The Pinehurst Hot Mess: Too Sleazy for DC but Okey-dokey for Pinehurst? (Also, has Barb been ‘Heintzed’?)
As Election Day creeps closer, ‘Parachute Pat’ Pizzella is EVERYWHERE. He showed up in town about eight months prior to the 2021 election, and got installed in village government by the totalitarian downtown cocktail clique dubbed ‘The Friday Group.’
This year — two years after his arrival — he wants to be MAYOR.
As village councilman, Pizzella has led / encouraged / cheered on frontal assaults on residential exterior lighting, trucks in downtown, and tourists, among other things.
He’s got Internet, print, and TV ads. All of them are misleading about WHEN he came to town and what he DID in DC. Apparently, Team Parachute is super-impressed with ‘Parachute Pat’s tenure as deputy Labor secretary as well as his time with multiple other forgettable federal agencies you didn’t know existed and, actually, probably don’t need to exist. As anyone who has done time in DC — like I have – can tell you, these appointments largely come about by people who are interested in a certain subject recommending you to their friends in the federal executive branch. Let’s say someone has need for influence within the Labor Department. They know a guy named Pizzella has experience with labor issues. They recommend him to cronies in the executive branch. Presto! The deal is done.
Here is a list of Pizzella’s lobbying clients in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Yes, boys and girls. ‘Parachute Pat’ was an influence peddler. Interestingly, tensions between The Village of Pinehurst and our county commissioners AND our state legislators have grown during Pizzella’s time in village government. And he wants to be MAYOR.
Oh. There has been some discussion about his role as ACTING Labor Secretary. ‘Parachute Pat’ got that role thanks to Trump’s actual Labor Secretary stepping aside due to scandal. There was an attempt to get Pizzella confirmed as secretary. Pizzella’s former business associate — legendary scandal figure Jack Abramoff — even endorsed him. The problem? Members of the Senate were concerned about Pizzella’s professional ties to Abramoff.
Pizzella also got some press for representing a Bahamas-based corporation with strong ties to the Putin government in Moscow.
I’m sure you’ve also seen the signs promoting something or someone called BARB. We’ve found 
that someone named Barb Ficklin is running on ‘Parachute Pat’s ticket for village council. Barb is registered as an Unaffiliated voter. But the last time she chose a partisan ballot was for the 2018 DEMOCRAT primary. That’s right, Moore County Republicans — DEMOCRAT.
This November will be an interesting test to see whether the bogeyman tourists trump an ‘unaffiliated ‘ voter who has rather recently voted in a Democrat primary.
Hmmm. Her last participation, according to state files, in a municipal election appears to be 2007.
Also, you may notice that Jeffrey Heintz is listed as her campaign contact. We profiled Heintz sometime back. It appears he has developed quite a reputation for tattling on fellow residents on the village-operated MYVOP website, among other things.
If these tidbits don’t scare the crap out of you about the November election, I don’t know WHAT WILL.
Interesting reading, Mr. Clifton. How about Pat received campaign contributions from areas around Washington DC….to be Mayor of Pinehurst NC? As a partner in the John Strickland Cabal, Pat ‘welcomed” the influences of the Unelected, Unidentified, and Unaccountable “Friday Group”. Is that what taxpayers want in Pinehurst leadership? A self-chosen few directing our elected leaders? What is their agenda? Why don’t they run for office?
The Village seems to have just one candidate with a clean slate for top leadership of the Village. He is bright, unencoumbered by shadow groups, and is flexible and willing to listen to the citizens. He is professional, has a clear vision, and remains open-minded about key issues. Jeff Morgan. Talk to him.