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| Reid's on Selwyn Avenue Myers Park |
An employee at a Myers Park gourmet food store was fired after Gov. Pat McCrory’s security detail complained Sunday about a comment the worker made to the governor.
On Sunday afternoon, McCrory was shopping at Reid’s Fine Foods when Drew Swope, a 45-year-old cook, said he asked if he could help McCrory.
After realizing he was speaking with the governor, whom he disagrees with politically, Swope said he told McCrory, “Thanks for nothing,” and walked away.
Swope said the governor was upset at his comment and began “yelling” at him. He said McCrory said he was a customer and shouldn’t be treated that way.
He said the governor and his security team complained to the food store owner, who then fired him.
Swope said he doesn’t blame Reid’s for letting him go, saying, “I did speak out of turn.”
But he added he thought it was “shocking” that the governor “had me excluded from the workplace because I upset his feelings.”
“I don’t make a lot of money,” Swope said. “Life is hard. Everyone needs to work.”
The governor’s office initially declined to comment on the story.
Now here is where it gets a WTF (Well That's Funny)
On Monday night, McCrory’s communications director Joshua Ellis told the Observer that Swope had also made an obscene gesture to the governor during the conversation.
Swope denied that earlier Monday. “I wasn’t raised that way,” he said.
Ellis also said McCrory didn’t yell at Swope or ask or suggest that he be fired.
And Ellis said that Swope has said “things about physically harming the governor as well.”
He said he was referring to a January Facebook page about a planned protest for a McCrory visit to Statesville in February. On the page, some commenters said that they should burn an effigy of the governor. One commenter wrote they could “kick (the effigy) around,” to which Swope replied, “square in the” (groin).
Swope could not immediately be reached for reaction to the effigy comment.
So the Governor's Team Ups The Charges.
Reid’s owner, Tom Coker, wasn’t in the store during the incident. Coker said his decision to fire
Swope had “nothing to do” with McCrory’s position as governor.
“The governor couldn’t have been more gracious,” Coker said about a conversation he said he had with McCrory and his security team about the encounter. “It was an inappropriate comment to a customer.”
He added: “It’s not acceptable in any workplace, especially in the service industry to treat your customers that way.”
Then there is this tidbit:
Coker said he was pulling into the restaurant parking lot Sunday afternoon when he was approached by McCrory and his security team. He said the group had been told that he was the owner by a parking lot attendant.“His security guy told me what happened,” Coker said.
Last I checked there is no parking lot attendant at Reid's in Myers Park.
The full Observer story is here.
Cedar's Take: McCrory missed a huge chance to be a leader. Instead he added to his image as a petulant child and bully.
Sure Swope should have been fired, but just think the mileage the Gov would have picked up if he had told Reid's not to fire Swope and invited him to come to Raleigh and talk about his displeasure and concerns.
As it stands now McCrory looks like a jerk, Reid's will lose some customers, either current or potential and Swope is out of a job.
10 comments:
Sounds like the governor was gracious according to your story? Company time is not when you express your political beliefs. You are a representing of your place of work and he should have used better judgement. The owner was correct that you don't treat people that way in that type of business. I guess he should have waited until the protest to run his mouth. It seems his job was not important enough for him to pass up his chance.
Yes, there actually is a parking lot attendant. Not the type who valet's your car, but Reid's has the parking lot staffed almost all of the time during open hours.
They direct traffic and help customers get in and out of the tight spots. They also keep patrons from Selwyn from parking cars in their parking lot.
Come on Cedar, get your shit together.
Mccrory is the worst governor this state has had in a LONG time. He makes Bev Perdue look like a genius. He obviously is a little man that has been elevated way to far beyond his capabilities ... Truly he is Charlotte's shame.
Without a doubt, the guy needed to be fired, guess maybe he had other issues as well.
Here's the thing, I don't like Obama, Purdue, Prittenger and many others, in fact whenever I hear McCrory I find it amazing that he hold's the office.
Except he is the governor and he deserves that respect. But he is such a distant representation of North Carolina that I can't imagine him winning a second term.
Was he gracious? I doubt it, I hear he was an ass.
As it turned out it wasn't handled any better than the old guy getting upset over the young guy texting in the movie theater.
I have never seen a parking lot attendant, but I go really early and not very often.
I think Richard Vinroot would have at least looked the part. But the quality of politicians in this state and South Carolina is pretty sad.
WTF, you want McCrory to have a beer summit with the dude? To hell with that. Dude shot his mouth off and got fired for it, end of story. Media would just make McCrory look bad no matter what he did, rememember the cookie story and the Moral Monday sore losers?
This is really disappointing. McCrory should have turned the other cheek. He chose to be in politics. He is not a regular citizen and while he walks around with tax paid security detail, he should be expected to handle criticism by tax payers graciously.
Instead he has his security detail check this guy out,research his background/facebook pages, and get him fired, all for saying "thanks for nothing". (so it was rude, he should be able to handle that)How much is the security detail making to waste time on bully tactics?
I was really hoping McCrory was a better person and governor than that. I certainly don't want to vote for Cooper in the next election, but I can't vote for McCrory if he is going to be so petty and a bully. I hope he decides to fix this.
I really want him to be vote worthy, but if this is how he choses to handle those that disagree with his politics then he's not.
I was under the impression that you were a police officer? As such, you certainly are aware that there is more than one side to every story? Why are you presenting the cook's side as gospel?
That being said, the "old guy" in the theater was attacked and threatened by a young, disrespectful punk. The off duty officer on scene saw it all. I wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions. If I learned anything after the Trayvon debacle, it is to be VERY leery of the media.
The leftwit media has shown unabashed bias time and again.
I will wager the cook did more than say "thanks for nothing". I will even bet money on it.
To. 6:01: Cedar is not a police officer so the rest of your rant is irrelevant....pointless drivel.
This is poor reporting and very biased. I understand this is an opinion piece, but it's a very irresponsible opinion. According to the writer, employees may freely make snide comments to any customer on company time--and customers should just be ok with that. You don't have "freedom of speech" when you are on the job. I can't just tell my annoying customers that they are annoying--or mumble "you're an idiot" to a politician I disagree with. I would love to see what would happen if a writer on this website were to write "readers of this blog are morons." I'm pretty sure he or she would not be held up as a hero.
To 9:32 .... This is a blog...it's all about personal opinion. Get over it.
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