Murders on a regular basis!! Shootings galore!!, Teen crime of all sorts-everywhere!! Plenty of 10 Year plans and NO action from City Council, Mayor and City Manager!! Lawsuits fixed, but coming on a regular basis!! Lawyer bills, waste and corruption causing taxes to skyrocket!! People leaving for jobs elsewhere-5,000 already gone!! The Shelby Star is now in Gastonia!! City of Kings Mountain and the Catawba Casino are moving to Gaston County to get away from Shelby’s contagious blight??? Courthouse Square lite up like daylight while empty buildings are hidden in the dark!! It goes on and on.
Yesterday a source reported that a shooting rampage in Shelby resulted in arrests. The source also reported that neither the shooting rampage nor the arrests were reported by the Shelby Star.
The agenda for the Shelby City Council Meeting this Monday evening shows that the new years budget will be on the agenda. The New budget, if adopted, shows that taxes will be increased substantially. Former Shelby Mayor Mike Philbeck stated on Political Smackdown that the new Shelby tax structure is a “Slap in the face for taxpayers!” To which Political Smackdown Democrat Betsy Wells stated “I’m glad I don’t live in Shelby!” (Which is one of the very few times I have ever agreed with Betsy Wells.)
Population records show that the Population of Shelby has dropped from a high of around 25,000 just a few years ago to around 20,000 now. Such drops in population indicate the smarter workers and their families are leaving Shelby and Cleveland County for jobs, or better jobs, somewhere else. The people on welfare and the druggies typically stay where they are. Since government benefits and drugs are just as available, if not more available, in Shelby as anywhere else.
Elections for the municipalities, including Shelby, are this year. Shelby tax-raising Councilmembers-Democrats Violet Arth Dukes and Rev. Charles Webber and Republican Eric Hendricks are up for re-election this year. Time for signing up with the Board of Elections for the Municipalities in Cleveland County other than Shelby and Kings Mountain are July 2- July 16th. For Shelby and Kings Mountain-July 26th – August 13.
Signups are only weeks away and NO word from the Shelby Star. Of course, the Shelby Star is 1,000% ready to sell campaign ads and appears to be 0% interested in sending reporters from Gastonia over to Cleveland County to report on the incumbent’s sorry voting records!!!
Since the Shelby Star is keeping silent about Shelby’s lawsuits, lawyer bills, waste and corruption-the incumbents; Dukes, Webber and Hendrick are keeping quiet about their tax increases, crime increases, population decreases and especially their unremarkable voting records. They are surely holding out for small voter turnouts and uninformed voters to put them back in office. And are counting on campaign adds with distorted records, big billboards and lots of campaign signs everywhere as well as new campaign promises (that won’t be kept) to get themselves re-elected.
Since the Shelby Star won’t publish the news about the Shelby City Council, I will.
The high spots are:
Multiple Allegations and actual lawsuits of Racism, systemic racism, discrimination and retaliation;
Zoning issues-Racial Discrimination and retaliation against black businessmen Willie Green and Scottie Webber;
Lack of plans for fighting crime, especially black teen crimes;
Unequal resources for Parks and Recreation based on racism. Holly Oak Park (Black) gets very little while other (White) parks, Rail Trail and Thread Trail gets tons (Multi-Million$) of funding
Destroying black housing to make room for white development along path of Rail Trail and Thread Trail
Overall corruption and cover-up at all levels.
Using insurance lawyers to harass and cause excessive expenses for lawsuit plaintiffs by filing frivolous “Motions to Dismiss” to keep from having to testify under oath
In Eric Hendrick’s situation; getting his family property rezoned to suit him while voting to disapprove Willie Green’s Zoning change request so Mr. Green cannot build multi-family housing. Even though multi-family homes are what the City of Shelby’s City Council says is needed in Shelby. The hypocrisy is astounding, although most would say it is racism. Cold hard racism to the core. Long standing and obvious to the most casual of observers.
So, all you Shelby Voters. It is up to YOU to make the changes that you think need to be made. If YOU like what is happening in the City of Shelby, stay at home on election day and get more of the same. If you are tired of increasing crime, drugs everywhere, higher taxes, declining population, increasing unemployment, corruption, racism and low paying jobs; then get yourself on down to the Board of Elections office and sign up for the City of Shelby’s City Council’s elections. If you cannot sign up to run for office, then support those that do with your vote on election day. That is how to make the changes that need to be made.