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Thursday, January 29, 2004
Did city manager resign
or was he forced out?
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
A former Kings Mountain City
Council member publicly
accused Mayor Rick Murphrey
Tuesday night of being the rea-
son City Manager Phil Ponder
has found another job.
Former councilman Gene
White spoke during the public
comment phase of Tuesday
night’s council meeting.
Reading from a prepared state-
ment, White said “The person
directly responsible is Rick
Murphrey along with acquies-
cence from Carl DeVane, Howard
KINGS
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1B
Vol. 116 No. 5
council member, city employee,
city attorney and most of the citi-
zens of Kings Mountain know
why Mr. Ponder is leaving. The
bottom line problem here is that
Rick Murphrey does not recog-
nize the city manager as any-
thing other than a person who is
expected to do anything he is
told to do and to be willing to
accept the blame.”
White also said that a “rogue”
council member was threatening
to terminate some city employ-
ees’ jobs.
Immediately after White's
remarks, councilman Howard
Shipp said he never pressured
MOUNTAIN
Since 1889 50 Cents
“I have had nothing to do with
Mr. Ponder leaving. He's sitting
right there, ask him,” Shipp said.
In an interview prior to the
meeting, Shipp made similar
comments.
“If he wants to leave, that is
his prerogative. I hate to see him
go. [ never put any pressure on
him. 1hever asked him to leave.
If somebody else did, I'm
unaware,” Shipp said.
Former councilman Jim
Guyton also spoke during the
public comment period.
“How can a mayor run a city
like his is,” Guyton asked.
He went on to say water lines
AMARA AU AHI CIM
Shipp and Rick Moore. Every
Ponder to leave.
Council
to keep
spousal
insurance
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Kings Mountain City
Council members kept
spousal insurance coverage
Tuesday night by a three to
four vote.
Council member Jerry
Mullinax proposed the
measure which received a
second from council mem-
ber Kay Hambright.
According to Mullinax,
the city could save $9,020
during the two-year term if
the insurance is cut.
“It’s simply out of line
when we've got to cut
expenses,” Mullinax said.
Currently, council mem-
bers’ insurance is covered
by the city. Council mem-
bers’ spouses may purchase
the insurance for $44 a
month with the city supple-
menting the remainder of
the bill.
Other part-time employ-
ees, including those work-
ing for the police and fire
departments, do not receive
insurance.
“They're out there risking
(their life) everyday,”
Mullinax said.
Council member Brenda
Ross voted to terminate the
insurance. Council mem-
bers Carl DeVane, Houston
Corn, Rick Moore and
Howard Shipp voted to
continue the coverage.
City staff were not able to
locate any official action
taken by council establish-
ing the benefits, however,
the practice dates to at least
1979, according to Muliinax.
In other business,
Mullinax asked that a
See Council, 5A
No major problems
from first ice storm
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
While snow and ice kept
Kings Mountain students
home from school Monday
and Tuesday, no electric out-
ages were reported.
Despite the merger of the
three school systems, the
new board decided last
week to use separate
inclement weather schedules
until the end of this school
year. Cleveland County and
Shelby City students also
had a few days off due to
the weather.
See Manager, 5A
JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Phil Ponder listens to City Council at Tuesday’s meeting
JOSEPH BRYMER / HERALD
Former City Councilman Gene White addressed Council Tuesday night concerning the
departure of Phil Ponder as City Manager.
City estimates $2.2 million
savings in self-insurance plan
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
City officials estimate a $2.2 million sav-
ings from 2002 to 2007 by partially funding
employees’ health insurance.
City Risk Manager Ray Wilson presented
a report during the Tuesday night council
meeting. To date, the city has saved
$669,103, Wilson said.
The city switched to the program when
rates began to steadily climb.
In other business, the council approved a
consent agenda which included the follow-
ing items: appropriation of a $47,250 FEMA
grant for the Kings Mountain Fire
Department; setting Feb. 23 as the date for a
Kings Mountain Electric
Director Nick Hendricks
attributed tree trimming and
routine maintenance to
keeping the lights on in
town.
Workers were on standby,
preparing for worst,
Hendricks said.
“We were set to go, hop-
ing for the best, bracing for
the worst,” Hendricks said.
“Our hopes came as true.
