NCPA Award
KJNGS>MOUNTf m
Winning Newspaper
MIBROR'HEmD
15
'0L.I
NO. 41
'A.leveland County's Mttdern Newsweekly^
KINGS MOUNTAIN, NORTH CAROLINA 28086 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, lO?.";
12 Vie For She Seats
Runoff Elections November 4
By TOM McIntyre
Editor, Mirror-Herald
jigs Mountians will be asked to re-
itothe polls Tues., Nov. 4 to elect six
commissioners and two trustees to
Kings Mountain Board of Education.
itheTues., Oct. 7 municipal election
/incumbent Mayor JohnH. Moss was
lear winner. None of the 34 com-
sioner candidates received a clear
ority although about 55 percent of the
’s registered voters cast ballots,
jelve candidates, two in each dis-
1 are involved in the Nov. runoff for
iniissioner seats. By the deadline to
for runoff elections, noon Monday,
six next highest vote-getters had
le formal request to local elect ic*is
:d secretary Betty Mercier.
:cording to Mrs. Mercier the Nov. 4
)ff elections will be between Ray
e and James Childers (district one);
les Houston and W. S. Biddix (dis-
two); Corbet Nicholson and James
Guyton (three); Norman King and Don
MMbee (f^r); James Amos and Bill
Grissom (five); and James Dickey and
Fred Wright Jr. (six).
The candidates for the two school
board seats are Charles F. Mauney, Her
man Greene, Mrs. Marion Thomasson,
Mrs. June Lee, William Orr and Kyle
Smith.
The school board election is being
handled by the Cleveland County Elec
tions Board, but local voters will go to the
local polls to cast their ballots. Just as in
the municipal elections, voters in dis
tricts one, two and three will vote at the
KM Community Center and those in dis
tricts four, five and six go to the National
Guard Armory.
Following last Thursday’s official can
vass of votes at city hall the total number
of votes cast for all 34 commissioner
candidates was 15,499 ( 6,866 at East KM
and 8,633 at West KM). In the mayoral
race a total of 2,260 votes were cast,
including 24 write-ins.
Mrs. Mercier said a total of 1,008
ballots were givai out at East KM, 1,281
at West KM.
The official results in the Oct. 7
mayoral race show 1,965 votes for Mayor
Johm H. Moss, 147 for Gilbert Hamrick, 65
for Thomas Dellinger and 59 for A1
Franklin Brackett, plus 24 for various
write-in candidates.
Official results in the commissioner
races, beginning with the highest down to
the lowest, show Corbet Nicholson (dis
trict three) 1,059, Ray Cline (one) 914,
Norman King (four) 881, James Amos
(five) 841, James Childers (one) 838,
Humes Houston (two) 777, James Dickey
(six) 610, Fred Wright Jr. (six) 575, Don
McAbee (four) 563, Bill Grissom (five)
528, W. S. Biddix (two) 523, Tommy King
(four) 516, and Jonas Bridges (six) 489.
Also Hugh A. Logan (one) 441, Jerry
MuUinax (two) 354, H. H. Shipp (five)
353, M. C. Pruette Jr. (six) 352, Lloyd
Davis (two) 301, James Guyton (three)
299, Hugh Byrd (five) 297, Charles T.
City Parking Lot
Plan Is Revealed
IjEUZABETH STEWART
Siror-Herald Staff Repwter
?ie!iminarv plans,i.or a 78-
reity parking io; /O Chero-
ieSt. were prtsented to the
iy commission Tuesday
jilt and timetable calls for
I completion by Apr. 16.
Meantime, merchants in the
rtown area lave received
m City Engineer Dennis
)x working drawings of the
jposed construction Mr.
K describes as “simple and
ite functional.”
Fox said the $49,600
iking area borders property
ts of 20 businesses in the
itral business district and
It all merchants are invited
provide “input” into plans
I the city community de-
itpment p-oject.
