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VOLUME 94, NUMBER 3
TUESDAY, JANIJHRY 13, 1981
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH Cj
O
Reliance
^ To Build
i
RELIANCE TO BUILD — Here is a photo oi a drawing of the
211.000 square foot Reliance Electric Corporation, which will
be built near Bethware School on Highway 74 West oi Kings
Mountain. The $33 million industry was recruited for
Cleveland County through the County Commissioners, City oi
Kings Mountain, the North Carolina Department oi Commerce
and Governor Hunt.
Commissioner Election
Recount Is Ordered
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
The State Board of Elections
ruled F riday in Shelby that votes
cast for county commissioner
during the November General
Election be re<ounted.
The state board, which voted
for the action unanimously
following a two-day meeting at
the Law Enforcement Center,
ruled that the re-count should
take place as soon as possible so
that the thres commissioners
may be sworn in by February I.
The meeting was the result of
a protest filed by write-in can
didate Bobby Crawford follow
ing the Nov. 4 election, in which
three write-in candidates sup
ported by the Association of
Cleveland County Taxpayers
(ACT) collected over 8,000 votes
each and came within 2,000
votes of unseating incumbent
commissioners Jack Palmer, Col
eman Goforth and Hugh Dover.
Duran Johnson and John
Caveny were the other two
write-ins.
Crawford claimed that several
irregularities occurred in voting
and vote-counting, and asked the
Cleveland County Board of Elec
tions to either re-count the votes
or call for a new election. The
county board ruled that any ir
regularities were not great
enough to make a difference in
the outcome and Crawford ap
pealed to the state board.
Crawford and his attorney,
Jeff Guller of Gastonia, argued
for a new election, and Crawford
was not overjoyed with the re
count decision.
“I feel the voters of Cleveland
County deserve a new election,”
Crawford said following the
hearing. ‘This was the second
best alternative.”
Although the state board call
ed for a re-count, it tacked on
several guidelines for counting,
including;
•On machine<ounted ballots,
if names were written in but the
box provided to indicate write-
ins were not marked, the write-
ins will count.
• If three write-ins names were
written in the wrong place, but
the voters showed an intent to
write-in, the write-ins will count.
• If the voter indicated a
straight Democratic ticket and
wrote in less than three names,
the votes will not count.
•On paper ballots, if the voter
did not vote a straight party
ticket and wrote in names, even
if they were written in on the
Republican side, they will count.
•If a voter voted a straight
Democratic ticket and wrote in
names on the Republican side of
the ballot, but indicated an in
tent to vote for the write-in by
drawing an arrow or some other
indication, the votes will count
for the write-in. If no arrow or
other indication is shown, they
will count for the incumbents.
“If they would count every
ballot with our names on it, we
MADE APPEAL — Bobby Crawford, center,
talks with supporters at Friday's public hear
ing by the State Board oi Elections at Shelby.
Crawford, a write-in candidate for county
commissioner in the November General Elec
tion. protested the vote because oi several
voting and ballot irregularities. The board rul
ed that a re-count must be held.
could win the election,”
Crawford said. “If our names are
on the ballot, the voters’ intent is
clear, and we could win on a re
count.”
Thirty witnesses were called
during the two-day public hear
ing, including registrars, judges
precinct workers, county elec
tion officials, and others. In most
cases, precinct workers told of
different methods of counting
write-in votes.
Gay Champion, supervisor of
the election, told the board that
training was provided for
precinct workers and Charlene
Webber, a representative for
Martel Systems Electronics,
which manufactures the voting
tabulator machine which was u.s-
ed in six precincts, said training
wAs provided for the use of those
machines.
However, the machine
malfunctioned in two precincts,
and Crawford’s attorney claimed
the space (three-eights of an
inch) provided for write-ins on
the machine ballot, was not suf
ficient.
In many precincts, voters
were given black felt tip pens to
write-in the three names. Using a
felt tip pen in a three-eights inch
area, Guller showed it to be
near-impossible to write-in three
names clearly.
Ms. Champion blamed the in
sufficient space on the printers,
Fayetteville Office Supply, and
testified that she tried to have
new ballots printed after she
learned there was not sufficient
write-in space. She said the
printers agreed to print more
ballots, but when they arrived in
the mail, they were unchanged
and it was too late to do
anything about it.
Ms. Webber testified that in
her nine-plus years with her
company, no voting tabulator
machines had malfunctioned.
The machine used at the W'est
Kings Mountain precinct
malfunctioned after it was
shaken and a petition which
separated counted ballots and
those placed in the area to be
hand-counted fell down.
Guller asked Ms. W'ebber why
a machine should be shaken?
“Normally,” she said, “it is not
necessary. But 1 was told there
was going to be a very large
write-in campaign and I felt
there could be a lot of ballots in
the front section. 1 suggested
they gently shake the machine to
pack down the ballots.”
State Elections Board chair
man Kenneth Babb asked Ms.
Webber if shaking the machine
could have caused the break
down.
“I’ve tried” to break one dow n
by shaking it. “They must have
been shaking it severely,” she
said.
Crawford, the last person to
be called, explained to the board
why he and the other two men
ran for county commissioner
after the primary had already
been held.
