.

After he was done walking, he went across the street to just watch – standing alone in his Railroad cap and dungaree jacket – with his hands in his pockets – silently daring anyone to mess with his daughter. It is a picture permanently branded in my mind. And I am so grateful for it.

I’ve said a lot here. It’s time to close. But before I do, I’ve got news for the people who think they're very important on Schmidly’s list (news that will likely never make the Courier):

ASHEBORO IS MY HOME TOO (YOU AND “THE BOYS” ON YOUR LIST NEVER GOT THAT, SCHMID).

"IT'S TIME" FOR SOME OF YOU TO GET REAL AND CLEAN UP YOUR ACT.

YOU DO NOT KNOW BEST. IN FACT, YOU ARE DEAD WRONG. ASHEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA DOES NOT NEED OPEN ALCOHOL SALES IN ORDER TO THRIVE AND TO GROW.

YOU WILL BE STRONGLY OPPOSED. AND YOU WILL LOSE . . .

. . . EVEN AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU “WIN”.

5/4 Update (AM): As happens when the winds of dissent and disatisfaction (with the way things are done in Asheboro) stir up, the Courier Tribune is really pouring on the publicity/fluff for Randolph Hospital. Articles and ads peppered the Sunday paper today: "Nurse of the Year" . . . pictures of cute kids promoting cardiac procedures . . . "Healthwise" screenings and seminars . . . employment pitches touting, "The opportunity to build the career of your dreams".

Like many Asheboro residents (who have seen/heard it all before), I normally just roll my eyes and ignore it. But today I had to laugh. The "Lifestyles" section featured a full page article promoting the local OB Group headed by Craig Gaccione. It touted laproscopic hysterectomies (which the group is now doing) as "minimally invasive surgery". The patient's last name was Johnson.

The Courier once again demonstrated its keen attention to detail and deep respect for local physicians by mis-spelling Dr. Gaccione's name (as Caccione) throughout the entire article.

As most folks who read this blog know, because of my previous experience with "minimally invasive surgery" at Randolph Hospital (two botched procedures requiring surgical correction somewhere else), this Johnson went to Hickory to have her hysterectomy (under the care of Craig's former partner, Dr. Nancy Toy). I was very pleased with the care I got in Catawba County. I had the traditional procedure - bikini scar - kept the ovaries. In my travels, I've seen/heard about some pretty horrific complications of laproscopic procedures.

Dr. Gaccione is the OB who took care of the Mother of the baby whose life I saved ten years ago. Like many of his distinguished Randolph Hospital colleagues, he stood by and did a whole lot of nothing as my life was turned to crap by Bob Morrison and Steve Eblin.

In the face of overwhelming evidence that I was done fundamentally wrong, he and his esteemed medical colleagues - so consumed with ethics and providing "care you can trust" - continue to sit by and DO NOTHING to set things right.

I don't have a very high opinion of Dr. Gaccione. No matter how his name is spelled.

And please don't get me started on "the opportunity to build the career of your dreams". I bought that line before.