The ice spared us.”
City crews used slag - a
mixture of salt and sand - to
make streets passable and
Tuesday used plows to clear
Davis.
bound lane.
reported.
ice and snow, according to
Mayor Rick Murphrey.
There were no weather-
related fires, according to
Kings Mountain Fire
Department Inspector Joey
Kings Mountain police
reported one major accident
on Interstate 85 Tuesday
morning. The tractor-trailer
wreck blocked both north-
bound lanes and one south-
There were at least eight
minor accidents in town on
Tuesday. No injuries were
voluntary contiguous annexation petition
for Tommy Hall; approving a request by
Brothers In Christ Outreach Ministry to hold
a fishing tournament at Moss Lake; adopt-
ing a resolution approving extension of
sewer lines to Cleveland County Industrial
Park; adopting a resolution accepting water
improvements for Farmview Subdivision;
approving a budget amending for Bill
Marcellino’s Downtown Customer Incentive
Grant approved by the council in 2002;
approving a $1,505 budget amendment for
reimbursement of subdivision review fees to
Tommy Hall; approving a $3,500 budget
amendment for a survey of Westover area
south of U.S. 74 for potential CDBG projects;
See City, 2A
School Board
to work
to keep
Gaston students
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Who will occupy the open
seat on the merged
Cleveland County Board of
Education and where will
students living in the
Gaston County portion of
Kings Mountain attend
school? Those two questions
are yet to be answered.
The new board met last
Wednesday. They voted to
do work toward keeping the
Gaston County students in
Cleveland County Schools.
Superintendent Gene Moore
is meeting this week with
Gaston Superintendent Ed
Saddler to talk about the sit-
uation.
Former Kings Mountain
District Schools board mem-
ber Mike Smith is also
working to have the school
district lines redrawn so that
Kings Mountain's Gaston *
County residents can offi-
cially become part of the
Cleveland County School
system. He asked Kings
Mountain City Council dur-
ing their Tuesday meeting to
pass a resolution of support.
He told the council that
property values in the
Gaston County portion of
Kings Mountain would
plummet if the students are
bused to Gaston County.
Taxes were another part
of his address.
“Those of us who live in
the Gaston County section
of Kings Mountain are not
going to want our local tax
dollars going to support
schools that we are not a
part of. The city will no
longer be able to furnish
resource officers, DARE offi-
East King Street.
GARY STEWART / HERALD
Amber Frady, with the help of Todd Frady, gets a ride on
a makeshift sled Monday in front of Frady’s Florist on
cers, or crossing guards to
schools that we are not part
of,” Smith said, reading
from a prepared statement.
Smith lives in the Gaston
County portion of Kings
Mountain.
Last week, the new board
also talked about who will
replace the seat left open by
Dr. Larry Allen. Allen had to
vacate the seat when he
accepted a job as superin-
tendent of the former Kings
Mountain District Schools.
According to merged
board member Shearra
Miller, Terry McClain is
interested in the seat. Board
member Mary Evans said
Curtis Pressley also is inter-
ested.
McLain was initially
appointed to the board and
then was elected serving
approximately two years.
Pressley has not held an
elected office but is active in
politics, serving as president = .-
of the Young Democrats of
Cleveland County, third
vice-president of the
Cleveland County Democrat
Party and first vice-presi-
dent of the African-
American Caucus of
Cleveland County. He is
also chair of the Kings
Mountain YMCA and vice-
president of the county
YMCA executive board. -
Both men are African-
American. Currently there
are two African-Americans
on the nine-member board. 2
While there has been 5
some speculation that for-
mer KMDS board member
Jerry Z. Blanton will run for
the seat, he has not returned
calls from The Herald.
See Students, 2A
KM doctor
found dead
in Gastonia
A Kings Mountain physi-
cian died Sunday. Dr. Pam
SherGill, 46, was found
dead in her car in a parking
lot on West Franklin
Avenue in Gastonia.
She was the owner the
SherGill Clinic and previ-
ously served as chief of staff
of Kings Mountain
Hospital. She served as
director of BB&T Bank.
A native of Pathankut,
India, she graduated from
GND University.
The funeral will be con-
ducted Saturday in
Charlotte. Visitation is
Friday at Harris Funeral
Home.
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