Something stinks about the Kings Mountain Casino Project… Deal clearly smells of stinky money (WRAL News 3/19/21) Eddie Holbrook, Tim Moore, Wallace Cheves and Scott Neisler accused Report and more by Robert A. Williams
Editor’s Note: For maximum “impact,” please read to the very end!!!
Introduction:
This past Friday, just before noon, the US Postal Service mail carrier delivered some mail to my mailbox. I just happened to be standing near a window and saw it all. So, I walked out the door and picked up my mail. There were three pieces of mail.
One piece was a letter from the Department of Treasury. The IRS. I open that letter first.
Inside that envelope was a single page letter from the White House. I unfolded that letter as I would a standard letter. It was in Spanish and signed by President Biden. I didn’t understand a word of the Spanish. Obviously the White House, President Biden, the Department of the Treasury and the IRS had me confused with an illegal immigrant.
I turned the paper over and there was writing in English on the back side. Apparently, the same message that was on the front side in Spanish. That gave me the certain impression that The White House was favoring Spanish speaking people and not English-speaking Americans. But I already knew that was the case.
The message was a reminder that Biden had sent me a government check for $1,400 and a previous check for $600 that made a total of $2,000. Biden said that fulfilled his campaign promise to me. As I recalled that previous $600 check had President Donald Trump’s name on in. Biden was trying to take credit for that too. As I also recalled President Trump sent me that $600 check plus a another one for $1,200. That totaled $1,800 from Trump and only $1,400 from Biden. So, Biden is still $400 behind. But the message said more. Biden was going to make Obama-Care cheaper and more free stuff would be on the way for everybody. What Biden didn’t say was that we have gotten too much free stuff already. Way more than our children, grandchildren and even more generations will ever be able to send to China to pay off our national debt.
The second piece of mail was a letter from the NC Right to Life folks asking me to pay $36 for a “membership.” I do believe that human life begins at conception and abortion is baby-killing. I also believe that the Pro-Choice narrative is bull-sh*t. A woman does have the right to choose and if she becomes pregnant, she has done so from her own free choice to have sex in the first place. If she is raped, then prosecute the rapist. If there are a million women pregnant from rape, where are the prosecutions for those million rapists? Well, that is a dep subject for my shallow mind. Maybe this discussion should continue to another day and another article.
That third piece of mail is the main subject of this article:
It looked like a political “mailer.” And I suppose it was. The front side is what I decided to title this article. Something stinks about the Kings Mountain Casino Project… Deal clearly smells of stinky money (WRAL News 3/19/21) With Pictures of Eddie Holbrook, Tim Moore, Wallace Cheves and Scott Neisler
The mailer said it was “Paid for and authorized by DefendNC” and was mailed from Raleigh, NC. A google search shows DefendNC is originated and run by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. NO secrets and NO lack of Transparency there.
Now for some fact checking for the truth in this mailer.
The mailer said:
Elected officials have not been transparent about this casino project—100% True
Casino developer Wallace Cheves has a history of legal problems associated with illegal gambling—100% True
Cheves and former commissioner Eddie Holbrook, who actively supported the casino project while he was still in office, share ties to a mysterious LLC that owne3s 22 acres directly across from the casino property—100% True plus Cheves donated $5,800 to Holbrook’s re-election campaign in 2018.
Kings Mountain Mayor Scott Neisler’s gamily owns land nearby there too–100% True, however, the Neisler family owned that property years before the casino was envisioned.
So basically, the DefendNC flyer put out by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians regarding the Catawba Casino is 100% true on its face.
I attended the Cleveland County Commissioner’s Meeting last night and signed up to speak under Citizens Recognition, with the Casino “mailer” in hand. I showed the Commissioners the mailer and suggested to them that they do an investigation into it as it accused the Commissioners and County Attorney Tim Moore of “stinky” business. Considering that it has become a well-known fact that Tim Moore, the County Attorney, also represented the Catawba Indians regarding their casino and former Commissioner Eddie Holbrook was apparently cooking up stinky deals to benefit himself while he was in office. Perhaps criminal stinky deals. And since ALL the Commissioners seem to be falling all over themselves to give the Catawba Casino everything they want, with a big mile, that perhaps their palms may have been greased too. The Commissioners did not say a word.
But. The fact remains that the whole Catawba Indian Casino Project certainly seems to have been a “Stinky” deal from start to this very day. The Commissioners have ignored every person that has attempt4ed to dissuade them approving the Casino project. The Commissioners have refused to seek a referendum from the citizens of Cleveland County to judge their approval or opposition to the Casino Project. The Commissioners have ignored the fact that video poker machines that pay off have been illegal in North Carolina and Cleveland County for many years. The Commissioners have always joined in with Commissioner Eddie Holbrook’s “stinky” schemes, from the American Legion World Series, Baseball, Inc. to the secret sale of the Cleveland County Healthcare facilities for less than pennies on the dollar. Costing Cleveland County citizens Millions and even Billions of Dollars in the process.
