Part IV–Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees Take the Bait, Falls in the Trap!!! –Report and evaluation by Robert A. Williams

The Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees at their May 9, 2017 Board Meeting took the bait and fell into the trap I set for them. What did they do at the Board Meeting? What they always do. When faced with information regarding alleged wrongdoing at the highest levels or at any level, they just ignore the problems, tell a few lies-usually to the Shelby Star-and then they just shut up until the brouhaha blows over. They basically just do nothing to fix any problem or bad situation. And why not? That MO usually works in Cleveland County. We have such short memories and even shorter attention spans.

Only, this time when I only published the many problems found by the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, I did not add to those articles what I have discovered by my own research. I wanted to see what the CCC Board of Trustees would do. My premise was, it is bad if a Trustee knows there are problems but just covers them up; but it is very much worse if a trustee is in the middle of the “swamp” but doesn’t know he or she is in the middle of the swamp.

With only the kind of shenanigans discovered and exposed by the James G. Martin Center, the Board of Trustees, if they were any account at all, they would have already fired the CCC President Dr. Steve Thornburg, CCC Executive Vice President Dr. Shannon Kennedy and several others, called in the SBI and FBI, and then all of the Trustees should themselves all resign from the Board and let the appointing authorities bring in a whole new crowd to straighten out the rotten mess at the rotten heart of the Cleveland Community College administration. Also, The eight of the nine Cleveland County Board of Education members implicated, the Commissioners and some high level folks in the DA’s office ought to resign too. Folks, it is just that bad and more, much more, is on the way.

Now, let’s get down to some details.

Go back and read my Part I, Part II and Part III articles about the mess originally published by others regarding CCC, CCS, Commissioners and the DA’s Office. and start putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I did not make up the allegations as others might want you to believe. All this information came from independent sources outside Cleveland County.

I will help you just a bit:

1. Dumbing down the college level courses for the Early College students. This implicates both CCC, CCS and the Commissioners in not only defrauding the students of a good and honest education but also defrauding the taxpayers as more students are run through the program that did not qualify for the program to begin with.
2. Improper sexual allegations regarding Dr. Thornburg and Dr. Kennedy at CCC. Other programs that receive tons of tax dollars run out of CCC also have obvious sexual related issues that are well known to CCC and the Commissioners, but have not been made public-YET. CCS is full of such as that too.
3. Allegedly Diverting multimillion dollar grant money going to CCC into other things is a criminal fraud. Can’t you hear the deafening silence from CCC, CCS, Commissioners, etc. that is ringing in your ears???
4. Allegedly retaliating against honest employees who bring up wrongdoing?? More silence!!!
5. Bad judgement all around at CCC, CCS, Commissioners, DA’s Office and maybe even the Sheriff’s Office appears obvious. Stay tuned for future articles about the crazy and crooked way Cleveland County so-called leaders operate.

This much is already out and it appears the CCC Board of Trustees have reverted to their same old MO, Do nothing, say nothing and cover up till the cows come home.

That is OK. There is much more scandal to come that has not even been brought out yet. The cows are getting ready to come home.

But first, I want to get hold of the CCC Board of Trustees official minutes for the May 9, 2017 Board meeting. This scandal is not winding down, it is just getting started. Stay tuned for the latest news as I dribble it out piece by piece so it has time to soak in real good. And when you see a CCC Board of Trustee, a CCS Board member, a commissioner or the DA walking down the street, just give them a big smile. Remember, only you can really put a stop to this mess. At the Ballot Box on Election Day. Stay Tuned!!!