County Shooting Range shutting down, can’t pay for itself!!! Taxes, Lies and Politics-Cleveland County Style!!! Taxes Going UP, Big Lies told by all and Dirty Politics!!! County Hires Tax Management Consultant to Audit Taxpayers and Maximize tax increases!!! County hires new lawyer-More lawsuits!!! Ha-Ha, the Shelby Star told you so!!! Report, rumors, gossip, sea stories, Fairy Tales and facts by Robert A. Williams YOU decide which is which!!!

Editor’s Note: Don’t believe a word in this article. Nothing is true unless the Shelby Star writes it!!! (Ha-ha-ha!) This article is somewhere between Rhetorical Hyperbole and 100% truth. You decide which is which and how much. This is an educational experience in critical thinking. Let’s see if YOU can pass the test.

Folks, Remember the story about the store owner in Dirty Ankle, Brian Epley, that bought his snuff in Shelby for a dime per bale and sole it back in Dirty Ankle for a nickel a bale? Do you ever wonder what happened to that merchant? I just found out that the Cleveland County Commissioners were so impressed with Brian’s business acumen that they hired him as the County Manager with special emphasis on running the County Shooting Range for Commissioner Johnny Hutchins. He also “moonlights” by running the LeGrand Center, The Don Gibson Theatre, the Earl Scruggs Center and the Arts Council in Uptown Shelby. Rumor has it that the Commissioners are so impressed with that great business mind of Brian’s that they are going to give him a $50,000 raise and double his staff of 25. And a brand-new Cadillac Escalade for a County car until his Mercedes gets delivered and his chauffer gets hired. As well as give him a premier membership at the Cleveland County Country Club in hopes the Country Club will finally pay their delinquent property tax bills.

Rumor has it that veteran Commissioners Johnny Hutchings and Ronnie Whetstine are especially impressed with the great mind of this wonderful and thrifty County Manager, that they have tasked the County Manager Brian Epley to raise property taxes substantially on farms and peoples residences in 2021, while leaving property tax evaluations the same for favored business owners and lay the blame on Commissioners Doug Bridges and Deb Hardin who are up for reelection in 2022. Gossip has it that Brian even hired a Tax Management Consultant who will audit taxpayers’ personal records to make sure the county commissioners can squeeze citizens for every penny that they can. Brian even hired another high dollar lawyer, Stephanie Webster-out of Charlotte-to cover-up for the Commissioners failures to abide by the law. But mostly to cover-up Brian for not following the law. Brian just claims immunity from prosecution because his subordinates that he ordered to do illegal stuff were the ones who actually did the illegal stuff.

The Sea Stories say that Eddie Holbrook and Tim Moore are behind all the shenanigans that are going on. The Casino payoffs. The new auditoriums promised for Burns and Crest High Schools, The New School Board Majority selling out the people and the students so Robert “Luke” Queen can get his payoffs-political and otherwise. Keeping the same ole incompetent administration at CCS so Kings Mountain will continue supporting Tim More when he runs for the US Senate in 2022 and Eddie Holbrook makes his political comeback as County Commissioner. Luke also has to shut down Danny Blanton from finding all the CCS waste and telling on them.

Those same Sea Stories say, this is all Politics and Politics in Cleveland County is all about political lies. This is how it goes. Tim and Eddie are ambitious. Tim wants a political office higher than Speaker of the House and has looked into the Crystal Ball of Politics, The US Senate race for North Carolina has an open seat in 2022 and the Presidential and Governor’s Elections are not until 2024. So, since Speaker of the House has given Tim statewide name recognition, Tim can run for the US Senate in 2022, get nationwide name recognition and springboard off that Senate seat to a run for either the President, Vice-President or Governor’s race in 2024.

But, for Tim Moore to pull all this off, he has to make political promises to others so they will help him and so they can move up the political ladder too. And the 2020 Census and the power of the General Assembly to redraw district representation lines offers an important tool for Tim to pull up his supporters by making the district lines so his favorites can get elected and suck on the taxpayer’s “tit” for all they all can get. Kind of like a “share the wealth” program for politicians. Share the “swamp” many Trump supporters would say.

So, who are on those on Tim’s supporter’s list??? To figure that out, you have to look at both the local and state politics. At this point in time in early 2021 Tom has to secure his local base in the Republican Party and with the local Representatives. As well as spread some state money around. Names like Kelly Hastings, Dennis Bailey, Ted Alexander, Luke Queen and Jonathan Sink rise to the top. And lots just underneath them. Eddie Holbrook too. Although Eddie’s Casino attorneys may advise him to lay-low since all the Casino Money Eddie has come in to as a result of his likely illegal acts as a Cleveland County Commissioner may make him the subject for an FBI criminal investigation. The local DA ain’t about to prosecute nobody.

As the Sea Stories go, mixing in some Fairy Tales, looking into that same political Crystal Ball that Tim Moore is looking into shows the following scenarios.

