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Special Insert
WARREN GOFORTH
Goforth.
Nance, customers work
on method of repayment
City Manager Chuck Nance
told members of the city utility
committee Tuesday that he has
contacted six of the eight cus-
tomers either under-billed or
~ over-billed by the city for elec-
ana in
=0 ONE Nn
~ about how they can be repaid or
pay the city. : '
Nance said the customers in-
clude two churches and one in-
dustry and he will take the re-
sults of the discussions to City
Council at Tuesday's 7:30 p.m.
meeting at City Hall.
The city is in process of cor-
recting recent errors found in
electrical utility billings.
Nance said he would proba-
bly not have a list of auditors
ready for Tuesday's meeting but
indicated the list would be
available by the December 13
meeting of Council.
Utility Chairman Jim Guyton
estimated that it will be January
or February before a full audit
of the utilities begins. Guyton
and Councilmen Dean Spears
and Phil Hager agreed that they
will recommend to the full
See Repay, 5-A
0. nd
_ET
Inside Today
| 4d
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Cao we, "4 kJ
City not alone
in billing errors
Citizens who owe the city for
more than a year's worth of wa-
Stl
if a recommendation of the city
utilities committee passes City
Council Tuesday night.
The three members of the
utilities committee - Chairman
Jim Guyton, Dean Spears and
Phil Hager - agreed that resi-
dential customers and churches
who owe the city back bills can
be billed for only 150 days and
all others for 12 months.
The matter was tabled at last
month's Council meeting after
Mayor Scott Neisler broke a tie.
"Contrary to local belief that
we are the only city with utility
problems the City of Black
Creek had demand multipliers
wrong for two years an the City
of Huntersville had to go back
seven years an found they had
underbilled 127 customers and
overbilled 58," said City
Manager Chuck Nance.
said Chief of Police Warren Goforth.
"The controversy over this seized truck that we
traded in November 12 along with another vehi-
cle and which I later bought was just the straw
that broke the camel's back," said the 45-year-old
Chief, who joined the KMPD seven years ago and
has 20 years of service in law enforcement.
"At no time have I done anything illegal, im-
moral or intended to deceive anyone in the City
of Kings Mountain or the community," said
"I am physically, mentally and spiritually
drained,” Goforth told The Herald hours before
he appeared before a packed City Hall to defend
his actions after rumors escalated last week that
| he was considering resignation.
"I will not name names," said Goforth, appar-
ently referring to the chain of events that began
last Friday and ended a week later with his
abrupt departure.
"Controversy over seized
truck... was just the straw
that broke the camel's
back."
- Warren Goforth
Chief: City Council interfe 5
real reason behind resignal _..
By ELIZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Interference in the operation of his department
by some City Council members for as long as two
years led to his sudden resignation Thursday,
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“Several city commissioners have had my de-
partment under a microscope for some time and I
have had little support from some of our city fa-
thers," said Goforth. He recounted numerous calls
from complaining Council members, also ac-
knowledging the support of some.
Goforth tried
his resignation
Goforth turned in his uniforms to City Manager
Chuck Nance Monday. The city has not yet re-
turned his truck or reimbursed him $1,095 for the
1987 GMC Suburban he. bought from a Shelby
car dealer Friday night after he and Narcotics of-
ficer Billy Benton had traded the Suburban along
with a 1989 Dodge Daytona for a third vehicle to
be used in undercover operations.
The truck has been parked since its purchase at
the Kings Mountain Fire Department. It was the
first federally seized vehicle that Benton said he
was aware of and Mayor Scott Neisler said the
truck was seized over two years ago. Federal law
requires such a vehicle can't be disposed of for at
least two years, Neisler said.
CENTRAL DEDICATION - Calvin Wallace, Director of the
Southwest Technical Assistance Center for the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction, gives the keynote address at the re-
dedication of Central School as the District Office Sunday afternoon.
A tour of the building was held afterward.
Haley Bridges KMHS Carrousel Princess
Haley Bridges, 17, senior at
Kings Mountain High School,
will represent the city in the an-
nual Carolinas Carrousel parade
Thanksgiving Day in Charlotte.
Kings Mountain's Carrousel
Princess is a blue-eyed blonde
who stands five feet seven inch-
es tall and plans to major in ei-
ther pediatric nursing or ele-
mentary education at
Gardner-Webb University.
The big Thursday parade will
wind down Charlotte streets at 2
p.m. The parade will be tele-
vised by WBTV Channel 3.
Bridges went to Charlotte
Sunday to participate in pre-pa-
rade activities including break-
fasts and lunches with judges
and the Queen's Coronation
Ball on Wednesday.
Active in the Blazer and
Marching Bands at Kings
Mountain High, she is an honor
student and a member of the
French club, SPO representative
and active on the annual staff.
She is a member of First
Wesleyan Church and was
named to "Who's Who." She is
also a Candystriper at Kings
Mountain Hospital. She ranks
No.15 in a graduating class of
224.
Swimming, exercising, play-
ing the clarinet, attending
church, working on the year-
Mayor: I'll keep
asking questions
Mayor Scott Neisler said this
week he will continue to ask
questions of city employees be-
cause that's what his job as the
mayor requires of him.
He was responding to a letter
from an attorney for Finance
Director Maxine Parsons in
which Parsons asked the mayor
to "get off my back" and said
she was tired of hearing innuen-
does she had credited to the
mayor.
