On Wednesday, April 29, as part of a political stunt, Gaston County Commissioner Tracy Philbeck intentionally misled the public by stating that he would be taking part in the signing of an Executive Order that would allow business to reopen in Gaston County effective at 5pm that same day. At the same time, the very order he helped issue acknowledged in its text that it was superseded by Governor Roy Cooper’s order, thereby rendering it useless.

Unfortunately the ensuing chaos due to the conflicted messaging has led to many individuals falsely believing they can reopen their business, when in reality they would face fines or in some cases the loss of their license to operate. By employing this political stunt to gain a measure of notoriety, not only has Tracy Philbeck disregarded the public interest by ignoring the advice of health professionals, but has endangered the small business’ he claims to be defending, by virtue of exposing them to monetary liability in the form of fines and job loss from forfeiture of their license. This wantonly immoral behavior necessitates his immediate removal from office, and thus we request his resignation. If you are receiving this message and are not Tracy Philbeck, we request you publicly express your support for this action, given the egregious nature his actions.