CIBO TV ad sparks more development debate

Posted on by Cecil Bothwell

Local development debates are drawing creative responses from several quarters. A Council of Independent Business Owners TV ad is one of the latest salvos.

The ad, which you can view here, decries local opposition to the I-26 Connector, support for a development moratorium and opposition to Progress Energy’s proposed new power plant. The situation is one of “extremism vs. responsible growth,” the ad says.

In response, last Sunday, local cartoonist David Cohen lampooned CIBO in his latest editorial comic for the Asheville Citizen-Times. That cartoon, which portrays the business group as goose-stepping fascists, is posted here.

In response to Cohen’s cartoon, CIBO mailed an alert to its members. “Thank you for so many calls regarding Sunday’s cartoon sponsored by the Asheville Citizen Times in its opinion pages,” it reads. “All of the calls have been an expression of outrage and dismay at the very insensitive fascist and nazi portrayals of CIBO and its members. … The Asheville Citizen Times efforts to make a bigoted characterization of the organization is unfounded. The Asheville Citizen Times should review itself to ensure that it represents free speech for everyone including the business community.”

Afterwards, Cohen told Xpress, “I wasn’t criticizing the organization, I was poking fun at the TV ad. And you know what? I’ll probably do that sort of thing again.”

— Cecil Bothwell, staff writer

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About Cecil Bothwell
A writer for Mountain Xpress since three years before there WAS an MX--back in the days of GreenLine. Former managing editor of the paper, founding editor of the Warren Wilson College environmental journal, Heartstone, member of the national editorial board of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, publisher of Brave Ulysses Books, radio host of "Blows Against the Empire" on WPVM-LP 103.5 FM, co-author of the best selling guide Finding your way in Asheville. Lives with three cats, macs and cacti. His other car is a canoe. Paints, plays music and for the past five years has been researching and soon to publish a critical biography--Billy Graham: Prince of War:
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5 thoughts on “CIBO TV ad sparks more development debate”

  2. wjell

    I’m beginning to think that CIBO is the shadow government that really runs Asheville and controls City Council Members like little puppets on a string. Anybody else seeing this picture?

  3. Jason Bugg

    I’m beginning to think that people are running out of good conspiracy theories. It’s money. Of course they are going to have more of a voice than you or I. That’s how it always is. Get used to it.

  4. wjell

    So Jason…your point is??

    More money – does that make them right?

    I have gotten used to many things in life but it doesn’t mean I like them or that I feel that they are necessarily right or that I will not challenge them.

  5. Jason Bugg

    I’m not saying that money makes it right, I’m just saying that there are the way things are, and there are the the way things should be. Money has more in common with one, while good minded people have more in common with the other.

    Continue to fight, and I applaud that, but please remember in this world what talks and what walks.

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