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VOL. 98 NUMBER 18 THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1985 KINGS MOUNTAIN, REE
2E
King: You’re A Bunch Of Chickens
Commissioners Argue At Monday’s Meeting
Tempers flared at Monday night’s meeting of the board of.
city commissioners.
District Four Commissioner Norman King asked that the
board rescind a rule it made Dec. 12, 1983, over his objections,
that department heads be required to report to all commis-
sioners anything they discuss with any one board member.
Mayor John Henry Moss called for a second to King’s mo-
tion three times, but when there was none the mayor declared
the motion died for lack of a second.
“This board of commissioners doesn’t surprise me one
bit”, exclaimed King, who then quickly made a motion for ad-
journment.
King angrily walked away from the council table.
“You're all a bunch of chickens”, he said to commis-
sioners, as he walked toward the press table and presented
copies of four city memorandums from the board of commis-
sioners to department heads dated Dec. 12, 1983; to depart-
ment heads from Mayor Moss dated Feb. 13, 1984; to Mayor
Moss from Walter C. Ollis dated March 22, 1985; and to Mayor
Vis from Supt. of Public Works Wayne Kimbrell dated April
“Why didn’t you second that motion?’’ he confronted
District I Commissioner Irvin (Tootie) Allen. ‘I didn’t hear
it,” said Allen who complained that Comm. King had not
spoken loud enough to be heard. A sharp interchange followed
and Comm. Allen called King ‘‘a damn troublemaker.”
The argument surfaced, King said, because he feels mat-
ters discussed privately by commissioners and city depart-
ment heads are not being kept confidential and because the
controversial rule Dorian only to conversations between
commissioners and department head without all board
members knowing about it. He said he had discussed requests
Grover Rescue Squad
To Mark Anniversary
Grover Rescue Squad will celebrate its 25th anniversary
with special activities this weekend at.the.squad building...
The public is invited to the celebration. All food, games
and other activities will be free to everyone.
Free hotdogs and hamburgers will be served on Saturday
from 11 a.m. until 4 p.ra. In addition, there will be games
and balloons for the children and the squad will offer
displays and demonstration of equipment, and free blood
pressure clinics.
Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m., several guest speakers will
be on hand to congratulate the squad on its many years of
volunteer service to Grover and surrounding communities.
A major highlight of Sunday’s activities will be a service of
recognition in honor of Buren Randall, a charter member of
the squad who is retiring. Other awards will also be
presented.
Refreshments will also be served.
Street Work Proposed
A $1,010,000.00. street im- been patched and the result is
provements project to begin
this summer and extend over
the next 30 months was pro-
posed by Mayor John Henry
Moss to city commissioners
Monday night for their con-
sideration in preparation for
the 1985-86 city budget.
The Mayor said the city
carried the detour burden of
the recent Kings Mountain
By Pass construction and as
the result 367 street cuts were
made over the past several
years. Those street cuts have
“rough riding”, the Mayor
told the board.
Moss proposed the board
consider allocating $200,000
annually for capital im-
provements for streets,
street improvements,
maintenance and resurfacing
for additional 30 months to
bring the streets up to “a
» good quality state of repair
and condition.”
Mayor Moss said the pro-
jected improvements would
not require a raise in taxes
1985-86 budget would begin.
from citizens many times and that the other commissioners
had always notified him of the conversations by written
memo but names had never been mentioned until the April
memo from Walt Ollis and Wayne Kimbrell of the public
works department.
“Under no circumstances should department heads reveal
what I go to them about. It’s unethical. IT can’t see why I
should tell the other commissioners about matters that come
to me in confidence,” King said requesting that the commis-
sioner action of December 1983 be rescinded. “You will note
that I am the only commissioner who did not sign that request
to all department heads asking for information. I was against
it then and I am against it now. It is no one’s business what I
talk about with anyone else. I was asked to sign this
memorandum when Mr. Allen came on the board and I refus-
ed to sign it. Request for water and water meters are com-
mon knowledge but confidential conversations should be kept
confidential,” he declared.
The rule, signed by Commissioners Irvin Allen, Humes
Houston, Corbet Nicholson, Curt Gaffney and Jim Dickey on
Dec. 12, 1983, states that ‘when a request for information is
received from a commissioner or commissioners the re-
quested information is to be supplied in writing to all six
members of the Board of Commissioners and to the Mayor.
The reason for this request to supply the information to the
full Board and to the Mayor is so that everyone will be equal
and have the same information on matters of concern.
Likewise, when general information of a major nature is re-
quested the six commissioners and the Mayor desire to be in-
formed so that they may evaluate and endeavor to assist in
making available and relating to, information requested as
well as others who might be interested in similar information.
See
CONDEMNATION ACTION—This house at 314 E. King Street was condemned four
years ago by city building inspectors who say it is a fire and health hazard. The city
board took legal steps this week to petition the Superior Court to order the property
owners to comply with city housing codes.
but could be achieved in
“squeezing the budget’. The
Mayor said that work on the
soon and his proposals would
see an ‘accelerated program
of resurfacing’’ during a two
and one half year period.
Kings Mountain has 54.01
miles of road with 49.37 miles
being hard-surfaced, 1.02
miles unsurfaced and 3.62
miles of gravel type. ‘‘The ci-
ty has undergone vacillating
Turn To Page 2-A MILTON H. REEP
The Board of Commissioners and the Mayor wish to be fully
informed and do all they can in the interest of achieving an
open government for the citizens of Kings Mountain.”
