Saturday, January 7, 2017

Looks like Tony Wilkins called the Greensboro Fire Department to harras a Marty Kotis competitor

"...When Geeksboro Coffee & Beverage Co. owner Joe Scott received a visit from Capt. Keith Roberson, an inspector with the Greensboro Fire Department, early Thursday afternoon, he immediately suspected it had something to do with a Facebook controversy earlier in the week about a business competitor’s potential involvement in festivities to celebrate the inauguration of President-elect Trump.

Scott acknowledges that he shared a Facebook status update from a person identified as Paisley Parque that took aim at Red Cinemas, a theater owned by Marty Kotis, a developer who owns and manages a stable of high-concept restaurants in the city.

“I used to love Red Cinemas, until I found out that the family that owns the theater are huge supporters of Donald Trump and HB 2,” Parque wrote in a review of the theater and separately as a status update...

Kotis characterized the Facebook post as completely false, and also said he had nothing to do with the fire inspector’s visit to Geeksboro.

Kotis has been a reliable campaign contributor to Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and other Republican members of the Guilford County delegation, including Sen. Trudy Wade and Rep. Jon Hardister, who voted in favor of the controversial HB 2 in March 2016. Berger also voted to put a referendum changing the state constitution to restrict marriage to a man and a woman on the 2012 primary ballot.

Kotis gave to R legislators after the HB2 vote,
making him a supporter of the initiative

Kotis also donates to members of the nonpartisan Greensboro City Council, including both progressive and conservative members.

Kotis doesn't much like "thugs" either

That's a direct quote which was used as a pejorative 

Kotis said the Guilford County Republican Party looked into renting out Red Cinemas for its inauguration watch party...

the Idiot Box, which is leasing the basement theater under Geeksboro from Scott, is holding a “Trump Roast,” a comedy event based built around a classic celebrity roast, on Jan. 13.

Scott said Capt. Roberson told him during his visit on Thursday that he had received a complaint about potential code violations related to the Idiot Box’s use of the Geeksboro basement theater. The inspection resulted in a small fine...

When Scott questioned the timing of the visit, Roberson divulged that his supervisor told him the inspection had been instigated by a call from Greensboro City Councilman Tony Wilkins, the only Republican who serves on the nonpartisan body.

...Wilkins declined to reveal the identity of the person who asked him to look into the matter.

...After the inspector’s visit, Scott called Wilkins. Scott was irate from the beginning of the conversation. When Wilkins refused to disclose the identity of the complainant, Scott said he told Wilkins he thought his position was “cowardly.”

...Wilkins said he doesn’t recall that those were the exact words, but conceded it was “something similar.”

https://triad-city-beat.com/2017/01/inspection-raises-concern-political-payback-inauguration-nears/