Also, the City of Kings Mountain’s leaders have made an abrupt about-face from totally against gambling to totally FOR gambling. It certainly seems like the Commissioners and the Kings Mountain City Counsel have been bought off by the lure of easy money for themselves and “to Hell” with everybody else.
Below is a transcribed copy of an old article from the Shelby Star (August 1, 2002) reporting Kings Mountain’s former opposition to video poker gambling as well as a number of articles that indicate the Commissioners and the KM City Counsel have sold out to bad company. Decide for yourselves whether you believe the Commissioners and the KM City Counsel are honest or just two-bit crooks selling out to bigger money?
8/1/02
Kings Mountain won’t fold on poker suits
Cassie Tarpley
Star Staff Writer
KINGS MOUNTAIN — The two-year-old fight over video poker in Kings Mountain is heating up at the same time the N.C. General Assembly seems to be moving toward banning the games altogether.When South Carolina banned video gaming machines effective July 1, 2000, North Carolina legislators quickly passed a law restricting them in this state.
Later that month, Kings Mountain City Council passed an even stricter ordinance, effectively banning video poker machines in the city.
Neither new measure included any “grandfathering” provision, which would have allowed operators of existing machines that did not meet the new requirements to continue in business.
In September 2000, two owners, Mike Heath and Don Johnson, sued the city, asking the courts to prevent enforcement of the new ordinance. Eight months later, a Cleveland County judge denied the injunction request, which is now in the N.C. Court of Appeals.
In the meantime, after a January 2001 deadline for compliance, Kings Mountain officials said business owners could apply for conditional use permits to try to qualify for continued operation.
Only two of 23 businesses received the permit.
The city began enforcing the ordinance, cracking down with building codes and levying fines. Few business owners paid them.
On June 25, 2002, the city filed 17 civil lawsuits against those owners who have not paid the fines, asking the courts to order them to pay.
But on July 12, 2002, U.S. District Judge Lacy Thornburg’s July 12 ruling that part of video poker laws passed in 2000 are unconstitutional.
The state law requires that gaming machines must have been “lawfully in operation, and available for play, within the state on or before June 30, 2000,” but had to be registered for tax purposes by Jan. 31, 2000.
Thornburg’s decision, in the case of a Rutherford County owner, said that setting one date for lawful operation and another date for tax registration was inconsistent, according to Shelby attorney Rob Deaton, who represents two clients who own several of the businesses sued by the city.
Since Thornburg’s ruling, some attorneys of the defendants contacted Kings Mountain City Attorney Mickey Corry about resolving the lawsuits, Corry said.
“They wanted to speak to us about resolving the lawsuits without going to court,” he said.
In a short closed session at Tuesday’s City Council, council members instructed Corry to press on with the suits, Mayor Rick Murphrey said afterward.
“Mickey came to us for guidance, and we want these machines removed. The city feels our ordinance is constitutional,” Murphrey said. “The city attorney is going to proceed with the lawsuits.”
Attorney Mark Hullender, who represents William Parker of Parker’s Amoco, said, “I guess that shows they are not willing to negotiate, and I thought that was the whole purpose of the meeting behind closed doors.”
Hullender said he believes the Thornburg ruling makes a difference for Kings Mountain.
“I think his ruling does affect what is going on,” he said. “It deals with the date restriction.”
Hullender said his client’s position differs from some others.
“He had his poker machines in 15 years before anybody else had a second thought about them and before the ordinance was passed. The city is trying to exclude something he had been operating legally for 15 years,” he said.
“To my knowledge, he had never been arrested or even under suspicion of paying out illegally.”
Deaton, who represents Heath, Johnson, Danny Goforth and Dennis Goins in the civil suits, said that Thornburg’s ruling could have a bearing on Kings Mountain’s law, “But in this case, it doesn’t matter whether it’s constitutional or unconstitutional.”
Deaton said his clients have a right to continue the use of video gaming machines that were operating before the laws were changed.
“These defendants are going to contend that they have a vested right to the continued lawful use of video machines,” he said. “Once you have a lawful use of your property, the city can’t come along and ‘back-zone’ you.
“I’ve always said they ought to make video gaming machines illegal across the board, or tax them heavily so that the state could raise money and the local sheriffs could receive some of the money to offset the cost of enforcing the law.”
Heath and Johnson own nine of the 17 stores named in the recent lawsuits by the city.
Charlotte attorney Ken Davies represents the two in their August 2000 lawsuit against the city asking an injunction to prevent enforcement of the city’s new restrictions.
That suit, still pending in the N.C. Court of Appeals, says the businesses that were operating before Kings Mountain’s law passed should be “grandfathered” and challenges that law, Davies said.
In May 2001, Judge Jesse Caldwell refused to issue an injunction and it was appealed, Davies said.
“We are waiting on the appeals court to rule,” Davies said.
He said he anticipates a decision within a few months.
“The appeals court sets its own schedule,” he said. “The earliest it could come would be Aug. 6, their next scheduled day for handing down decisions.”
Other related Reports:
Catawba casino developer has long ties to video poker industry
Developer looks to build a community near Kings Mountain casino