With proposed billboards, Buncombe GOP warns of ‘greenway zombies,’ ‘evil queen’

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Updated 3:46 p.m.: Mountain Xpress reporter Jake Frankel alleges on Twitter that the Holly Jones image used in one of the controversial billboards, taken by Xpress photographer Max Cooper, was used without permission.

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The Buncombe County Republican Party recently announced it had planned to post several billboards around the county. The party says the billboards are using a little Halloween humor to poke fun at Democrats, but some commenters on Facebook say the ads are in poor taste.

Check out the billboards mocking city council member Gordon Smith and county commissioner Holly Jones here in the Buncombe GOP Facebook photostream.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports today that the Buncombe GOP decided not to put the billboards up:

“It does go beyond our scope of how we feel politics should be run,” said Nathan West, spokesman for the Buncombe County GOP. “The billboard is not being run. The billboard has never gone up.”

Here’s the original announcement from the Buncombe GOP:

The Buncombe County Republican Party is pleased to announce that over this past weekend a series of new billboards began appearing in multiple locations throughout the county — with more going up over the next several days promoting Republican values in this year’s election.

The billboards, placed strategically around the county, are graphically powerful and contain the tagline “This year, vote Republican” appearing on most of them. The language is intentional; part of a campaign to reach out to conservative Democrat and unaffiliated voters — and they’ve added a little Halloween humor as well.

“Honestly, this is a campaign to reach more than Republicans, said Nathan West, Communications Director for the Buncombe County Republican Party. “Our messaging reaches out to conservative Democrats and unaffiliated folks to encourage them to vote Republican this year — folks who may have never voted for a Republican candidate before.” said West. “But of course, we need our Republican friends to turn out this year and vote too.”

“We’re asking folks to vote Republican this year.” said BCGOP Chairman Henry Mitchell. “And we promise…we won’t tell your friends if you do,” he joked.

3 Comments

David October 11, 2012 - 8:50 am

Well, lets see…preppy collar shirt, Fadora, jar of corn liquer could it be anything but a Republican in the picture? Really- Slamming Greenways for political gain? Get out and get some exercise on a greenway then you wont be so mean or stupid.

Doug Cegelis October 10, 2012 - 4:35 pm

GOP- Classy as ever.

Orbit DVD October 9, 2012 - 12:49 pm

Are greenways a political issue? If they are, the GOP needs to open their eyes.

I grew up in a small town in East TN that is EXTREMELY Republican. However, in that town is an 11 mile greenway that follows the Little River. It connects every park, almost every school and winds through two towns. Also this small town has a large skate park and a library that took over an entire shopping center.

What the town leaders know is that if they increase quality of life, guess what, you bring in new business and corporations. And that is exactly what has happened.

As someone that votes Republican quite a bit (until recently that is), I am suggesting to the GOP to get on board, or you will come across as short-sighted if you don’t.

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