. Thursday, December 23, 1999 Vol. 111 No. 51
Since 1889
PE I RP ENTE
- a — >.
AST FEE EE SRE ISE
Maney
resigns
Chamber
position
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The battle lines are apparent-
ly being drawn for a school
Commissioners continue to say
they are only “assessing” merg-
er, their action Thursday
seemed to convince KM Board
members that the commission-
ers are going full speed ahead
with merger.
“It is a shame that we've had -
to get to this point,” said KM
Board member Ronnie
Hawkins. “I had high hopes af-
ter Commissioner Willie
McIntosh made the motion to
have a forum in January of the
three boards and county com-
missioners to weigh the points
of merger and allow citizens to
have their input; and immedi-
ately following that they voted
to hire a lawyer.”
After a lengthy meeting in
which the KM board discussed
a number of law firms supplied
by Supt. Bob McRae, the firm of
Schwartz and Shaw was chosen
because of Richard Schwartz’
previous successful work with
the Kings Mountain School
Board and their expertise in
school law.
McRae suggested that the
Board schedule a meeting with
Schwartz after the Christmas
holidays and get his advice on
the appropriate steps to take.
The Kings Mountain Board's
first objective would be to avoid
a merger, McRae said, but he
added that the board would
have to go into the matter “with
the understanding that you
need to listen to them regard-
less of what their advice is, as
long as there is legitimate rea-
son in doing so.”
If it turns out that merger is
inevitable, McRae said the strat-
egy may need to be adjusted.
“I don’t think there should be
“any question in the minds of
our community that our board
wants to keep Kings Mountain
District Schools as a separate
entity,” McRae said.
Board members pointed out
that hiring a lawyer could be
very expensive, especially if the
matter goes to litigation.
But, they added, it’s a neces-
sary step because of the action
taken last week by commission-
ers.
“I don’t think we're trying to
KM hires lawyer to fight merger
rush anything along,” said il
board member Stella Putnam. “I
think we're trying to play catch-
up. I've had lots of calls from |
people wanting to know what |
we're going to do.” |
Hawkins suggested, and the
Board agreed, that any mem-
bers of the public who want to
have input or want questions
answered should funnel their
comments through Supt. McRae |
or School Board Chairman ib
Larry Allen and let them work
with the attorneys rather than
have individual school board
members involved in trying to
get answers.
“This is a very competent
firm,” noted Dr. McRae. “I feel
See Lawyer, 3A
By GARY STEWART merger fight between the Kings
Editor of The Herald Mountain Board of Education
A and Cleveland County
Kings Mountain City com TssIOneIS:
Manager Jimmy Maney has re- esponding © the
signed his position on the Commissiongrs hiring Of the
Advisory Raleigh law firm of Smith,
Board of the Helms, Mullis and Moore ata
Cleveland meeting Thursday in Shelby, the
County Kings Mountain School Board
Chamber of met in special session Monda
Commerce afternoon and hired the Raleigh
after being firm of Schwartz and Shaw to
orbar. advise and represent them in
rassed” ina trying to head off a merger.
meeting Although Cleveland County
when he
proposed
that the
MANEY Advisory
Board go on record as opposing
a merger of the county’s three
school systems.
At the December 7 Advisory
Board meeting, Maney made a
motion that the Board oppose
the merger. His motion was sec-
onded, and eventually ap-
proved, but not before a heated
discussion during which time a
Chamber official reportedly
called for the resignation “of
anyone that could damage the
relationship between the Kings
Mountain Advisory Board and
Cleveland County.”
The next day, Maney resigned
in a letter to the Advisory Board
Chairman, David Faunce.
In the letter, Maney stated
that “from the beginning of.the.
meeting it was clear the posi-
tion of Cleveland County
Chamber Board Chairman (Jim
Allen) regarding school merg-
er.”
“Many times this Advisory
Board has asked me in my posi-
tion as City Manager for infor-
mation regarding city and com-
munity interest,” Maney wrote.
“This type of relationship must
have a two way communication
avenue. I don’t think anyone
enjoys being embarrassed pub-
licly. If the Kings Mountain
Advisory Board cannot make
suggestions, position state-
ments, or recommendations
without such embarrassment or
resentment then what is its pur-
pose?”
The Advisory Board's posi-
tion on school merger was sub-
mitted to the Cleveland County
Chamber Board of Directors on
December 14. The Board noted
receiving the statement but de-
layed any official action of its
own because “insufficient in-
formation is available about the
commissioners’ intentions and
2,000 luminaries will brighten
KM cemetery on Christmas Eve
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
Denese and Dr. Martin Stallings of Kings Mountain refer to this Scottish Pine
Christmas tree as their “Alabama Tree,” since their son, Kenny Houston, a
KMHS senior, plans to attend the University of Alabama next fall. Mrs.
Stallings’ friend, Gilda Martin, suggested a red-decorated tree and helped place
red net, poinsettias and clusters of red Christmas balls on the tree
BY ALAN HODGE
Staff Writer
Emotions ran higher than a Georgia
pine last Thursday when representa-
tives of all three school districts in
Cleveland County met with the
Cleveland County Board of
Commissioners to discuss possible
merger of their systems. Nearly 90 peo-
ple packed the commissioner's cham-
bers for the meeting. Over half were
from Kings Mountain.
Even though the meeting was sched-
uled as a fact finding endeavor, every-
one who stepped up to the podium to
address the commissioners took the op-
portunity to express their opposition to
merging the Cleveland County, Shelby
City, and Kings Mountain schools into
one unified system.
