Ba-a-a-d joke draws neighboring town's comment

The Apex sheep saga has settled down to jokes and comments and life goes on. Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly appeared on a radio show this week and cracked a joke that this sort of problem might be expected in Holly Springs but not in Apex. To his surprise the Holly springs Mayor Dick Sears came back with "Well, you know, he's a jerk." Later after Weatherly called to apologize Sears calmed down and suggested it should all be left in Apex.

Animal protection representatives have visited the second farm owned by the man found to be keeping sheep in his home in Apex and determined that animals there were lacking for attention but the situation did not rise to animal cruelty. The saga of keeping animals in the Apex house is settling down and the owner is being viewed as a bit eccentric and that he was overwhelmed by having so many sheep born that he simply couldn't take care of them all. Time will tell when his case is resolved and the issue repeats itself or goes away.

News and Observer
March 31, 2007
Toby Coleman and David Bracken, Staff Writers

Mayor's ba-a-a-d joke

Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly responded to news that a man was keeping a flock of sheep in his downtown Apex house with a lot of jokes.

He even went on WRAL-FM's "Bill and Sheri in the Morning" show Tuesday to face baaas and a bunch of cracks.

He respond-ed with what he said was a lighthearted jab at a neighboring town: "Very frankly, you might expect this sort of thing in Holly Springs, but ... it was a surprise to us in Apex."

That didn't play well in Holly Springs.

"Well, you know, he's a jerk," said Holly Springs Mayor Dick Sears on Wednesday morning.

Sears cooled down later in the day after Weatherly called him to apologize. He said that he no longer thought Weatherly was a jerk.

"You just shouldn't do those kind of things," Sears said. "If the joke was on Apex the whole show, then leave it on Apex."

"If anybody took that as a serious commentary they missed the point and that's unfortunate," Weatherly said later.

"I certainly didn't mean to demean the good people of Holly Springs," the mayor added. "That would be ludicrous."