Drexel debate pits values against choice

Discussion grew tense at Tuesday’s Town of Drexel Board of Aldermen meeting as officials debated local government’s role in cultural issues, with a local Cub Scout pack, drag shows, and Halloween movies at the center of the debate.

Mayor Dennis Anthony’s comments on a local pizza restaurant’s reputation for hosting drag shows drew criticism, and by Thursday the mayor released a statement apparently retracting what he had said during the meeting.

During a report from Drexel Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Pack 225 Leader Jacob Anderson, Anthony said he did not want the club to participate in fundraisers sponsored by Moondog Pizza, a Morganton restaurant that occasionally hosts drag shows.

“I feel like God has put this on my heart … We don’t need to be associated with them for this fact,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of that kind of thing being associated with the town, especially with what the kids are doing.”

The mayor complained that the drag shows were “thrown up at us for four years about every day.”

“What they do behind closed doors is their business. I don’t care,” he said. “I’m not the one who’s going to be judging. When the day comes, they will have to answer to the man up above, not me.”

Moondog Pizza last month held a fundraiser for the Cub Scouts, donating 25% of the evening’s proceeds amounting to about $400, said Anderson, adding that Moondog Pizza’s owners have children in the pack.

The Scout leader told the mayor that if the Town of Drexel wished for the pack to no longer have fundraisers at Moondog Pizza, they would not.

Each Scout unit is chartered through a local community organization, according to BSA District Director Chris Scruggs, often churches, but occasionally civic clubs and towns.

In this case, the Town of Drexel is the chartering sponsor of the group, according to Anderson. The pack also uses a Scout cabin on land owned by the Town of Drexel, and the town pays the utilities for the cabin.

Scruggs said chartering sponsors have hiring and firing ability for Scout leaders and can choose to withdraw as sponsors, which would require the affected pack to find a different sponsor. Scruggs and Drexel Town Manager Bill Carroll were unsure how such authority could be executed in this case and what, if anything, the town could do to prevent the fundraisers.

“From my recollection, there were no official votes and no official action that would bar them from going to Moondog,” Carroll said Wednesday. “What was said was the mayor’s opinion on the matter.”

Anthony initially declined to comment further on Wednesday, but by Thursday morning The Paper received a statement from Anthony via an email from Carroll. The statement is as follows:

“On Tuesday night at the end of the regular board meeting, I voiced an opinion that was poorly timed and placed for my official position.

“I want to commend Moondog Pizza for their measured statement when it would have been easy to escalate the situation.

“Ultimately, the Drexel Scouts should conduct fundraisers in a manner and at a place they wish as long as the safety and wishes of the children and parents are respected.

“Mr. Jacob Anderson leads the Drexel Scouts excellently and I am proud of the example the Scouts are setting for our community.

“I wish Moondog Pizza great success in the future and hope to move past this event to focus on the exciting future our elected officials, staff, and residents are building for the Town of Drexel.”

Carroll said Wednesday he had fielded some phone calls, emails, and even visits regarding the issue.

Elizabeth Winn, owner of Moondog Pizza, said Wednesday that the mayor’s initial comments were “homophobic” and “disheartening.”

“We want to give back to our community and it’s disheartening to have our restaurant questioned,” she said. “Him saying ‘We don’t want Moondog associated with our community,’ ... We live there. We’re in that community.”

Winn said Moondog has donated more than $1,000 to the group in the last two years.

“[The mayor] hasn’t made a personal monetary donation to our pack,” she said. “I don’t see him doing anything other than voicing his religious beliefs.”

Winn responded to the mayor’s Thursday statement, saying she had forgiven him but was not sure about members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and questioning (LGBTQ+) community.

“I forgive him personally,” she said, “Maybe just saying it out loud and hearing what people had to say helped him realize, ‘Hey, that was pretty wrong,’ ... I think we’ve all been in that position where we’ve felt that way.”

Winn said while the mayor’s statement was positive, the damage had been done, and she hoped for a firmer apology to the LGBTQ+ community.

Winn said she has been in discussion with pack leadership and hopes the discussion as a whole opens the door to other funding sources.

Alderman Victoria Taylor said during the meeting that she opposed the mayor’s comments.

“I completely disagree,” she said, saying Moondog Pizza is a private business and that the town would be “out of bounds” to keep the pack from participating in fundraisers.

Alderman David Harmon said during the meeting he was “semi both ways, a little bit,” and “not a drag queen fan,” but added that if the pack is not allowed to participate in Moondog Pizza fundraisers, the town should give them $400.

“We should put our money where our mouth is,” he said.

As for the board’s involvement in legislating the pack’s fundraising activities, Alderman and Mayor pro-tempore Scott Coe said, “I don’t think we can dictate that,” but said he supported giving the scouts $400 if such a decision were to be made.

Anderson said via email Wednesday that the pack does not have plans for another fundraiser at Moondog Pizza this year, and that fundraisers are typically held on an as-needed basis.

Board votes down R-rated films at drive-in

The board also voted Tuesday to continue a ban on local drive-in movie theater The View showing R-rated films on town property.

The View shows drive-in movies on a large inflatable screen at the Drexel Community Fairgrounds under a lease that states R-rated films are not allowed, said Carroll, but the aldermen can choose to approve them by vote.

Rex Willis, owner of The View, asked council via email to approve showings of various R-rated Halloween films, such as “Scream,” “Friday the 13th,” “Wrong Turn,” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Willis included summaries of each film’s level and type of graphic content for review.

Sam King and Beth King of Drexel said during the public comment section of the meeting that R-rated films should not be shown.

Harmon said he was concerned a young person might accidentally or intentionally see one of the films being shown, and was concerned about “the message we send,” calling the drive-in a “town product” since it is being shown on town property.

Taylor said she was “a big fan of all of (the films)” and while they may not appeal to everyone, there is a “big audience” for them.

To reject showing R-rated movies is “not protecting children, that’s making other people’s decisions for them,” she said.

Alderman Jennifer Yount said she was surprised the issue made it before the board considering the lease’s wording.

“I do understand the hesitation,” she said. “I kind of feel like we don’t need to show those movies.”

Coe said that while he supports people’s freedom to choose what media they consume, “I cannot support this. … I just don’t think we want the town’s name associated with this.”

The council upheld the ban 3-1 with Taylor casting the dissenting vote.

The day after the meeting, The View Owner Rex Willis began circulating an online petition asking the board to reconsider its decision and review the list individually. As of late Wednesday morning, the petition had nearly 200 signatures.

Willis told The Paper he was surprised when the board voted down all of the films at once, adding that he had hoped the board would allow individual films based on their individual merits and “within reason.”

“I thought we were going to go through the whole list,” he said. “That’s not how that went. I would think Drexel would beg and plead for me to bring people in from other areas … These movies are some of the most requested movies I have.”

Willis said he wants to keep The View in Drexel, but “If I’m being limited on what I can play, then I don’t know if I can stay there. … It’s a big hit to me.”