For those trying to follow what is actually going on at Cleveland Community College it is readily apparent that there are political forces and political “deals” afoot that go all the way to Raleigh. It is just as apparent that the new CCC President Dr. Jason Hurst from Alabama is outside this political “loop” and his ability to right wrongs at CCC in any sort of meaningful way in a reasonable time frame is limited by the CCC Board of Trustees. And who is appointed and by whom. In the present gridlocked situation Dr. Hurst’s efforts to change the culture of corruption at CCC can only be accomplished by the citizens and voters of Cleveland County getting themselves informed and this group of “We the People” getting out on Election Day and doing our part.

The Breaking News about the two new laws previously reported on came from the CCC sponsored Political Smackdown episode first recorded and played today. CCC BoT Chairman Wes Westmoreland was a participant in today’s episode but gave little away about the depth of the problems at CCC. CCC Vice Chairman Wayne King is often a participant on Political Smackdown, but not today.

But first, Sources report the need to make a correction to my previous article. This report was verified by NC Sessions Law 2018-127 (HB-1083)

The report states: “Wayne King was appointed by Senator Phil Berger; Dennis Bailey was appointed by Speaker of the House Tim Moore. Part of the ‘deal,’ which I really don’t ‘get.’” The source report is correct and I stand corrected. I must note that the attachments I added to my articles correctly showed the various appointments.

Reports further state:
“CC commishes at final (June 5, 2018 Commissioners Meeting) were split 3-2 for Wes; the reason for the 5-0 (June 19, 2018 Commissioner’s Meeting) vote was the ‘deal.’ For whatever reason, Tim (Moore)/(Eddie) Holbrook/(Johnny) Hutchins wanted Wayne (King), but Susan (Allen), Ronnie (Whetstine), and finally Doug (Bridges) were committed to Wes (Westmoreland). So, on 19 June they vote 5-0 for Wes, knowing Tim would run the bill the following day. (And that Wayne King would be appointed by Senator Phil Berger and Dennis Bailey would be appointed by Tim Moore on HB-1083.). (This confirms my articles regarding the June 5, 2018 Commissioner’s meeting where I opined that something major was coming down that the public was being kept in the dark about. The “dark” has now had some sunshine cast upon it.)

“Tim (Moore) called in no doubt a ‘favor’ with (Senator Phil) Berger for a local bill to run so fast; why they wanted Wayne on Trustee’s so bad is a mystery to me still at this date” another report stated

“FYI, don’t give me up, but something doesn’t make sense yet.” (Meaning “do not reveal my identity!” I WON’T.)

According to Mike Philbeck on today’s Political Smackdown “I can tell you that, in my opinion, former Shelby City Councilman Dennis Bailey is highly ethical, and will get info detail, and no one will ‘lead’ him around unless he actually believes they are right.”

Sources report that this probably sets up interesting exchanges between Bailey and Wayne King at some point. This is good as the CCC BoTs need more discussion, at meetings and in open session, to show the citizens of Cleveland County that not everything is done illegally behind closed doors.

Folks, none of the information provided by these sources was discussed by the Cleveland County Commissioners at their June 5 and 19, 2018 meetings in open session as required by North Carolina Law, but discussed they obviously were-illegally.

So, who needs governmental officials doing illegal business?? My point all along.

Folks, Stay Tuned for the rest of the news as I hear it. Read and heed. Or stay ignorant of the goings on in Cleveland County.

PS: One thing mentioned on the Political Smackdown piece turned on a light for me. The discussion where Westmoreland stated the new CCC President Dr. Jason Hurst was very capable and learning fast. I immediately realized two things. Not only is Commissioner Chairman Eddie Holbrook involved with influencing Speaker of the House and County Attorney Tim Moore to push hard to get these recent two new laws passed as a political scheme to get himself, Holbrook, re-elected. But Holbrook also wants this new found CCC BoT appointment power given to the Commissioners to cover up the mess at CCC and protect Executive Vice President Shannon Kennedy’s job so that his own $125,000 per year job is also protected. It is always Holbrook’s MO to make sure the light is shined on someone or something else and not on the root of the problem–Commissioner Eddie Holbrook himself. With the new President on board and competent, the Executive VP (Kennedy) and Senior Dean of Development and Governmental Relations (Holbrook) positions, Number two and three on the CCC Salary Chart for over $250,000 per year are no longer necessary. That is totally obvious since these jobs were never “necessary” to begin with. Kennedy and her rapid advance due to her wannabe paramour former CCC President Steve Thornburg and Holbrook because longtime CCC BoT Chairman Hoyt Bailey “liked” him.