“All propeny in the county
was re-evaluated,” Crawford ex
plained, “and after we got the ap
praisal, several people, including
myself, appealed the appraisal.
Words were said to me ‘don’t
worry about the appraisal, the
tax rate w ill be lowered’.”
Crawford went on to explain
that the tax rate was not
lowered, and that when county
residents received their tax bills
the amount went up “from 25 to
over 400 percent. The people
were very upset,” he said. “We
have the support of the people.
If our names had been on the
ballot, we could have carried
three or four t^one.”
(Turn To Page 4)
i"
By GARY STEWART
Co-Editor
Governor Jim Hunt closed out his first term in office Friday by an
nouncing that Reliance Electric of Cleveland, Ohio, will build a $33
million electric motor and generator plant near Bethware School.
The 211,000 square foot plant will be located on a S3-acre site
previously owned by MeSwain Nursery. It will be Reliance Electric’s
sixth plant in North Carolina.
State, Cleveland County, Kings Mountain and Reliance officials
were in Raleigh for the 11 a.m. announcement in the Governor’s Of
fice.
“Reliance Electric symbolizes a new wave of more diversified com
panies locating in our state,” commented Hunt. “Last year electrical
and electronics machinery was the second leading industrial category
in terms of new jobs announced. Those new kinds of companies are
providing more skilled jobs for our people.”
The recruitment of Reliance has been a four-year effort by officials
of Cleveland County, the City of Kings Mountain, and the State
Depanment of Commerce.
“We’re real pleased that Reliance has chosen Cleveland County,”
said Jack Palmer, chairman of the county board of commissioners. “It
will help the working people of the county and will keep younger peo
ple here instead of them having to re-locate.”
P2dmer, Shelby realtor John Barker, who handled the land transac
tions; Kings Mountain Mayor John Moss; Josh Hinnant, chairman of
the Kings Mountain Industrial Committee; and Bobby Rogers, Presi
dent of the Greater Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce,
represented Cleveland County at the announcement.
State officials present included Governor Hunt, D.M. Faircloth,
secretary of the Depeuiment of Commerce; Victory Barfield, Deputy
of the Department of Commerce; Alvah H. Ward Jr., Director of the
Industrial Development Division; and Htu'old R. Love, Industrial
Development Representative.
Representing Reliance were Emory Orahood, Senior Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer; Dr. P.J. Tsivitse, Group Vice President;
Bill Woolard, Manager of Large Motor Operations; Bill Hendrix Jr.,
General Manager of Mechanical Group; Karl Hein, Manager of Con
struction, Properties and Facilities; and Ray Snyder, Manager of Cor
porate Marketing and Communications.
Groundbreaking and grading for the plant is expected to begin in
March with operations scheduled to begin in late 1982. The company
will employ 100 persons initially and will ultimately grow to over 400.
Reliance officials indicated they would utilize Cleveland Tech for
skilled training.
Kings Mountain’s role in recruiting of the new industry includes
supplying water, sewer and gas for the plant.
Mayor Moss said the plant “will mean much to the economic
growth of the area. Reliance and its parent company Exxon represent
two of the most successful corporations in American Industry and
we’re very proud to have Reliance become an industrial citizen.
Reliance’s new facility will offer excellent job opportunities for area
citizens and will continue to assist in broadening the horizon with
regards to the development of diversified and technical industrializa
tion.”
Moss credited the successful recruitment of Reliance to the foresight
of Kings Mountain citizens, who overwhelmingly passed water and
sewer bond referendums years ago.
The recent location of several diversified and technical industries in
the Kings Mountain area is a result of the citizens’ willingness to vote
bonds to develop a water and sewer system,” he said. “Personally, 1
feel it is a compliment and tribute to the citizens’ foresightedness and
willingness to do something themselves to assist in the economical
development of Kings Mountaiti for the present and future genera
tions.”
Governor Hunt added, “I want to commend Cleveland County of
ficials for working so hard to attract Reliance. Leaders like Jack
Palmer are picking up right where they left off last year. Through their
strong efforts, Cleveland County attracted Union Carbide, Sulzer
Brothers and Copeland Corporation last year, with a combined invest
ment of $52 million for those companies alone. Those companies will
provide over 1,100 new jobs for Cleveland County citizens. Cleveland
County had one of the best years last year of any county in attracting
quality, diversified industry. Reliance is continuing the fine record.
‘The new plant will be near Community of Excellence Award-
winner Kings Mountain,” Hunt added. “Its Mayor, John Henry Moss,
is one of the most outstanding leaders in this state. We certainly ap
preciate his role in making this announcement possible.
“Without pteople like John Henry Moss, Jack Palmer, John Barker,
Josh Hinnant, ^bby Rogers and others, economic development in
this state would be nowhere near the record pace of recent years,”
Hunt said.
READS DECISION - K«nn«th Babb, right,
chairman oi th* North Carolina Board oi Eloc-
tiont. read* tho board'* docision to call ior a
ro-count oi county commiwionor TOtM iollow-
ing o two-day public hearing Friday in
Shelby. Seated with Babb ore' tome oi the
other members oi the state boord.