“We wanted to try and get
By from the asphalt jungle
I«of thing,” said Fox, vcho
jdtheboard that the parking
[would require a minimum
I maintenance ■ with simple
ick walkways as refuges for
pcstrians. Plantings and a
nughfare through the lot
I loading and unloading au'e
Wed in the plans. The area
Mated in the rear of busi
es which front Battle-
Hind Ave.
flans call for “minimum
Ws”, a tie-in at the
■sting pedestrian walk at
®es and an 18 foot throu^-
18,982.12. Bids for the wood
chipper for the electrical
JCiJiinment wei,^fety TAst
Equipment Co. She’')y^
$4,365; Western Carr ma
Tractor Co. of Charlotte,
$4,950; and Interetate Equip
ment Co., Statesville,
$5,423.98.
In another matter involving
equipment, the board voted i
.iccept the lowest bid,
$16,573.98, for a mini-comput
er for the city administrative
office and elected to trade-in
the city’s old computer.
Delivery was promised in 90-
120 days.
Bloodmobile Goal 200 Pints
The Red Cross Bloodmobile
visit for Kin^ Mountain is
scheduled Moa, Oct. 27 at the
Kings Mountain Community
Center, according to co-
chairman Lyn Cheshire.
“Ihis time our goal is 200
pints of blood,” Cheshire said.
“And the bloodmobile facili
ties will be set up in the gym
upstairs at the community
center.”
The co-chairman for the
visit said it was decided to
move upstairs to provide more
room and cut down on the
waiting period for donors.
Additional personnel will be
on hand here Oct. 27.
Nursery facilities will also
be set up for donors and trans
portation will be {x-ovided on
visit day by calling 739-3549.
“In the last two visits here
we have come close to the 200
pint donation mark,” Cheshire
said. “We were actually over
the goals set for those visits,
but over the past few years
Kings Mountain’s quota has
not been met and we are way
behind because of it.”
This will be the first time in
10 years the 200 pint mark will
have been met, “if we receive
the kind of response our citi
zens are capable of giving,”
Cheshire said.
The bloodmobile will
operate in the community cen
ter gym from 11 a. m. until
4:30 p. m. Bill Grissom co
chairs the bloodmobile visit
with Cheshire.
fs not elaborate”. Fox
pasized. He said the time-
a includes: receipt of
ka input on project by Fri-
pp. m.; advertising for
onNov. 24; letting of con-
onDec. 22; beginning of
action on Jan. 5, 1976,
completion of project on
W 16,1976.
actions, the board
ad contact for curb and
® and paving for 1975
*nmprovements to Cus-
Co. of Gastonia,
Hidden a $117,508.90 for
ag and guttering and let
Jiving contract to Neal
® Construction Co. of
11 ”1^^^43,180. Bids were
“ 20 percent less than
^ity Engineer
ton that as
ij, spliting the con-
" a obtain “very reasona-
unit prices.
received, but
Is (nw® “"tilnext month,
Sfn'i satellite gar-
St
from Eastern Truf
Co. of Fayette-
Cumberland
' $9,300;
tCnoxville,
Photo By Gary Stewart
NEW GREETING — Motorists coming into
Kings Mountain city limits are now greeted by
of Charlotte, a new sign on Highway 74 west. Recently
erected was this sign on the right advising
motorists that Kings Mountain is a bicen
tennial community.
Smith (three) 288, Jerry Ross (three)
266, Taft Clark (five) 203, Mrs. Elizabeth
Lynch (two) 201, Charles Parker (six)
151, Paul Ledford (four) 131, Bill Sellers
(three) 121, Everette Pearson (three)
112, George Ross (four) 71, Major Loftin
(two) 61, Boyce Tesenair (six) 50, Ernest
Rome (three) 45, Roy Samuel Hammett
(four) 34, and Earl Wayne Worcester
(three) 14.
