a
KINGS MOUNTAIN
Vol. 116 No. 7 Since 1889
Filing,
election
delayed
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
Candidates are not com-
plaining about a two month
delay in the primary elec-
tion.
The state Board of
clinch tie jor
conference
championship
The Herald =
Thursday, February 12, 2004 50 Cents
Hicks coming
back as KM’s
interim Lmanagory
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
The Kings Mountain City
Council will vote Monday
on whether to hire Gary
Hicks as interim city manag-
er. The council will meet for
In 1996, Mullinax was
critical of Hicks for not
catching utility billing errors
which allegedly cost the city
close to $75,000.
Hicks worked as city
manager of Gastonia for
almost 20
Election voted Monday to a closed session at 5:30 p.m. years,
move the primary election They will come back into retiring
from May 4 to July 20. The open session for the vote. there in
delay cotaes from a sult ‘The council first discussed 1993. He
filled by several hiring Hicks last Tuesday also
Republicans alleging dis- during a closed session worked in
trict lines are unfair. meeting. Ss Lowell in
That means the filing Hicks worked as interim the 1990s
period is moved from Beb. 9 Kings Mountain city manag- = and from
through Feb. 27 to April 26 er from Aug. 1995 to August 1999 to
through May 7. 1996 when he resigned. In © 2002 as GARY HICKS
an interview Hicks gave the interim
County Commissioner
Ronnie Hawkins said he
was on his way to the
Cleveland County Board of
Elections’ office Monday to
file for re-election when he
thought to call Elections
Director Debra Blanton. She
told him they had just
received word from Raleigh
on the delay.
County commissioner
Tom Bridges said he also
plans to file for reelection.
Commission Chairwoman
Mary Accor was out of
town and could not be
reached for comment.
Blanton said candidates
“appear to be accepting it
as a normal process.”
Blanton said her staff was
prepared for filing to have
begun Monday. However,
the delay will give the state
Board of Elections more
time to mail updated cam-
paign reporting manuals,
she said.
In addition to the county
commission seats, the regis-
ter of deeds, one soil and
water conservation district
seat and three district court
judgeships are up.
All three of Cleveland's
legislative districts - the 110,
111 and 112 - are up. Other
state level offices include
the governor, lieutenant
governor, secretary of state,
state auditor, treasurer,
superintendent of public
-Staff Writer
County School board.
Terry McClain appointed
to County School Board
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Former Kings Mountain District Schools
board member Terry McClain was appoint-
ed to the merged Cleveland County Schools
board Monday night by a unanimous vote.
McClain fills the seat left vacant when
former KMDS board member Dr. Larry
Allen stepped down to the take the superin-
tendent’s post during the merger appeal ~~ *
process. McClain’s appointment makes the
nine-member board one third African-
Staff Writer
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Terry McClain takes oath of office after being appointed tc the interim Cleveland
Superintendent
discusses fate 0 r
Gaston students
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER 3
Budgets and the fate of Kings Mountain’ 5
Gaston County students were discussed
Herald in 1996, he said,
“They like to microman-
age.” Hicks also said that
his differences with the
council escalated when he
would not follow their
direction on personnel mat-
ters.
Hicks may be returning to
the same situation. Some
past council members have
made that same charge
against current Mayor Rick
Murphrey, saying he would
not allow outgoing City
Manager Phil Ponder to do
his job.
Council members Jerry
Mullinax and Brenda Ross
told the Herald last week
that. Ponder told them one
reason he was leaving was
that he was directed to hire
someone without following
personnel policy.
When Hicks left in 1996,
he had the support of then
councilman Rick Murphrey,
who is now mayor, and then
Councilman Dean Spears.
Councilman Jerry
Mullinax, who worked with
Hicks during his first time
in Kings Mountain, voted
last week against offering
him the position.
“I don’t know if he will be
a good fit for the city,”
Mullinax said.
Mullinax said he was not
the only council member to
vote against Hicks in the
closed session meeting.
city manager.
Lowell Councilman Sam
Mitchem, who served while
Hicks was manager, praised
him.
“He did a great job while
he was here. He left on good
terms,” Mitchem said. “He's
good for a town when it is
in a situation like Kings
Mountain is in.”
When asked why Hicks
served such a long time as
an interim, Mitchem said
that was what Hicks pre-
ferred.
