Why was this story not reported when all this information is public record?
INFLATION?
How much was the 378 acres the county bought actually worth? The county paid $568,000, but what was it really worth? County tax records show the county valued the land at Approximately $168,000 in the year prior to buying the property. Considering land next to landfills typically depreciates, the large increase is strange indeed. The tax value at the time of sale was approximately $328000. Twice the value the year before, but still $240,000 less that what taxpayers paid for the land. Taxpayers timber, valued at $250,000, was given away too. Almost a half million dollars went to the middleman. More money went to Robert F. Morgan than Gardner-Webb University actually received from the sale. And Morgan only owned the land for sixty seconds, according to public records, when his profits started rolling in.
Officials Respond:
County officials who participated in this land purchase were asked to respond concerning their role in this action.
County Manager Lane Alexander responded by sending copies of the documents and information already obtained.
Former County Commissioner and presently a candidate to retake his old seat, Jack Spangler, did not respond at all to a written request for information.
Former County Commissioner Chairman when this land purchase took place, and also a convert to the Republican Party for a run at his old post, Joe E. Cabiness responded to a written request for information. Mr. Cabiness’s response is included in full:
“My recollection is that the land acquisition to which you refer in your letter of February 29th was handled ethically, prudently, to the letter of the law and in the best interests of the Citizens of Cleveland County.”
PS The attorney who drew up the papers for Robert F. Morgan was Jim Morgan, Presently Superior Court Judge Jim Morgan.
The story didn’t end here and wait for the present grade change scandal to surface. Other things happened.
Remember the Industrial Park land purchase. $1.4 million that just happened to be the same amount that the Hospital coughed up for rent. Guess who pays the Hospital’s rent? You and me when we get sick or injured. But that’s another story for another day.
The Commissioners, led by Jim Crawley and his buddy Joe Cabiness decide that the County should buy some property and build an Industrial Park. Let’s forget that this Industrial Park didn’t help one bit when the economy took a down turn. Everywhere else around Cleveland County the unemployment went to 6 or 7 percent while ours went to over 13 percent. Despite a brand new Industrial Park.
The real story was that the land the Commissioners were going to buy from the very start happened to have an option on it. This option happened to be a secret option. No more having anyone poking around in the Court files and spilling the beans. This option was a secret according to Commissioners. Even the Commissioners didn’t know who had the option according to Crawley and Cabiness.
Hokum! What are our County Commissioners doing dealing with a secret middleman? If it was so secret, how did they even know the land was for sale and a secret middleman had an option? Well, the rest is public record. The Commissioners bought the land and the secret middleman made a killing. It took the School Merger fiasco for Cleveland County to vote Cabiness out in the primary election of 2000. Crawley then quit the race for re-election when he realized he was going to be beat in the fall General Election. Probably worse than Sheriff Dan Crawford in this years primary.
Also one must ask, Where were Dr. Chris White and the rest of the Gardner-Webb Board during the land scam? Right there doing nothing. Except keeping quite and covering-up. Where was the District Attorney Bill Young? Right there doing nothing but keeping quite and covering up. Where were the Commissioners on the Industrial Park land scam? Right there keeping quite and covering up.
Now you know the rest of the Story about Gardner-Webb and Cleveland County. Money changing, conspiracy and worst of all-the cover-up. Anybody says anything and he or she gets fired. Well, It’s election time. It’s time for the voters to do some firing. DA Bill Young has got to go in the November election. That’s the only way the citizens of Cleveland County can take back their government.
Gardner-Webb can handle their own mess anyway they can.
Editor’s Note: The GW land scam records can be found at the Register of Deeds office in the County Administrative Offices on East Marion Street.