According to the canvass of Oct. 7
voting candidates Ray Cline, district one,
Corbet Nicholson, district three, and
Norman King, district four, were the
three high vote-getters. Candidates
Humes Houston, district two, James
Amos, district five, and James Dickey,
district six, were the next highest vote-
getters.
The Oct. 7 election began the new stag
gered term system for the commis
sioners and a four year term for the
mayor. Had there been no runoff election
called, then Cline, Nicholson and King
would have been elected to four year
terms, Houston, Amos and Dickey to two
year terms.
“Contrary to what we believed
earlier,” said Luther Bennett, local elec
tions board chairman, “that the district
with the highest vote-getter would still be
the four-year position no matter who won
the run-off, we have now been informed
by the state elections board to determine
the four year and two year terms follow
ing the runoff, we must go to the next
highest vote-getter from the Oct. 7 elec
tion.”
Bennett said he didn’t know whether or
not the present board had any idea how
confusing this system of selection is when
they approved staggered terms.
“The best way to esqxlain how it works
is to give a hypothetical situation,” Ben
nett said.
The elections chairman said voters
must keep in mind that he is talking only
about the twelve candidates who will be
in the Nov. 4 runoff election.
“For the sake of argument let’s take
district one,” Bennett continued. “Here
we have Ray Cline with 914 votes from
the Oct. 7 election. He is challenged in the
runoff by James Childers, who has 838
votes from Oct. 7. According to these
figures district one has a possible four
year commissioner, but only if Cline wins
the runoff election. If Childers defeats
Cline, then we must go to the runoff
candidate in another district who polled
higher than Childers in the Oct. 7 elec
tion. In this case it wouldbe Jim Amos in
district five.!’
Bennett pointed out that Amos polled
841 cotes to Childers’ 838 votes in the Oct.
7 election.
“Let me remphasize that we are only
talking about the 12 men now cam
paigning in the Nov. 4 runoff election,”
Bennett said. “All of the other candidates
have been eliminated from considera
tion.”
The polls win be open Nov. 4 from 6:30
a. m. until 7:30 p. m.
The board approved
unanimously abstract of can
vassing by the Board of Eicc
tions of the Oct. 7 city elec uon
and drew one comment from
Comm. Jim Amos who in
humorous vein asked the
mayor, “Why with so many
votes are you not smiling?”
PRELIMINARY PLANS OF PARKING LOT — Preliminary
plans for the city’s 76-car municipal parking lot on Cherokee
St. were presented to the city board of commissioners Monday
Photo By Lib Stewart
night. City Engineer Dennis Fox, pictured, told the com
mission the project would be “simple and not elaborate but
easily maintained.”
Gov. Holshoiiser Addressed
NCAE Meeting Here Friday
Governor Jim Holshouser
returned to Kings Mountain
for the second time last week
and addressed members of
District Two of the North
Carolina Association of
Educators during their sixth
annual convention in Barnes
Auditorium on the KMSHS
campus.
The 1,000 educators were
commended by the Governor
“for not turning to strikes for
personal gains” and he drew
rounds of applause when he
said, “When the money is
available in Raleigh, the
people won’t forget that you
put the needs of children first
and went to bat in the General
Assembly for improved pro
grams and teaching mate
rials.”
Prior to the Governor’s ad
dress, E. B. Palmer, execu
tive secretary of NCAE, had
Ixnught up the matter of
striking teachers with his
comments, “If the teachers
don’t get a raise this year, I
don’t know what they’ll do.
I’m not predicting or threat-
aiing a strike but I just don’t
know what they’ll do if they
are pushed against the wall.”
The Governor noted that in
1974-75 the average salaries
for N. C. teachers were 18th in
the nation and fringe benefits
were equal to an additional 22
percent of salaries.
“North Carolina’s teach
ers”, said the Governor,
“have stood up to their slogan
of putting the kids first and
haven’t turned to strikes and
picket lines. In this time of
economic stress you have
earned respect of the people of
North Carolina.”
