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 ‘