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YOL 99 NUMBER 4 THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1986 KINGS MOUNTAIN NOR}, ° |
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King Says Board Never Approved $513.04 Weekly Salary
Mayor’s Vote Saves Gene White’s Job
A move to fire Community
Development Coordinator
Gene White failed Tuesday
night when the city board of
commissioners split 3-3 and
Mayor John Moss broke a se-
cond tie vote to retain all
department heads. :
Commissioner Norman
King’s motion to retain all
department heads but
eliminate the position of
Community Development Of-
fice and turn those respon-
sibilities over to the Codes
Department was seconded by
Commissioner Harold
Phillips and Commissioner
Fred Finger also voted for
the motion. King said that the
board had never established
that ‘“‘Community Develop-
ment” was a department
head position and that
White's job was created when
he came to the city as
redevelopment director and
his salary was paid from
federal funds. Commis-
sioners Humes Houston, Ir-
vin M. Allen and Corbet
Nicholson voted against the
motion. Commissioners
Humes Houston then offered
$200,000 Civil Suit Filed
Against City, Dog Warden
A $200,000 civil suit alleging
“willful assault, defamation
of character and slander”
has been filed by Willard
(Pete) Johnson, owner of
Pete’s' Gulf Station, against
city animal warden Grayton
(Stretch) Bollinger and the
City of Kings Mountain.
Bollinger, who is also a cer-
tified sworn police officer,
has been employed by the ci-
ty for nearly 15 years.
The incident allegedly oc-
curred at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 24,
1985 at the Cleveland County
Law Enforcement Center in
Shelby, according to a com-
laint signed by Johnson and
is attorne ‘Lester
emplary damages in the sum
of $20,000 and costs for alleg-
ed “outrageous, willful and
reckless assault, placing the
plaintiff in reasonable ap-
prehension and fear of immi-
nent bodily harm from a per-
son with the apparent ability
to carry out such an offer or
threat of harm’’; damages of
$20,000 for allegedly ‘‘suffer-
ing ridicule, humiliation,
public contempt, loss of
reputation, damage to his
trade or business and loss of
business income and
damages of $20,000 and
punitive damages of $20,000
and costs for alleged defama-
a substitute motion that also
tied 3-3 and the Mayor broke
the tie, voting along with
Houston, Allen and
Nicholson. Voting against
that motion were King,
Phillips and Finger. Houston
said he agreed with King’s
motion that all department
heads should be retained but
that he disagreed that the
Community Development
position should be
eliminated.
King reiterated several
times during the discussion,
which followed over an hour’s
executive session to discuss
personnel, that if the Com-
munity Development position
is to be continued by the city
that the board take legal ac-
tion and make White a
department head, He also .
reiterated that the CD direc-
tor’s salary had never been
approved by the board. He
said White's salary was ap-
proved when it came from
federal funds but had not
been approved by the board
since the salary now comes
from city funds. 5
When board members did
not reply, White stood to ask
clarification of the board’s
action and asked Mr. King if
his motion was to end his
employment with the city.
King replied ‘‘correct.”
White then asked the Mayor
to clarify the board’s action
and Mayor Moss said that the
board’s action, in a substitute
motion by Houston, had re-
tained all department heads
but did not eliminate the posi-
tion of community develop-
ment director.
Turn To Page 5-A
GENE WHITE
Jim Testa
Purchases
Franchise
Jim Testa of Kings Mountain has announced the acquisi-
tion of the Lincoln-Mercury franchise in Shelby.
It’s the second new car dealership for Testa, who has own-
ed and managed Jim Testa Chevrolet in Kings Mountain
since 1981.
Testa said the Shelby dealership, which is located in the
former Cline Lincoln-Mercury facility just off the Highway
acilit he former Cline
74-18 intersection, will also handle Jeeps and Renaults.
‘Testa has leased all of the sales, service and
parking
fae
DN SE
i
a
Broussar d,.
filed with Cleveland Cc
Clerk of Superior Court.
ing a car is one of the most enjoyable and one of the most im-
\ i Fl
portant things a person does during his lifetime, and I get a
seeks $75,00( nd punitive or
examplary damages in the
Johnson has requested a
jury trial. ge
The city will file answer to
the complaint in 30 days.
The plaintiff is seeking
judgement in the sum of
$20,000 and punitive or ex-
sum of $45,000 and costs
because he suffered alleged
severe emotional distress
and mental anguish.
The suit alleges that Boll-
Turn To Page 7-A
See Story On Page 4-A
QUESTIONS BOARD—Dick Ware, above, questioned the ci-
ty’s policy on calling for wrecker service at Tuesday’s
meeting of the board.
lot of satisfaction out of helping them doit.” 3)
In addition to the two car dealerships, Testa also owns the
1-85 Truck Stop in Kings Mountain, which he leased in 1972
and purchased in 1976. He also owns a drag racing team,
whic
operates locally, and sponsors last year’s NASCAR
Rookie of the Year, Kenny Shrader, on the grand national cir-
cuit.
Teachers Want Effective Teaching Program Dumped
Many Kings Mountain
teachers feel the way they're
being required to participate
in the state’s Effective
Teaching Training program
is weakening the quality of
education for the children of
the school system.