Again, folks, stay tuned!!! This never ending story could very well come to an end if enough voters get themselves informed and vote. Also remember that the 2020 elections include a majority of county commissioners up for re-election. Anybody we don’t get rid of this time, maybe we can get rid of them next time.

Also, those good commissioner candidates who didn’t file in the partisan races in this years Commissioner’s election, you can file as a write-in candidate for the November 6, 2018 General Election. All you need is to fill out some paperwork, get 100 verified signatures on a petition and get the paperwork in by August 6th. Call Clifton Philbeck at the Cleveland County Board of Elections for the paperwork and answers to your questions.

Things should be sizzling at the July 10, 2018 Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees meeting. And I am not talking about the hot weather.

As I stated in my last article about CCC, a new law, Sessions Law 2018-15, has taken away all CCC BoT appointments from the Cleveland County School Board (four appointments) and the Governor (four appointments). Now the Cleveland County Commissioners will appoint eight BoT members and the NC General Assemble (Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro Tempore) will recommend four appointments. The Sessions Law 2018-15 has a signoff for Tim Moore for the Speaker of the House and Bill Rabon for the Senate. Representative Kelly Hastings has informed by email that Bill Rabon is not the Senate President Pro Tempore. I do not know what difference that makes, but request Tim Moore and Kelly Hastings to explain that to us.

Now, there is an even newer law, ratified June 29, 2018; Sessions Law 2018-1083 (that is attached) which has started making appointments to various boards and commissions across the state. These including Wayne King to the CCC BoT as well as Dennis Bailey. According to this new law Wayne King will be appointed by Tim Moore and Dennis Bailey will be appointed by Warren Daniel to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff Alan Norman. This has to mean that Sheriff Alan Norman has resigned from the CCC BoT. The Democrat Governor would certainly not have appointed Republicans Wayne King and Dennis Bailey to these positions. So, whatever negatives this new law may have, these appointments are not one of them.

Other news from Sessions Law 2018 is Sheriff Alan Norman has been appointed to the North Carolina Sheriff’s Education and Training Standards Commission term that expires June 30, 2021, a position much better suited to the skills and talents of Sheriff Norman than the scandal and gridlock on the CCC BoT.

Also, Allen Langley has been appointed to a statewide Pest Control Commission and Commissioner Johnny Hutchins has been appointed to a State Mining Commission.

From the timing of the ratification of both Sessions law 2018-15 and 2018-1083, it appears the fast action of the CCS School Board to appoint Chris Monroe to the CCC BoT was a last gasp effort to make their final appointment to the CCC BoT. I suspect they were forewarned about the coming situation with the CCC BoT appointments. A reminder and reinforcement of my read on all this as being a planned political scheme masterminded by Commissioner Eddie Holbrook to get himself re-elected ad a Commissioner and maintain his lucrative $125,000 salary at CCC without any discernable related educational requirements, duties and accountabilities as Senior Dean of Development and Governmental Relations. Can anybody tell us just exactly what that position is and what the holder, Eddie Holbrook, actually does?

Folks, Come on out for the July 10, 2018 CCC BoT meeting at 12PM at CCC. See for yourself just how little you will learn about the actual doings of CCC from your experience. All the while remember that all CCC business is to be conducted in public. And wonder, like me, how the BoTs can vote to approve anything on the information they refuse to discuss in front of a crowd of us, the “We the People” of Cleveland County.

Also, Note that I have been notified that the Governor cannot veto a “local bill.” That pretty much covers Sessions Law 2018-15 which is only for CCC. This House Bill HB1083, Sessions Law 2018-127 may be another matter.

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Everybody that knows anything knows that the Cleveland Community College is in a heap of trouble, that the new President Dr. Jason Hurst can’t fix all by himself and the silly CCC Board of Trustees have been in “heat” for over a year in their gridlock over what to do with their Executive Vice President and her hand picked sycophants (some would say (psychopaths). Throw in the Senior Dean for Development and Governmental Relations, Eddie Holbrook, who nobody can explain just exactly what Eddie Holbrook does to deserve a $125,000 salary at CCC and also a salary as a County Commissioner Chairman too, and you have a recipe for disaster.

And now, disaster has struck.

The North Carolina General Assembly run by Cleveland County Attorney Tim Moore as Speaker of the House, has just ratified NC Sessions Law 2018-15 on June 20, 2018. This new law changes the way Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees are appointed. And the new law affects only Cleveland Community College. Imagine that. That particular tidbit surely indicates just how low Cleveland Community College has sunk and how bad their leadership actually is.. And their gridlocked Board of Trustees too. No matter what happy, happy, happy stories about CCC are run in the Shelby Star. Often called the Shelby Daily Liar. This new law is attached at the end of this article for all you Country Club-Moss Lake gossiping Doubting Thomas’s to see.

