County is Broke beyond Fixing!!!—More Jail Construction!!! Commissioners, Shelby Mayor and Manager Stan Anthony and Rick Howell getting ready to Put us in Debt for the rest of our Grandchildren’s lives. Including a Message from Rev. Dante Murphy about the enlarged “Highway to Prison” for Cleveland County Youth!! Math by Robert A. Williams Message by Rev Dante Murphy

The Commissioners just ran an article through the Shelby Star about building a new Jail for $20 Million that will only add a total of 150 new “beds.” The Commissioners say a new County Jail is the Number One priority in Cleveland County.

Well, for a short moment let’s just say the commissioners are right and the new jail is number one priority. But all four high schools in Cleveland County are over 50 years old and Burns and Crest High Schools are already so full of mold such that some areas are unusable. Burns and Crest also don’t have swimming pools and auditoriums like Shelby and Kings Mountain High Schools. Building new schools has to be a close Number Two priority. But not a peep about that from anybody.

Now, let’s do some math.

A simple calculation for the new jail’s cost of $20 Million for 150 new beds equals $133,333.33 per bed. Or $200 in new taxes for every man, woman and child in Cleveland county. Or around $1,000 in new debt for every taxpayer in Cleveland County. Counting interest on the $20 million debt. The average taxpayer would have his and her taxes raised by $2,000. Just for the new Jail.

Considering the four new high schools over the next ten years, at an estimated $40 Million a pop. That’s including new auditoriums, swimming pools and all that, is another $160 Million.

$160 Million on top of the $20 million for the new jail equals $180 million.

Figuring the population in Cleveland County doesn’t go below 90,000 during the payback on this NEW debt, that is $2,000 in new debt for every man, woman and child. Or an increase plus interest for the average taxpayer of $10,000. Repeat, $10, 000 on new taxes for every taxpayer.

But there is the good news here. Very Good News!!!

The bad news is the Commissioners, the Shelby Mayor and Manager as well as the Shelby City council don’t indicate they are willing to spend even one red cent on education and other programs to slow down or even stop their never-ending jail construction programs.

But, WHY?? Is it because this “Highway to Prison” approach spreads more tax money around to those who profit off such matters? More Judges, More Lawyers, More do-nothing District Attorneys—MORE JAILS!!!

Now, let’s hear it from Rev. Dante Murphy in his message to the Commissioners, Shelby Mayor Stan Anthony, Shelby City Manager Rick Howell, the Shelby City Council, the School Board, Cleveland Community College, Most of the Faith leadership in the Black Community. And a few others.

Rev. Murphy says:

Mayor Stan Anthony has supported a $13 million rail trail, an $8 million dollar soccer field, received consultation fees for a $20 million county jail expansion, and is being considered to profit even more as the architect. All of this while using taxpayer money to defend slanderous remarks by City Manager Rick Howell, reneging on a documented “good faith” proposal to partner with a former NFL (player) to bring year round athletic events and youth programs to the city, and continuing to support an annual weekly event that has cost millions of dollars (the ALWS).

Members of the Southern Coalition for Equal Protections Under the Law recently reviewed the initial emailed proposal to Mr. Willie Green that ultimately resulted in a lawsuit. The estimated value of that proposal is approximately $2 million in direct and indirect costs to the City of Shelby. Mayor Stan Anthony and the City of Shelby should be ashamed for letting this racist attack continue!

Rev. Dante’ A. Murphy

Rev Murphy is CLEARLY speaking to the eagerness of Cleveland County as well as the City of Shelby to spend millions of tax dollars on “feel good” projects while joyfully spending nothing to turn the “Highway to Prison” Pack’um and stack’um Interstate Highway to bigger and bigger jails? Or into just a one lane path that would only use a portion of jails that we have already built??

So, folks, black and white, what would you chose? Paying so much more in taxes? Or something like everybody working and paying their own way?

I think the choice is obvious. And all us voters have to do is get rid of the old and elect the new on election day. The closest of which is November 2020 for the School Board and County Commissioners and November 2021 for the Shelby City Council.

Stay Tuned for the “scoop” on who needs to go and who needs to be elected in these elections. That is the least we can do.