Dennis Bailey is likely to run for Shelby City Council in 2021. Mostly to recoup his embarrassing loss to Violet Dukes in the 2017 Elections. And to help Tim in the 2922 US Senate Race. If Dennis wins, he will be expected to help Tim in 2022, but Dennis will have some expectations too. Moving up in the Republican Party to a much higher level. Maybe an appointment to something in Tim’s Senate office.

Robert “Luke” Queen will be expected to put a lid on scandals at Cleveland County Schools and put a lid on Danny Blanton for exposing them. Luke will take the $15 million Tim diverted from the Democrats in the 2020 School Board Elections and build new Auditoriums at Burns and Crest High Schools on a schedule that the news will benefit Tim’s run for the US Senate in 2022. Luke will be responsible to see to it that the Kings Mountain incompetent influence on CCS Administration is kept in place to protect Tim’s hometown favorites Fisher, Wampler and others) from being canned. And keep the Kings Mountain Baptist Church in Tim’s back pocket. Tim can’t be having controversy in his own back yard while running for US Senate in 2022. Especially if Laura Trump is Tim’s opposition for that US Senate (Burr) seat from North Carolina.

Luke might even run for the NC House to take Tim’s place on that ballot. Of course, district lines will be redrawn, maybe even into Rutherford County to allow Luke to run for that office. And Luke will NOT be in any position for the Speaker of the House role. But Luke is like an evil chameleon. He has a taste for political power and can change his colors at a moment’s notice. Luke’s election to the school board shows that.

Jonathon Sink’s district (The Old Tim Moore District) will likely be adjusted to include different proportions in Cleveland and Gaston County to allow for any tweaking necessary for Jonathan Sink’s relocation to be finalized so a district can be carved out for him. Sink has been dogged by scandals at the State Republican Party top level for some time now. Sink’s law firm is involved with Gaston County as well as the lawyers for Cleveland County Schools. So, a district drawn up from South Eastern Cleveland and South Western Gaston County (Casino territory and big money contributions) may be in store for Jonathan Sink. Although Sink would be expected to share his Casino money around to Hastings and Luke Queen.

Kelly Hastings’ district may be tweaked a bit for include a safe Upper Cleveland County part as well as a safe part of Gaston County. Maybe even to adjoin the Casino district to keep the “Casino money” encircled by Cleveland County greedy politicians.

That Speaker of the House position held by Tim Moore will probably be lost because neither Luke, Kelly of Jonathan have enough political pull to maintain the state cash that Tim was bringing in to keep his home district satisfied. But, the Casino money, cash money, would be encircled and more under the table deals can be made without so much legal and IRS scrutiny as Tim Moore has had.

At the more local levels, Commissioners Johnny Hutchins and Ronnie Whetstine won’t be up for reelection until 2024. As the big tax increase is set to hit in late 2021 and Commissioners Doug Bridges and Deb Hardin are due for reelection in 2022, the insolvent Shooting Range and the other big money losers will likely be looked at for shutdown. And rightly so. How can all those money losing boondoggles be spared from shut-down when the taxpayers are going to be fleeced for big time property tax increases.

Since Hutchins and Whetstine were stripped of County Commissioner leadership last December, they want to get rid of Bridges and Hardin. Therefore, they will insist that the Tax RATE stay where it is to make sure tax revenue is at a maximum. In large part to keep the money losing Shooting Range and other Boondoggles in the continued business of losing money. Eddie Holbrook will sooner or later demand more money for the biggest loser of all, the American Legion World Series and the second-place money loser, the Cleveland County Fair, all tax funded under the guidance of County Manager Brian Epley. (Remember the snuff merchant described at the start of this article.) So, Tim will likely see to it that some state grants come through for the County Shooting Range, the ALWS, the Fair, the Earl Scruggs Center, the Don Gibson and the Arts Council through at least the 2022 elections to appease Johnny and Ronnie and beat Doug and Deb.

The rumors, gossip, Sea Stories, Fairy Tales and the great and powerful Political Crystal Ball grow a bit cloudy after the 2022 Elections. If Tim Moore wins the US Senate Seat in 2022, Tim will likely be running for the big prize in 2024. Either the President, Vice President or NC Governor race. If Tim loses the US Senate seat in 2022, the Crystal Ball’s scenes of corruption grows dark. Especially if Commissioners Doug Bridges, Deb Hardin and Kevin Gordon vote down the 2021 reevaluation and leaves everything as is–a true “Revenue Neutral” until the State Law kicks in and requires a property reevaluation in 2024 However, that would be the biggest Fairy Tale of All.

Folks, call Commissioners Doug Bridges, Deb Hardin and Kevin Gordon. Demand that they vote down the “Snuff Sellers” 2021 tax reevaluation. Otherwise, YOU are screwed!!!