This law changes how the CCC Board of Trustees are selected and by whom. The “by whom” tells the tale in this article.

According to this new law, the Governor and the Cleveland County School Board will no longer appoint anyone to the CCC BoT going forward. In my opinion this will be a good thing over time all by itself. The present Democrat Governor won the Governor’s Office only by the support of city-boy Democrats in Durham out voting the rest of us. Or maybe it was how they did the “counting” of the votes in Durham that elected Democrat Governor Roy Cooper.. Anyway, the Governor will not be appointing Board of Trustee members for Cleveland Community College going forward. This was a pretty political astute maneuver as the Governor will not likely file a lawsuit (though he might veto) over the piddling Cleveland Community College and the piddling Cleveland County as he has done over other things the NC General Assembly has done to limit the power of the Governor in statewide affairs. So, taking away the Governor’s appointments of four CCC BoTs will probably be good over time as this Governor has little to do with Cleveland County to begin with.

As for the Cleveland County School Board losing their four appointments going forward, that appears to be for the best also. In the long run that is. CCS has a built in conflict of interest with CCC such that educating students was not and is not the highest priority for either CCC or CCS.

For example, the latest identified “crisis” in workforce development at CCS AND CCC is not new at all. It has been a slow transition of wrongheaded teaching practices and stupid administration priorities that favor the 17% of CCS graduates that enroll in college at the expense of the 83% of students that want to or have to go to work after graduation from CCS. The discussion coming out of CCS to justify this has been a scam and a fraud on the citizens of Cleveland County for so many years that it is pitiful voters just didn’t clean house on the School Board. The fact that 46% of CCS graduates cannot read, write and do math at grade level when they graduate means the “average” CCS graduate is a dummy who is not ready or able to make themselves into productive members of society without additional help. Totally sad and totally true according to CCS’s own records and test results. Records and Test Results they, the School Board and Administration, don’t talk about either.

Even the term “workforce development” nowadays is a scam and a fraud on the people. In literal terms “Workforce Development” in days past meant exactly the same as the “Education” of our children in Public Schools. It begins in the First Grade with teaching kids how to read, write and do arithmetic. Such is the basis of all education and workforce development as you might chose to call it. Then there is advancement at every grade level through the 12th grade such that a High School Diploma represented a person holding such documentation has the basic skills mix, educational and vocational, as necessary to become a productive and self supporting member of our society. Going to college or to work or whatever. Starting a family of their on in the process. Not so today.

For example, when I graduated from Burns at Fallston High School in 1965 I knew how to pick cotton, tend a garden, milk a cow, bag groceries, run a cash register, weld, work on cars, paint a house, do wood working, type a letter, read and write in cursive and do reading, writing and arithmetic well enough to go to NC State and earn a degree in Nuclear Engineering. While at NC State, over summers and sometimes holidays, I worked at PPG, Cleveland Mills in Lawndale, Duke Power at Cliffside and other things and places. When I graduated from NC State, with all my “workforce development,” I believed I could get a job anywhere doing just about anything and pretty much did exactly that over the years. About the only things I turned down were jobs on the Alaskan Pipeline, the shipyard in Cam-Ranh Bay (Vietnam), the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, Nuclear Plant Construction at Dothan (Alabama) and Soddy-Daisy (Tennessee) and the secret Uranium Enrichment Plant in Paducah, Kentucky.

What I am saying here is that I am satisfied with the workforce development education I received in Cleveland County Schools. Education in the United States was number one in the World in 1965. The USA put a man on the moon, cured Polio, won wars when we wanted to and had the world’s greatest economy. Of course there were social and racial problems, but the basis and processes for a top notch education was known, although not always equally applied and available to all.

What to do and how to do education was known in 1965, the same year Cleveland Community College came into being. CCC did well too for about 40 years,

Now it is 2018 and education, academic and vocational (now called workforce development), is broken. Vocational Education is in a “crisis” according to 12 year incumbent Commissioner Eddie Holbrook. It didn’t get that way overnight. And 12 years of vocational education-workforce development decline in Cleveland County happened during Commissioner Eddie Holbrook’s watch.

First, there was the “New Math” that nobody understood the terminology of. New Math hit after I graduated from high school and I couldn’t help my younger brothers and sisters with their homework. I am sure math teachers were not doing well with it either. Math scores for US students dropped from Number One in the World to about No. 15 or 20. So much for New Math. Old math taught students who could count and do arithmetic at every level. While New Math produced high school graduates who cannot count to 100 or make change for a dollar.

