A proposal to sell a city-owned building on North Murray Street failed during Thursday’s Gainsboro Aldermen meeting as a large crowd of concerned citizens turned out.
The building sits next to Gainesboro City Offices and was not previously for sale. Real Estate Developer Joshua Abbotoy said the proposed military drone component facility would generate more than $300,000 in state and local taxes annually.
“There’s like political questions about, you know, about the acquisition and, you know, the political views of the founder of the company and all of that and and I get that,” Abbotoy said. “But I would also ask that, you know, we are talking about paychecks here, you know. And so I would encourage you to just give this serious consideration and also put, you know, paychecks over politics in this as you consider it.”
The project faced significant opposition from residents who questioned the impact on the town’s character and the validity of job promises. There were also concerns about the ownership by Ridge Runner USA, a group associated with Christian nationalism. The group has purchased large amounts of property, bringing in people from outside the area to live.
The proposal officially failed when no member of the board offered a motion to approve the sale.
Former Democratic candidate for Mayor Aurora Wells said the group interested in the purchase was relatively unknown to the community and was attempting to grab land not suitable for the project.
“All in an effort for the group and its affiliates to try to grab land not suitable for their project, not for sale, and at the expense of the peace and solidarity of the wonderful people in our beautiful home,” Wells said. “Thank you.”
Local resident Barry Nash said the claim that the factory would provide 40 good-paying jobs for local citizens was not believable. Nash said the developer already owns or has contracts for over 4,000 acres in Jackson County.
“He wants a small space here in town right in between all these houses in the middle of Gainsboro to build, to bring a military manufacturing facility,” Nash said. “It makes no sense whatsoever.”
Board members expressed concern for the immediate neighbors and the potential loss of city storage space. One resident said the concerns of the residents living closest to the site should be heavily weighed in the decision.
The issue created a stir on social media leading into Thursday’s meeting. The crowd, according to Mayor Ricky Head, one of the largest-ever to attend an Aldermen meeting.
