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Thursday, November 1, 2001 By GARY STEWART Editor of The Herald Area voters will go to the polls Tuesday, November 6 to elect represen- tatives to the Kings Mountain and Grover city councils and Kings Mountain District School Board. While overall voter turnout is expect- ed to be low because this is an "olf- year” election in which there are no State and Federal government elec- Vol. 113 No. 44 Chairman Debra Blanton said she expects a large voter turnout i in Kings Mountain. Twenty-one persons are seeking elected positions in Kings Mountain, and there is a race for all of the eight seats available. One-term incumbent mayor Rick Murphrey is being challenged by politi- cal newcomer Jim Belt and longtime hopeful Peewee Hamrick. Since 1889 THE LINEUP K. M. City Council For Mayor (Vote for one) Jim Belt Peewee Hamrick Rick Murphrey For Ward 1 (Vote for one) Lamar Fletcher Howard H. Shipp : For Ward 2 (Vote for one) Jim Guyton Preston Leonard Brenda McFalls Ross For Ward 3 (Vote for one) Gary E. Cooke Kenneth B. Hamrick Clavon Kelly Wayne Worcester For Ward 4 (Vote for one) Kay M. Hambright Dean Spears For Ward 5 (Vote for one) Jeffrey Q. Bostic Carl B. DeVane For At-large (Vote for two) Glenn Carroll Bernice Chappell Rick Moore Jerry Mullinax Gene White Eor KM School Board Outside City (Vote for two) Jerry Z. Blanton Kathy B. Falls Terry B. McClain At-large (Vote for one) Trace Barnette Michael S. Smith Grover Town Council (Vote for three) John Harry Chuck Potts Max D. Rollins Bill Willis *Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. *Grover polling place is Grover Town Hall. *Bethware polling places are El Bethel United Methodist Church fellowship hall, and Oak Grove Baptist Church fellowship hall. *KM polling places are KM #1 Second Baptist Church, KM #2 Boyce Memorial ARP Church, KM #3 First Baptist Church Christian Ministry Center, and KM #4 American Legion Post 155. 9 O(c hei | HOMETOWN BDU FIRST NATIONAL BANK Cetetrating 127 Years All of the incumbent couricilmen are seeking reelection except for At-Large representative Bob Hayes. The retired Kings Mountain Police Chief chose not ' to run to spend more time with his wife, who has cancer. The other At-Large incumbent, Gene White, is seeking a seat along with for- mer councilman Jerry Mullinax, Glenn Carroll, Bernice Chappell, and Rick Moore. Ward 1 incumbent Howard Shipp i is 50 Cents Council election Tuesday “tions, County Elections Board halle] by Lamar Fletcher; Ward 2 incumbent Jim Guyton squares off against former KM Recreation Department employee Preston Leonard and Brenda McFalls Ross; Ward 3 incumbent Clavon Kelly faces a chal- lenge from Gary E. Cooke, Kenneth B.. Hamrick, and Wayne Worcester; Ward 4 incumbent Dean Spears is opposed by Kay Hambright; and Ward 5 incum- bent Carl DeVane faces Jeffrey Q. Bostic. 1S volleyball team to play for State 3A title 1B In Grover, four persons are seeking three commissioners’ seats. They are John Harry, Chuck Potts, Max D. Rollins and Bill Willis. Five persons are seeking three seats on the Kings Mountain Board of Education. Incumbents Jerry Blanton and Terry B. McClain, both of whom were appointed to the Board to fill ~ unexpired terms, are challenged by THE BEAUTY OF FALL GARY € STEWART / THE "HERALD ; The Kings Mountain area is ablaze with fall color as leaves are changing and rapidly falling from trees. One of the most beautiful sites in the area has been El Bethel United Methodist Church, where this huge Maple tree is flanked by the sanctuary and feliow- ship building. CARE hosts KM mayoral forum By BEN LEDBETTER Staff Writer Candidates gathered last Thursday at Mount Zion Baptist Church during a forum sponsored by Concerned Citizens for Responsible Education (CARE). Two of the three candidates running for the mayor's office in Kings Mountain attended the forum, and answered ques-. tions on topics including recreation for the city’s teenage population and racial diversi- | ty in the city’s hiring practices. Candidates were given time to respond to questions from the audience during the approximate one hour, 15 minute question and answer session. Incumbent Rick Murphrey said the cur- rent state of the city’s finances is in good shape, and compared the city to a business. “The City of Kings Mountain is a $30 mil- Candidates address issues at By BEN LEDBETTER BEN LEDBETTER/TH HE HERALD Jim Guyton, Ward Two incumbent, takes time to talk with people in the audience after a candidates’ forum for city council and mayor candidates Monday at the Kings Mountain Woman's Club. . Kings Mountain 300 W. Mountain St. 704-739-4782 lion business,” Murphrey said. Murphrey said he was instrumental in lowering property taxes by four cents and talked about locking in gas prices during one month last year. | Jim Belt, who is a former chairman of the Planning and