Progressive Supreme Court decisions changed Freedom of Religion to Freedom FROM Religion. And selectively took Bible reading and Prayer out of our public schools. Schools began indoctrinating students instead of educating students. On and on it went until the last go around with “Common Core” that the NC General Assembly has been trying to get rid of over the liberal kicking and screaming of School Boards like the CCS School Board. So, actually stopping the CCS School Board from appointing CCC BoT members is strategically the right thing to do. But tactically the Devil is in the Details. Read on.

The fact is what to do now to correct the so called “crisis” in vocational education-workforce development is well known. Scrap the crap we are doing in schools now and dust off those lesson plans we had in 1965. Education in 1965 was backed by a thousand years of success. What CCS and CCC are doing now is backed by 12 years of failure. What to do is simple. Take all the good parts from 1965 and leave off all the bad stuff we do today. Teach kids how to read, write and memorize the multiplication tables. No matter what the race, creed or color. Start in the First Grade and improve from there. It took us years to get into this mess and it will take 12 years to graduate students that have good common sense.

This new Sessions Law 2018-15 gives eight appointments to the Cleveland County Commissioners and four appointments to the General Assembly. With the Speaker of the House (Tim Moore) making two appointments and the Senate President Pro Tempore (Bill Rabon of Southport, NC-a veterinarian by trade) making two appointments. Which, for all practical purposes gives all twelve CCC Board of Trustee appointments to the Cleveland County Commissioners, run by the Democrat Chairman Eddie Holbrook who is an employee at CCC. What a conflict of interest that is!!!

Of course all this is a planned political scheme to get “troubled” Commissioner Eddie Holbrook re-elected in this years Elections for another four years. Democrat Eddie Holbrook is 82 and statistically may not live out this term in sound mind or body. If something would happen to Eddie Holbrook like happened to Commissioner Ronnie Hawkins only eight days into his new term, Democrat Party Hacks will appoint a replacement Democrat Commissioner who most likely could not or would not get elected on his own merits. And Republican Commissioner Vice Chairman (and DSS Chairman) Susan Allen would immediately take over the reins as the Commissioner Chairman too.
and we already know about the problems and issues about the very bad leadership and conduct at DSS. Remember the Murphy v. CCDSS Federal Lawsuit where it was proved DSS violated law and policy and had to pay. Yet none of those who were proved to have done illegal and unethical things were ever disciplined or punished in any way. Including the Director, Karen Prichard, who sources say may be forced to “retire” soon. Yet, as of today, Karen Prichard and Susan Allen are still in place and still in charge of a lot of dirty deeds that will be reported on in other articles. Unfortunately, Eddie Holbrook, who refusal to investigate the DSS as requested lead to the losing of the Federal Lawsuit is still in place too.

As the accomplishments Commissioner Eddie Holbrook claims to have made are evaluated closely, the scams and deceptive statements become incredibly clear. Education at both CCS and CCC have declined dramatically under the tenure of Commissioner Eddie Holbrook. Costs at CCS and CCC are way up and scores are way down. About the only thing “Up” are the scandals and frauds. Credit Card misuse at CCS and all the recent alleged sexual stuff at CCC. All under Commissioner Eddie Holbrook. And all the while, the Commissioners, under Eddie Holbrook could have put a stop to it all.

How? you ask. Well, who funds both CCS and CCC at significant levels. The Commissioners using Cleveland County tax dollars!!! at any time during the past 12 years Eddie Holbrook was a Cleveland County Commissioner he could have put sufficient financial pressures on CCS and CCC to make them change their sorry ways. But, official records show Commissioner Holbrook exerted none of the leadership power of the purse to make CCS and CCC straighten up and fly right.

This is a documented fact. All this new law stuff discussed in the open like the law requires. Oh NOooo!! There is NOTHING in official county records that show the Commissioners, including Eddie Holbrook, doing anything to ensure taxpayers were getting their money’s worth at CCS and CCC. So Holbrook had to do something in a hurry to get his sorry record past this year’s election. That is where this new Sessions law comes into play. Show something after 12 years of nothing. “Hey people” Commissioner Eddie Holbrook might as well say, “I am taking control at CCC and Happy Days are here again.” If you look closely at the new law, these CCC BoT appointments by the Commissioners will take years to have any effect at CCC. The perfect political scheme. Promise action NOW, but do nothing, now or later. After the November Elections of 2018 this new law will be forgotten as quickly and mysteriously as it was enacted.

Stay tuned folks. The truth about Eddie Holbrook’s record in office over these past 12 years will be coming out soon. Read it and weep. The tax dollars Commissioner Eddie Holbrook has wasted over the years were YOUR hard earned tax dollars. If you like your money being wasted, well, just Vote for Eddie Holbrook for Commissioner and your dreams will come true. Same thing happens if you just stay home on Election Day.

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