Parsons said she had been
blamed for errors found in elec-
trical utility billings that go
back to 1992 when she was not
Finance Director.
"Unfortunately all city em-
ployees and elected officials
like me are in the public scruti-
ny at all times and I will contin-
ue to express my viewpoint and
represent the citizens of Kings
Mountain to the best of my abil-
ity regardless of the conse-
quences.”
The mayor denied that he has
slandered anyone.
book staff and reading are her
major interests.
This summer she said the
whole family vacationed in
Wilmington and toured the USS
North Carolina and appreciated
the history lesson since both
grandfathers served in World
War II. She is the granddaughter
of Margie Bridges of Kings
Mountain and the late Clyde
Bridges and Mr. and Mrs. Otis
Greene.
The whole Bridges family, in-
cluding her sister Mary Etters,
wil! be watching from the re-
viewing stand as Haley rides in
the parade
HALEY BRIDGES
least until June.
to quit last spring and tendered
during an executive session of
Council but Council asked him to stay, saying he
would have their support and he could run the de-
partment without their interference.
Goforth said he agreed that he would stay on at
His earlier resignation stemmed from a peti-
tion that was circulated by his officers who did-
n't want to return to a seven day work shift which
had been suggested by Council during a budget
session to cut back on police staff overtime.
Goforth obtained a copy of the petition from a
councilman before the Council meeting set to
vote on the matter and withdrew his request.
After that incident Goforth said that he vas
given full authority to run the department <nd
with the blessings of the administration.
See Chief, 3-A
City officials, citizens
voice support of chief
Publicly, city officials sup-
port Police Chief Warren
Goforth.
City Manager Chuck Nance,
Mayor Scott Neisler and
Commissioner Norma Bridges
11 said they hated to see the
Ve:
~ Goforth had kind words for
his boss, Nance, saying that
Nance had only been on the job
two months and "is a profes-
sional man who is trying to get
himself inundated to the point
of really finding out what's go-
ing on in Kings Mountain."
"He's surrounded by political
groups that have influenced
him, however," said Goforth
who added that he doesn't "be-
lieve those influences have real-
ly changed his mind about his
professional standing or any-
thing else."
"I'm my own man," said
Nance who will make the final
decision of whether the Chief
keeps the drug car he bought af-
ter it was traded along with an-
other car for a used car for the
Kings Mountain Police
Department Narcotics Division
or if the city will reimburse the
Chief.
The Chief said this week he
really wants to keep the car to
run errands but he is willing to
transfer title to the city for
$1095, the exact cost he paid
for it from a Shelby car dealer.
Nance said he asking for clar-
ification on a federal law which
requires that confiscated drug
property only be used for law
enforcement purposes or de-
clared surplus and sold at public
auction or given to another
agency.
Vehicles seized in drug raids
normally are sold at auction and
the money turned over to the
schools.
See Support, 5-A
Interim chief
not in plans
City Ma
h
nager Chuck Nance
ill ‘not-immediat
| Police. ;
"The department will be run
through the normal chain of
command, as if the chief were
out of town," Nance said at a
press conference called by
Chief Warren Goforth to an-
nounce his resignation Friday
afternoon.
Nance said police personnel
will answer to him and he will
also be responsible for purchas-
ing in the department.
This week the city began ad-
vertising the position of Police
Chief and Nance says he antici-
pates the interview process will
not be long.
Goforth, who came to Kings
Mountain on June 22, 1987,
was paid an annual salary of
$38,000. He started his law en-
forcement career with the
Cleveland County Sheriff's
Department in January 1974 as
a dispatcher and moved to the
Shelby City Police Department
as a patrolman in March 1976,
working up through the ranks to
the position of Lieutenant. He
graduated from the FBI
Academy in December 1978
and has completed specialized
training and taught law enforce-
ment courses at Cleveland
Community College and
Gardner-Webb University.
Goforth and his wife and son
reside on Moss Lake.
Captain Bob Hayes, a police
department veteran, Serves as
Assistant Chief. Hayes was
Acting Chief after the retire-
ment of Chief Jackie Barrett
and served in the interim period
before Goforth was hired.
YANCEY PATTERSON
Yancey Patterson thankful to be 99
By ELAZABETH STEWART
of The Herald Staff
Yancey Patterson has good
reason to be thankful this
Thanksgiving.
God has blessed him with 99
years on this earth.
“I can't hear well and | broke
my hip recently and may be in
pretty bad shape but I'm thank-
ful for life and for my family,"
he said this week as he relaxed
on his perch on a beautiful
Indian Summer day.
Clois Price Patterson, his
wife of nearly 71 years, was by
his side.
Mrs Paterson said she was
15 yeas old and her husband
was 2% when they said their "1
do's."
"I guess it's a remarkable feat
to be married as long as we
have but we have been happy.”
she said.
Patterson, whose friends all
him Yan, said he can't attend
church due to failing health and
he has to have his hearing aid
and still asks his callers to talk
loudly.
But he enjoys company. He
looks forward to seeing his fam-
ily. neighbors and regular visits
from Cleveland County Home
Health nurses.
Sunday about 80 relatives
joined Patterson for a happy
birthday pity at daughter Sue
Bullock's rome. A decorated
birthday cake was cut and
served with all the trimmings.
Thursday the family will take
fixings for the turkey that Mrs.
Patterson cooks at her home on
Brice Street. She expects all
nine children home at some
time during the day. although
some of them have to work on
the holiday. The nine children
See Patterson, 8-A