Zoning Board, a former mem- ber of the Board of Adjustments, and a member of the Senior Center Advisory Board, said his main issue is the citizens. “To get along, we've got to recognize what each other's needs are,” Belt said. Belt said while the city has provided ample recreation opportunities for the chil- dren of the community something must be done for the adolescent and young adult population. “What is happening is the young people are moving out of Kings Mountain,” Belt said. Murphrey said the city’s partnership with Staff Writer A city government. from the audience. Gastonia 704-865-1233 Few controversial moments were present Monday night at the Kings Mountain Woman's Club Forum for candidates seek- ing office in Kings Mountain During the 90 minute forum, candidates answered four ques- tions, then a sampling of those Fourteen candidates attended Monday night and answered questions ranging from down- town revitalization, city-owned Davidson and City Lakes, video "poker, and liquor by the drink. On the issue of selling the city-owned lakes, Mayoral can- 529 New Hope Road the Cleveland County YMCA has helped the lack of teenage recreation. “The YMCA partnership brings a tremen- dous amount of opportunities that they did- n't have before,” Murphrey said. The Watterson Street Greenway and pos- sibly putting back the basketball courts at Davidson Park are other things the city is doing to increase the amount of recreation opportunities in the area. On the issue of jobs and training, Murphrey said many industries start part- nerships with area community colleges to train employees, while others train employ- ees on the job. Companies will favor com- munities with low taxes and utility costs and recreation opportunities, Murphrey said. Belt said people in the community must See CARE Page 3A didate Jim Belt said he is inter- ested in studying the issue. “It was very interesting to e,” Belt said. “We need a place for travelers.” Incumbent Rick Murphrey said he favors preserving them, a view shared by the current city council. “I think it’s an important part to preserve those lakes,” Murphrey said. Ward Five Councilman Carl DeVane said the lakes could provide further recreation opportunities and Jim Guyton said the lakes will eventually need to be repaired. At-large Councilman Gene White said he also agreed to keeping the lakes after initially See Election Page 3A KM Council sells interest in building By BEN LEDBETTER Staff Writer - About 100 jobs are closer to coming to the Kings Mountain area as the City of Kings Mountain accepted the offer trom Charlotte company Clancy and Theys on the former ABB Combustion building near Grover. Clancy and Theys will pay a - y purchase price of $150,000 plus the remaining balance on the existing debt: In a short closed session dur- ing Tuesday's city council meet- ing, Kings Mountain Mayor Rick Murphrey said the negotiations have been going well. “We hope to announce some- @ thing very shortly,” Murphrey 1 said. “The city has completed their process and so at this time things are on track and moving forward.” Murphrey said the prospec- tive company, yet to be named, : is still working out details for a possible move. ) “And once that’s done theyll give me the call and we'll be able to announce it,” he said. i The announcement could come as early as next week, Murphrey said Wednesday morning. The remaining balance on the: 17 acre property is $1,350,000. Councilman Howard Shipp believed jobs in the area would = be beneficial, considering the = number of layoffs in Cleveland = County. “I think they are going to be an asset to this community as well as the jobs will be a help to : the people who have been out of 4 work.” % In other business: » The Kings Mountain Finance Department along with a representative from Dixon and Odom said the city has received a perfect audit for the fiscal year of 2000-2001. “I think that’s something to be proud of,” Murphrey said. He said the latest audit gives the city a perfect review for two consecufive years. Se as —_—— See Council, 3A forum being against it. / Ward One Councilman . § Howard Shipp said although he initially wanted to sell the two lakes, he is now for keeping them. “I think that’s one of the best g votes I cast since I've been on City Council,” Shipp said. Ward Four incumbent Dean Spears also changed his view on the lake issue, now favoring keeping them. Ward Five challenger Jeff Bostic said the lakes was a sim- ple issue, and the two bodies of water add character to the city. “That's one of the natural resources that make Kings See Candidates Page 3A Bessemer City 106 S. Lafayette St. 704-484-6200 1225 Gastonia Hwy. 704-629-3906 Member FDIC ‘
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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Nov. 1, 2001, edition 1
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