Do not vote for TJ Thomasson

Posted on by Jeffrey Wolfe

When I read the Aug. 17 Xpress article about the City Council candidates, I immediately noticed TJ Thomasson [“And Then There Were Nine”]. I thought, “Great! A gay candidate that can represent me.” My excitement over the prospect of a young gay man on City Council led me to look deeper into what this candidate has to offer our city. I was extremely disappointed by what the research had to say about the potential for Thomasson to represent me, or anyone in our city, with any degree of responsibility or morality. My research showed that Thomasson has a criminal record and has documented financial issues.

I will not be voting for Thomasson in the upcoming election despite my desire to see more representation for the LGBTQ community on City Council.

My quest for information on this candidate led me to first check him out on Facebook and Linkedin. I noticed he has held three jobs in the past year and a half. I know the economy is rough, but his poor work history needed some explaining. Why would I give someone a job to represent me for four years when that person can’t hold regular employment for any significant period of time?

Since this information sent up a red flag, I ran a background check on Thomasson and the results were troubling. Besides small infractions like speeding, driving with an expired registration (twice), driving without an inspection and driving without insurance, there are other documented incidents. He was arrested and convicted in 2008 for selling alcohol to minors. In a separate incident, he was arrested and convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia.

On top of all this, Thomasson went bankrupt under Chapter 7 within the past seven years. Thomasson is clearly not a person who should be representing Asheville.

What I found was Thomasson’s documented past; there is probably more that he does not want you to know about. There are better candidates out there; vote for someone else this election.

— Jeffrey Wolfe
Asheville

Editor’s note: See Thomason’s response here.

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4 thoughts on “Do not vote for TJ Thomasson”

  1. chuck giezentanner

    Dear Jeffrey Wolfe,

    While you are casting stones, would you please update this letter with the following:

    1) your relationship to TJ
    2) your own criminal record and financials
    3) EVERY candidate’s criminal record and financials
    4) your REAL full name for the record

    It is so easy to be holier than thou when its just letters on a page or fonts on a screen.

    I am just shocked that someone would print such a damaging letter without fully researching it (Mountain Xpress,) you have no idea how damaging it could be. Mr. Thomasson could lose his job, damage his relationships to his family, to his friends, etc or this kind of public airing of this dirty laundry. I personally know TJ and he is not the creature you have painted here. Shame on you Mr. Wolfe and SHAME on you Mountain Xpress for printing such a damaging letter.

    Thank you,
    Chuck Giezentanner

  2. Margaret Williams

    Thank you for your concern, Mr. Giezentanner.

    We did research the letter about TJ Thomason and weighed various issues before publishing it. 1) We verified the letter-writer’s identity; 2) We reviewed the letter’s contents with him; 3) We gave Mr. Thomason a chance to reply (you can see his response here: http://old.mountainx.com/opinion/2011/090711we-grow-from-our-shortcomings-and-our-mistakes#.Tme8i3NDqaA ); and 4) We did background checks on all candidates vying for the three open seats on the Asheville City Council; nothing more than a speeding ticket or other minor issues were evident.

    In the end, we felt it readers should have the opportunity to weigh this evidence on their own and Mr. Thomason should have the opportunity to respond.

  4. TJ Thomasson

    I would like to suggest to everyone that has read this letter, please read my response. I am just saying this because more than twice the people have read this letter than have read mine. I hope everyone weighs both side of this issue – and I consider the issue to be over.

    We have more important issues to discuss with the city’s future. However, I will address any questions about my past as they arise.

    I didn’t expect this was going to be a fun walk in the park, but it has been mostly fun and exciting so far.

    Thanks,

    TJ Thomasson
    Candidate for Asheville City Council
    vote4tj.com

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