Murphrey said that after
getting approval from the
council, the city will adver-
tise the permanent city man-
ager position and will notify
past applicants that the
position is open.
Current City Manager
Phil Ponder’s last day is
Friday, Feb. 20. He will start
his new job the following
Monday as director of budg-
et and purchasing for
Gaston County.
Ponder informed
Murphrey Jan. 22 that pur-
suant to a special called
meeting between him and
the council on Dec. 30, he
had obtained employment
with another governmental
entity.
In an interview two
weeks ago, Ponder stressed
that this was a letter of noti-
fication, not resignation.
See Filing 3A American. hi betes] : when Cleveland County Schools aa
1 During the board's January 2 meeting, Superintendent Gene Moore met with the
Revaluation they agreed the appointment should follow P : Lo cal man arrested
meeting tonight
the spirit of the merger plan, appointing
someone from the former Kings Mountain
Kings Mountain Ministerial Association last
week at the YMCA.
Moore told the ministers that the merged
board's $130 million budget is not sufficient.
' “That is a lot of money, sounds like a lot
of money, but we'll find that won't be suffi-
cient to do the things we want to do,”
Moore said.
‘Moore said the merged system | will
receive the same amount as the separate oh a
systems for the next two years. After that,
he expects a decline in state monies.
He said the board has not yet taken a
position on what to do with Kings
Mountain students who live in Gaston
County. Gaston County Schools will receive
around $1 million in local, state and federal
funds for those students.
Gaston officials have indicated they prob-
ably will not release that amount of money
to Cleveland. If Cleveland County Schools
See. Gaston, 3A
on felony drug charges
charged with possession of
drug paraphernalia and
District Schools board.
From that board, McClain, Stella Putnam
and Jerry Z. Blanton were eligible to serve.
Michael Smith lives in the Gaston County
portion of Kings Mountain, making him not
Cleveland County eligible. Shearra Miller, chairperson of the
Commissioners will be in former KMDS board, also serves on the new
Kings Mountain tonight to board.
answer questions about Putnam said early on that she planned to
property revaluation. The run for a seat and did not want to be con-
meeting begins at 6 p.m. at sidered for an appointment. In a letter to
Kings Mountain City Hall. board chairman George Litton, Blanton
The county revalues asked not to be considered.
property every four years. “This is to inform you I will not seek
County manager Lane appointment to the new Cleveland County
Alexander said it is too School Board. This decision was not made
early to calculate what the because of my unwillingness to serve. I feel
average revaluation willbe. that Mr. Terry McClain will serve the chil
The last revaluation was See McClain, 3A
See Meeting, 3A
Going to Asheville
Engineer resigns
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
at City Hall
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
A Kings Mountain man
was arrested and jailed
Friday on three felony drug simple possession of a
charges, including felony schedule IV controlled sub-
trafficking cocaine. stance.
Christopher Michael According to Sgt. Lisa
Moore, 25, of 107 North Proctor of Kings Mountain
Watterson Street, was jailed ~~ Police Department, the
on a $50,000 secured bond. arrest was a result of a two-
In addition to the traffick- month investigation.
ing charge, he was also “I had received a lot of
charged with felony posses- complaints from citizens
sion with intent to sell and here in the city limits,”
deliver cocaine, and with Proctor said. “We had been
felony possession with doing some surveillance on
intent to sell and deliver it and did some controlled
marijuana. buys from the residence,
In addition, he was See Charges, 3A
do with anything that happened in
Kings Mountain since I’ve been
here,” he said Friday, his last day
With less than two months on on the job.
the job, Kings Mountain City Fisher said he applied for the job
Engineer Carson Fisher is resign- before accepting the one in Kings
ing. Mountain but due to the holidays
Fisher will work for the state no offer was made until January.
land quality section in Asheville. “I hope it has not created a prob-
He will supervise mine permitting, lem. I enjoyed working here,”
erosion control and dam safety. Fisher said.
Fisher denies the upcoming Fisher, an outdoor enthusiast,
departure of City Manager Phil has long wanted to move to west-
Ponder influenced his decision. ern North Carolina.
“This has absolutely nothing to “I love the mountains,” he said.
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
State Representative Tim Moore addresses Cleveland County School Board Monday. i:
i
FISHER