If Town Planning Director Danny Wilson lied about siccing state regulators onto Josh’s Farmers Market, what else would he lie about?
The Scoop contacted Wilson on June 6, asking if he had filed a complaint with the state that prompted a June 1 state inspection of Josh’s Farmers Market — the first inspection of the market in 30 years. Wilson replied in an email: “I did not, nor did anyone from the Town’s PCD (Planning and Community Development) Department, file a complaint against Josh’s Farmers Market to the N.C. Department of Agriculture.”
Turns out, that is a lie.
Public records obtained by the Scoop from the N.C. Department of Agriculture reveal that Danny Wilson, in fact, filed a report with the state on May 10. His concern: the market selling “illegal beef.”
A compliance referral form from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Meat and Poultry Division reads: “Danny Wilson, Planning Director in Mooresville, said that (Josh’s Farmers Market Owner) Josh Graham with Grampian Farm is selling beef from cattle of his own raising at a farmer’s market and he isn’t listed as a registered meat handlers [sic]. (Wilson) said that he isn’t sure if (Graham) is taking his animals to an establishment to have them slaughtered and processed or if he is slaughtering his own animals. Please contact Mr. Wilson at the above given phone number for more information and he also has some questions about the regulations for selling meat.”
The state inspection resulted in no written violations against Josh’s Farmers Market.
Wilson has been the primary town employee to give countless hours of testimony, including under oath, against Josh’s Farmers Market since late last year, when the town increased its efforts to put the longtime Mooresville market out of business.
The town first levied thousands of dollars of fines against the YMCA in Morrison Plantation, where the market was located at the time, to force Graham to close that location. The town ultimately prevailed on Oct. 31.
Wilson and his department then granted two temporary permits to Josh’s Farmers Market to operate as “outdoor seasonal sales” at 140 Raceway Dr., where the market was located from November 2022 until the end of May.
In April, however, when Graham began applying for a temporary permit to operate at 630 Brawley School Road, Wilson and his department, outside of the town’s own ordinances, began rejecting the very same temporary permit, severely restricting the items the market could carry.
Once Graham agreed to the town’s changed terms, the planning department approved the market’s application for 120 days at 630 Brawley School Road, where it opened on June 2.
And on June 1 — the day before the market opened — Mooresville Code Enforcement Officer Rebecca Saunders was stalking the market from a nearby parking lot at the same hour that state inspectors visited JFM in response to Wilson’s complaint … the one he said he didn’t make.
14 thoughts on “Liar liar pants on fire”
i think Mr.Wilson should be investigated by his superiors. This makes the town board look bad as well ..It is hard to believe that no one else knew what Mr.Wilson’s was doing ???? What would Wilson benefit by trying to put a Josh Graham out of business ?? Josh Graham and his whole family are some of the best people you will every meet !!!! God bless you Josh..You have a lot of friends that are praying for things to work out for you !!!
I think everyone who supports Josh, march down Main Street and Danny Wilson and the rest of these people, Mooresville has alway supported the True Mooresvillians. You come into our town claiming it’s the hometown feeling and caring for each other that brings you here but you are trying to change us. We need to get Good Morning America to come and do a story about town officials who are trying to destroy a young man who has been serving the community since he was young. He is serving the community by providing fresh vegetables and other products for the people. I don’t think you should continue to hold a public job(Danny Wilson ) when he has so much Hate towards one person. I am calling for Bobby Compton, Eddie Dingler,Thurman Houston and the rest of the Town Commissioners to End this hatred fueled persecution. You should not be able to use your position as town official to destroy someone you hate.
We moved years ago from Minnesota because we love this town, NC and the South when we visited many years ago and we divorced MN and all of it and enjoy acquiescing to the South and this area. Lately I feel I never left as we get more and more enguaged and pray this town gets fixed and willing to help however we can to get it back to what we once loved and why we moved here.
Very well said Cecilia Milks. Your comments refect my position as well. Danny Wilson should be dismissed as an employee of the Town of Mooresville. He has lied openly about reporting Josh Graham to The NC Deptarmant of Agriculture resulting ina a visit that did NOT substantiate Danny Martins allegation and planned personal attack on Josh Graham. Danny Martins conduct is not deserving of his Town official employment at the cost of our personal tax dollars. Disgusting behavior. Yes, Bobby Compton, Eddie Dingler,Thurman Houston, the Town Commissioners and Miles Adkins all need to END THIS HATRED PERSECUTION OF Josh Graham.
A+ reporting!
I’m trying to figure out why the town is trying to put him out of business. Are the grocery stores in town putting pressure on them to shut him down? Taking too much business away? Yes! We should get someone nationally to investigate.
What an POS liar with no balls. Ya’ll are hell bent on ruining what’s left of this town. Just look at hwy 150 the infrastructure has to come 1st, not last. But you keep approving apartment complexes and more homes. Try driving down 150… Why are you after Josh??? Go back where you came from and ruin that town…And to the person that said he is sick of this, well SO ARE WE. FIX IT NOW!!!! And quit changing all the rules to fit your BS agenda…
It is my prayer and wish that the Town of Mooresville would come to a peaceful resolution for the community to be able to keep Josh’s Farmers Marker open . The farmers market has been here for decades , He is a Value and staple to our town . To Lose Josh’s Farmers Market would be devasting to this town and its people . I hope the Planning board will come to a resolution that will allow Josh’s Farmers Market to continue to have his business here in the Town of Mooresville . Praying for this .
Josh, come to Troutman!! We would love to have your farmer’s market closer to us.
YOU MUST VOTE IN LOCAL ELECTIONS
I know that there’s alot of people outside the city limits, talk to your family and friends that can vote. Make sure they hear THE TRUTH about Mr Wilson.
Let’s set the record correct and truthful. Painting Danny Wilson as a liar is an injustice. His job and responsibility, as defined by his employers, the City Council, is to enforce the City codes and standards that THEY APPROVED. Those standards require food products sold in farmer’s markets to meet the USDA health standards. Learning that this farmer’s market was selling beef, Mr. Wilson, who’s staff does not have the expertise to determine compliance, simply requested the proper authority, the State inspectors, to make sure the beef was safe and compliant. That is not a complaint, and he did not lie in his answer. The town council, if honest and just, should support their planning director.
If Liar Wilson had visited JFM he would have seen that the meat that they were selling was safe and compliant. So the call to state inspectors was uncalled for and another way to stir the pot against JFM. So Mr Robinson why don’t you jump in the car with Liar Wilson and y’all leave Mooresville together.
Let’s set the record correct and truthful. Painting Danny Wilson as a liar is an injustice. His job and responsibility, as defined by his employers, the City Council, is to enforce the City codes and standards that THEY APPROVED. Those standards require food products sold in farmer’s markets to meet the USDA health standards. Learning that this farmer’s market was selling beef, Mr. Wilson, who’s staff does not have the expertise to determine compliance, simply requested the proper authority, the State inspectors, to make sure the beef was safe and compliant. That is not a complaint, and he did not lie in his answer. The town council, if honest and just, should support their planning director.
Let’s set the record correct and truthful. Painting Danny Wilson as a liar is an injustice. His job and responsibility, as defined by his employers, the City Council, is to enforce the City codes and standards that THEY APPROVED. Those standards require food products sold in farmer’s markets to meet the USDA health standards. Learning that this farmer’s market was selling beef, Mr. Wilson, who’s staff does not have the expertise to determine compliance, simply requested the proper authority, the State inspectors, to make sure the beef was safe and compliant. That is not a complaint, and he did not lie in his answer. The town council, if honest and just, should support their planning director.