Commission chairman Jim Crawley
started out the two-hour meeting with
assurances that the commission had no
“hidden agenda” and that they intend-
ed to be “above board” in addressing
the merger issue. He also emphasized
that the purpose of the special session
was to “gather and evaluate informa-
tion” and that no timetable for merger
had been set. “We don’t have answers
to our own questions,” Crawley said
emphatically.
After Crawley’s remarks, the floor
was opened up for school board mem-
ber and citizens to address the commis-
sioners. It was at this point that the fur
began to fly as speaker after speaker
s .
Citizens oppose
schools’
missioners to “hear what our board and
merger
told the commissioners in no uncertain
terms their opposition to merger.
Speaking on behalf of the Kings
Mountain District Schools, board chair-
man Larry Allen began by quoting a
passage from the Constitution of North
Carolina stating the right of citizens to
“assemble together to consult for the
common good, to instruct their repre-
sentatives, and appeal to the General
Assembly for redress of grievances; but
secret political societies are dangerous
tot he liberties of a free people and shall i
not be tolerated.” J
Allen went on to encourage the com» ;
the people of Kings Mountain have to
say” regarding their opposition to |
merger. :
Kings Mountain school board mem-
ber Stella Putnam also spoke out
against merger, and took commission-
ers to task on merger issues such as
time frame, taxation, and the definition
of equitable education. |
“If you put merger to a vote, it would
lose overwhelmingly,” Putnam said. |
Cleveland County schools board
chairman Tommy Greene also ex-
pressed his board's opposition to merg- |
er and said they had “more questions
than answers” on the topic. He also
presented commissioners with a list of
concerns including what form of repre-
sentation a merged system would have
on district representation, and if the
See Citizens, 3A
the rationale behind them.”
The Chamber Board also is-
sued a statement on Maney’s
resignation, stating that “it is re-
grettable that Jimmy Maney
was offended to the level of res-
ignation by some comments
during a Kings Mountain
Advisory Council
discussion...that differed from
his desire that the council go on
record immediately as opposing
school systems merger.
“During that discussion,
some others suggested delaying
any definitive action until more
is known about what the com-
missioners may or may not
have in mind and why.”
The statement also noted that
“Jimmy Maney has been a valu-
able member of the Chamber’s
Kings Mountain Advisory
Council. The Chamber hopes
that he will reconsider his posi-
tion.”
Advisory Board Chairman
David Faunce said he was not
at the meeting, but had been
told what happened, and said
that merger is “such an impas-
See Maney, 3A
YOUR
HOMETOWN
BANK
FIRST NATIONAL BANK
Celebrating 125 Years
By GARY STEWART
Editor of The Herald
The weatherman is calling for clear skies and
bone-chilling cold weather Friday night.
That's good news to Jim and Brenda Belt.
For the fourth year in a row, the Belts, assisted
by a host of Kings Mountain citizens, will be
lighting the streets and some of the graves of
Mountain Rest Cemetery with 2,000 luminaries
for the year 2000.
The previous three years, rain has fallen on the
service but not on the spirits of the participants.
All of the services have been impressive.
“The high Friday is supposed to be 44 de-
grees,” says Jim Belt, “so that means it’s going to
be chilly at sundown.”
Kings Mountain citizens are urged to drive
through the cemetery from 6:30-10:30 p.m. Enter
the cemetery at the Dilling Street gate (in front of
the cemetery office). The entrance gate on East
Gold Street will not be open. All gates will close
at 12 midnight.
Persons interested in helping place the lumi-
naries are welcome as early as 3 p.m. There will
be plenty of parking for those helping. Also, lu-
minaries will be provided for persons wishing to
place them on the graves of their loved ones.
Belt began placing some of the luminaries
along the driveways Tuesday afternoon.
Citizens have been dropping milk and water
jugs off at the cemetery office for several weeks,
and they will continue to be accepted through
739-4782
Friday. Although they have plenty of jugs, Belt
says they will place as many as the people bring.
Despite the rainy weather, the luminary service
has continued to grow through the years. The
Belts got the idea after Mrs. Belt attended a simi-
lar service at a cemetery in Gastonia.
“She came back home and said she wanted to
put a few luminaries in Mountain Rest Cemetery
for my mother and some friends of hers,” Belt re-
called. “We put in about 75 the first year, and it
just built from that.
“The next year we put in a thousand, and last
year we put in 1,800,” he recalled. “This year
we're putting in 2000 for the year 2000. It’s just
something we wanted to do to make it a brighter
Christmas for everyone.”
A number of other citizens have bought into
the Belts” idea and have assisted over the years.
KM Pools provides trailers for the citizens to
place water and milk jugs, and Dorus Bennett
and his staff at Mountain Rest Cemetery collect
jugs as well as donations to help fund the project.
Harris Funeral Home provides a tent for the
workers to get in out of the weather on occasion,
and Mike Butler and his family and friends chip
in to help light all of the luminaries.
Several others, too numerous to mention, help
out in one way or another.
But behind it all, Belt says, is his wife Brenda,
who quietly works behind the scenes every year
to make it a huge success.
“From the comments we've heard, the service
GARY STEWART / THE HERALD
Jim Belt goes through a trailer load of milk jugs to make lumi-
naries for Christmas Eve ceremony at Kings Mountain's Mountain
Kings Mountain
300 W. Mountain St.
is doing what we wanted it to do,” Belt says Rest Cemetery.
Gastonia Shelby Bessemer City
529 New Hope Rd. 106 S. Lafayette St. 1225 Gastonia Hwy.
484-6200 629-3906
865-1233
Member FDIC |
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