Wor to introducing the
Governor, Dean B. Westmore
land, Kings Mountain teacher
who is state president of
NCAE, declared that “union
activity has nothing to offer
teachers that NCAE doesn’t
offer. Unions are myths with
little to be gained and lots to
lose. Why endanger the good
relations we enjoy by union
affiliation? It’s high time we
apply treatmait for learning,
we’ve had enough of
diagnosis.”
“Give us tools and we’ll do
the job”, declared Westmore
land, who added, “no teacher
ought to have to take his own
money to buy sufplies and
balance his lunchroom
report.” It’s time the public
quit complaining about
l^ptember heat in the class
rooms and aircondition the
buildings.”
“Give us enou^ clerical
assistance and we’ll show you
a state full of teachers ready,
willing and able to do the job.
These are fundamentals
which deserve to come first,”
he added.
Mrs. Linda Rader, District
Two Director, told the assem
bly that teachers didn’t get a
raise last year due to the tight
economy and a raise is the
number one priority of the
NCAE this year.
Governor Holshouser
reiterated his support of the
NCAE’s efforts to promote
quality education in the state.
He said the association had
earned respect by acting
responsibily and professional
ly in lobbying for a statewide
kindergarten program, ex
tended terms for school per
sonnel, improved retirement
benefits, reduction of class
size, expanded programs for
exceptional children, im-
px)ving learning disabilities,
increased psychological and
health services in schools and
substantial salary increases
for teachers.
Letters Praising City
On ^Big Day’ Released
The City of Kings Mountain
has been ridiculed and blasted
over some elements of the Oct.
7 battle celebration, but from
other factions the city has
been praised.
Major John H. Moss’ office
has released a batch of letters
congratulating the city and
the Bicentennial commission
on the planning and execution
of the Oct. 7 festivities.
Charlotte Mayor John Belk
wrote to say “. . . I enjoyed
being present and commend
you on excellent arrange
ments. It was a great day for
Kings Mountain and I’m sure
it will be remembered for
years to come ...”
Limestone College Presi
dent Jack J. Early said “. .
.You are to be congratulated
on the excellent manner in
which the program was
handled. It was especially
significant that you were able
to secure Vice President
Rockefeller for your speaker ..
Roy Dahmer, general
manager, Eaton Corp. of
Michigan, wrote “. . . Just a
note to let you know how much
we enjoyed the program last
Tuesday. It was outstanding.
It was also obvious that you
and the committees planned
well and are to be commended
for a job well done. Many
thanks for including us . . .”
“. . . Tha-e were so many
times yesterday that I heard
from people across the state
and even Washington.
“. . . Tiank you for giving
me the opportunity to be a
small part of the Vice Presi
dent’s visit yesterday, which
to me, and from all of the com
ments I heard, was an over
whelming success,” writes H.
E. LeGrand, liant manager of
Fiber Industries, Inc., Shelby.
Miss Elizabeth Radford,
DAR, Asheville, called the
festivities “. . . truly magnifi
cent and colorful . . .”
Other letters released by the
mayor’s office were of the
jpongratulatory type from
Paul Limerick of the Shelby
Ch^ber of Commerce, Dr.
Wyan Washburn, president of
the Cleveland County Histori
cal Association and others.
“The letters came to my
office,” Mayor Moss said,
“but they were meant to be
shared by all erf the citizens of
Kings Mountain.”
DIXON SPEAKER
Rev. Kenneth George,
director of the city’s Senior
Qtizens Program, will fill the
pulpit at the9:15 a. m. service
Sunday at Dixon Presbyterian
Church.
TO WASHINGTON
M-Sgt. Herman 0. Stewart
has reported for duty in D. C.
after a several days visit with
his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
George Stewart. M-Sgt.
Stewart was enroute from his
home in Montgomery, Ala.
vthere he had also bieen at
tending special classes at the
University for several mon
ths. His and son, Robbie, con
tinue to reside in Mont
gomery.