Connie Phifer, President of
the KM Association of Educa-
tion, says the ‘mountains of
paperwork’’ teachers must
perform takes time which.
should be given to teaching.
Ms. Phifer said teachers
would like to perform such
duties on teacher workdays,
but workdays this year have
been devoted to training
which is required as part of
the ETT program.
“We are not against train-
ing because all of our
teachers have had at least
four years of college, some
five and some even Six
years,” she said during Mon-
day’s school board meeting
at the superintendent's of-
fice. ‘Many are presently
enrolled in evening or
weekend classes to better
Schools Asked For $150,000
their skills. Training is im-
portant, but this is one of
those rare times when train-
ing will do more harm than
good.”
Ms. Phifer said the ETT
program is required only in
the 16 state school systems
which are participating in the
pilot program. She says ETT
is “an extension’ of COET, a
program that has been re-
Juired in Kings Mountain for
the past four years. ‘Most of
us do not believe we need to
go through it again.”
Ms. Phifer said teachers
question whether the ETT
program is really worthwhile
and pointed to a recent arti-
cle published by Appalachian
State University which said
that the program ‘‘will have
very little impact on instruc-
tion in public schools. In fact,
this program may institu-
tionalize the very kind of in-
struction it is trying to im-
prove.”
Ms. Phifer said teacher
morale in Kings Mountain “is
“about as low as it has ever
Indoor Pool Fund Drive Hits Snag
A committee of private
citizens which has been try-
ing to raise $750,000 to build a
school-community indoor
swimming pool at Kings
Mountain High School told
the board of education Mon-
day night that it has fallen
short of its goal and asked the
school system to pledge
Jerry Adams
$150,000 to make the dream a
reality.
The board did not commit
itself to the money but
scheduled a public hearing
for February 3 to receive
citizen input on the matter.
The hearing will be held at
‘Barnes Auditorium.
Dr. Scott Mayse, chairman
Announces
For N.C. State House Seat
Jerry Adams, 29, has an-
nounced his candidacy for a
seat in the State House of
Representatives represen-
ting the 48th District,
Cleveland, Rutherford and
Polk County.
Adams, a native of
Cleveland County, is the son
of. Odell Adams of Kings
Mountain and the late Ruby
Guyton Adams.
He challenges the three in-
cumbent Representatives
who have filed for re-election.
Adams, who is seeking the
office for the third time, said
he wants to see a bill in-
troduced in the General
Assembly to create an
employee review relations
board established in each
county of the state to hear
employee grievances.
“Employees have a right to
be heard and I think the crea-
tion of such a board statewide
would be most beneficial’, .
Turn To Page 5-A
of the steering committee,
said $521,000 had been pledg-
ed or donated and $150,000 of
that amount is dependent on
the successful conclusion of
the fund drive. He said the
committee would pledge
$600,000 if the school board
would guarantee the remain-
ing $150,000.
JERRY ADAMS
The committee several
months ‘ago hired a Chicago
fund-raising company to
raise the $750,000. What was
intended to be a 20-week fund
drive turned into a nine-
month fund drive which still
Turn To Page 4-A
been in my memory’ and
that disruptions in the
schedules are part of the
blame. ‘‘Some factors caus-
ing low morale are beyond
the board’s control, but con-
tinually pouring on the
pressure, paperwork and pro-
grams is not.”’ She said a re-
cent survey conducted by the
State
Educators showed that 45
percent of Kings Mountain’s
teachers would choose
another profession if they
were choosing again, and
that 84 percent would not
recommend teaching careers
to young people. ‘‘These
figures are serious and alar-
ming,’’ she said.
She asked the school board
to cancel Kings Mountain’s
participation in the program
and if it decided not to do
that, to at least make it volun-
tary and offer the training in
summer instead of during the
school year. ‘If the program
has real merit and if teachers
are convinced they need it,
Turn To Page 4-A
KM’s Harris Seeks Eighth
Term In N.C. State Senate
Senator J. Ollie Harris,
Kings Mountain mortician,
will file Thursday or Friday
for his eighth two-year term
in the North Carolina Senate.
Harris represents
Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston
and Rutherford Counties.
Senator Harris has served
as chairman of the human
resources committee for the
past five years and is serving
this term as vice chairman of
appropriations. He also serv-
Turn To Page 4-A
a
J. OLLIE HARRIS
Association of
CHARLIE JUSTICE
Justice
To Speak
Charlie (Choo Choo)
Justice, former football
great at the University of
North Carolina in the 40’s,
will be the keynote speaker
at the Distinguished Ser-
vice Award ceremonies
Tuesday night of Kings'
Mountain Jaycees.
Kings Mountain’s
Distinguished Service
Award recipient of the year
will be honored along with
Young Teenager, Outstan-
ding Young Teenager,
Young Firefighter of Year,
Young Rescuer of Year,
Young Educator of Year,
Boss of Year and Outstan-
ding Former Jaycee.
Refreshments will be
served at 7 p.m. in the
Fellowship Hall of First
Presbyterian Church and
the awards presentations
will follow the address by
Mr. Justice, Cherryville in-
suranceman.
Bobby Maner, Jaycee
President, will preside