The Feb. 13, 1984 memo was from Mayor John Moss to all
department heads concerning requests from commissioners
for information. It attached a copy of the memorandum
which was forwarded previously as it had come to the board’s
attention some did not receive it. The memos went for the se-
cond time to Joe McDaniel, Chief J.D. Barrett, Eugene
Tignor, Walter Ollis, Jim Downey, Lee Putnam, Ken Jenkins,
Jerry King, Gene Waldroup, Jimmy Maney, Jack Williams,
George Adams, Ray Hurley, Teresa Melton, Gene White and
Steve Blanton, all of the various city departments.
The memorandum of March 22, 1985 was from Walter C.
Ollis to the Mayor and Board of Commissioners and concern-
ed Comm. Norman King’s request for information for water
service from Bennett Masters, a Kings Mountain resident.
Mr. Ollis had also sent a copy of that letter to Wayne Kim-
brell. In the correspondence, Ollis stated that on March 20,
1985 at 8 a.m. Comm. King requested information concerning
water service to Mr. Masters. Ollis said that he informed
Comm. King that Masters did have a metered water service
at his home on S. Roxford Road and he had requested water
for Masters Funeral Home when it was opened. Water was
not available, therefore the funeral home is on well water. He
added that neither building had sewer service.
The April 1, 1985 memo was from Mayor Moss and the
Board of Commissioners to Supt. of Public Works Wayne
Kimbrell and noted that as requested by Comm. Dickey con-
cerning dead water meters, the city has 432 dead meters in
the system. Kimbrell said a change out program is underway
and that meters are now being changed
City Wants
i i To Demolish
Peeler Home
Legal condemnation action
by the city board was taken
ivionday night by the City
Board of Commissioners
against a property owner.
City Attorney George B.
Thomasson was authorized
by the board of commis-
sioners to petition the
Cleveland County Superior
Court for an order requiring
B.S. Peeler, Jr. and his
sister-in-law, Mrs. Louise
Peeler, to comply with the
Kings Mountain Housing
Codes.
Turn To Page 2-A
Milton Reep To Become
Hospital Administrator
Milton Huitt Reep, 52, has tain’s first and only hospital
been hired by the Kings
Mountain Hospital Board of
Trustees as the new Ad-
ministrator to succeed Grady
Howard when Mr. Howard
retires July 1.
Mr. Reep will move to
Kings Mountain May 1 from
Smithfield where he has serv-
ed since 1980 as Ad-
ministrator of Johnston:
Memorial Hospital. He will
work with Mr. Howard for
two months prior to Howard's
retirement as Kings Moun-
administrator who was hired
32 years ago when Kings
Mountain Hospital opened its
doors to patients.
Announcement was made
by Mrs. Henry P. Neisler,
chairman of the Trustee’s
search committee which also
included Trustees Chairman
Tom Tate, John Young and
Greg Birskovich.j
A native of Lincoln County,
Mr. Reep was graduated in
Turn To Page 8-A
CELEBRATES 90TH BIRTHDA
Y—Mrs. Edith Goforth, above, with her seven great-
grandchildren, enjoys Easter Sunday and a surprise birthday party. From left, John
Robert and Whit Pharr, children of John and Laura Pharr of Virginia Beach, Va., Lydia
d Harriet Pharr (on lap), of Charlotte, children of David and Harriet Pharr, J.Y.,
Jamie and Jennifer Pharr of Hendersonville, children of Yorke and Barbara Pharr.
Edith Goforth 90 Years Old,
Still Working At Plonk Brothers
Saturday was Mrs. Edith Goforth’s 90th
birthday and she spent most of the day at
her job at her sewing machine in the Altera-
tions Department at Plonk Brothers
Department Store. ;
“Miss Edith”, as she is affectionately
known by her Kings Mountain friends and
many Plonk’s customers, has altered more
pants than she can count during her 23 year
tenure at the downtown store and before
that made draperies and worked in the sew-
ing department at Neisler Mills for 37
years.
“I’ve worked all my life but I've enjoyed
it”’, Mrs. Goforth said Easter Sunday as she
enjoyed a surprise birthday get-to-gether
with 28 family members, including her
three daughters, nine grandchildren and
seven great-grandchildren. But she admits
it was hard for her daughters, Mary An-
thony, of Kings Mountain, Polly Pharr of
Charlotte and Rachel Lopez of Kings Moun-
tain to surprise her.
Paul Walker, Miss Edith’s ‘‘boss’’ at
Plonk’s, had to finally send her home Satur-
day afternoon to give her time to get ready
for her ‘‘Easter surprise birthday party.”
And, then Mary (Mrs. Sam) Weir had to
drive ‘‘Miss Edith” to be sure she got there.
The folks at Plonk’s are a second family,
actually, to Mrs. Goforth and joined in a full
round ot *‘celebrating” for her 90th birth-
day. On Saturday, the ladies at Plonk’s took
Miss Edith ou’ ‘0 breakfast at El Bethel
Methodist Chur¢h: and on Tuesday Circle 2
of Central United Methodist Church took
her to Shoney’s for lunch. She started
receiving cards and flowers on Saturday
and was still receiving them from friends on
Tuesday.
Wednesday she was getting ready to ‘‘set-
tle back into a routine” to get ready to go
Turn To Page 4-A