NEWS

McCrory on Moogfest: 'I'll do anything to make it work'

Romando Dixson and Jess McCuan

ASHEVILLE – Gov. Pat McCrory made it to Asheville for Moogfest after all.

He appeared Wednesday at a Moogfest VIP pool party atop the Aloft Hotel. It was a surprising development considering — amid plans of a protest against the governor's presence — McCrory's office said he would not attend the event at the request of organizers.

McCrory said Wednesday evening he is no stranger to protests, and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer had called and encouraged him to come to town.

"They can target me," he said. "I was sad to see the protesters politicize a music event. This is not about politics. It's about jobs and music and a lot of fun."

McCrory also said he had been planning to come to Asheville anyway. He is scheduled to appear at noon Thursday at the Grove Park Inn for the North Carolina Airports Association's annual conference, an announcement made about 6 p.m. Wednesday. The event is closed to the media.

McCrory was originally scheduled to appear Wednesday at the "Wiring Silicon Mountain" kickoff panel of the five-day festival, which celebrates music, technology and innovation.

Local residents organized a protest against the Republican governor after the announcement last week.

Jill Lieberman, a Moogfest spokeswoman, said Friday morning that McCrory would not attend "due to a scheduling conflict." Later that day, McCrory's office said organizers had asked him not to attend the event. Moog said that it regretted any miscommunication between the parties.

"I want this thing to work," McCrory said Wednesday, referring to Moogfest. "I'll do anything to make it work. I don't want to let protesters get in the way of mixing politics with good music and a good time."

The governor also said he is personally a fan of electronic music and wants Moogfest to be a long-term event.

"I grew up on 'Switched on Bach,'" he said. "I was always a fan of symphonic rock."

Most people were not expecting to see McCrory during Moogfest because of the official statement from his office. He did not attend the panel discussion Wednesday afternoon. His public schedule Wednesday also did not include a visit to Asheville.

His presumed absence did not stop about 80 people from gathering at the Vance Monument for a protest.

"Our grievances don't go away just because he has, because he's still going to be passing legislation that is damaging," protest organizer Andrew Lafiosca said at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, 2 1/2 hours before McCrory was seen downtown. "It's important that we come together on this and that we really shed some light on the political culture that we're faced with right now (because) of people like McCrory."

The protest lasted about an hour, across the street from where McCrory would've been speaking at Diana Wortham Theatre. Several people carried two-sided signs that said, "Not a fan of McCrory" and "This regression will not stand."

Various speakers criticized the governor for his decision-making regarding education, tax breaks for the wealthy and his staff appointments and relationship with Duke Energy, which has taken a lot of criticism over coal ash ponds.

"The governor's been guilty of a lot of things that I think have really hurt our state," Lafiosca said. "And I think that's coming from all walks of life and all perspectives."