The 2022 School Board Elections have been over and done with for one whole week. In just two election cycles the CCS School Board has gone from 8-1 Democrat to 9-0 Republican. Other School Boards across North Carolina and the USA have also made significant changes to their School Boards, but not so much as Cleveland County, NC. However, there is still big trouble in Paradise. The Cleveland County School Board is NOT one big happy family. And CCS education is in a dire emergency mode and not getting any better.
The problem can be laid right at the feet of one person on the School Board. Chairman Robert “Luke” Queen. The person who led the charge for transparency in the 2020 elections, only to completely forget it the instant he is elected and sworn in. And he took the other four newly elected Republican school board members: Joel Shores, Rodney Fitch, Ron Humphries and Greg Taylor right down the tubes with him. Right now, each of these five Republicans each have only two years of school board experience. CCS Superintendent Stephen Fisher leads them around like five little sheep who don’t have a clue what they should be doing and how to do it.
Danny Blanton-for years the only Republican on the School Board, on the other hand, when the 2020 School Board Election came around already had seven years of CCS School Board experience. It wasn’t long before Luke Queen resented Danny Blanton for his rapport (a relationship of mutual trust and respect) with citizens, taxpayers, parents and others) with people that hot-headed and elitist Luke Queen completely lacked. It wasn’t very long indeed before Luke Queen was unduly criticizing and belittling Danny Blanton at every opportunity at School Board meetings. Although Danny Blanton was correct. Especially when Danny Blanton was 100% correct. Robert A was probably the first to pick-up on Robert “Luke” Queen’s resentment and the relationship of Luke’s ugly ways of acting out with those resentments toward Danny Blanton. It did NOT take very long for everybody to realize that Luke Queen had many anger-management issues. Just like his Fireman buddy, Kevin “Mad Dog” Gordon. Two peas in a slightly different pod.
As for Luke Queen, his anger turned into an obsession to get rid of Danny Blanton from the CCS School Board. And Superintendent Stephen Fisher was only too glad to help.
On February 9th, 2022 Luke Queen wrote a five-page letter to Danny Blanton accusing Danny Blanton of violating CCS School Board Policies and even violating North Carolina Criminal law. And about everything in between. Danny Blanton, upon receiving Luke’s ridiculous letter, Danny Blanton brings the letter to the next school board meeting and asks for an explanation and for the specifics of the numerous complaints from Luke Queen. The full School Board refuses to discuss the letter in Closed Session. The full School Board refuses to discuss the letter in Open Session. Since the School Board refused to discuss the Luke queen letter, Danny Blanton refused to provide that letter to any of the other school board members. Luke Queen gets the School Board lawyer to declare the letter, that nobody but Danny Blanton and Luke Queen has a copy of, a Public Record. Then Luke Queen provides his own so-called personal letter to Danny Blanton to CCS s a Public Record and then calls the Shelby Daily Liar and others to request that letter that is now a Public Record. Upon hearing all this, Robert A also requests this Public Records letter and immediately receives a redacted copy. That letter is attached at the end of this article for your own review.
Danny Blanton refuses to change his School Board behavior in any way. Certainly NOT to curry any favor or “surrender” to newcomer Robert “Luke” Queen’s false and silly demands. Robert A publishes Luke Queen’s letter to the public. The PUBLIC rallies around Danny Blanton in large numbers. Thus, further inflaming Luke Queen’s already resentful and angry manner to a roaring white-hot temperature.
Next, as the 2022 Republican School Board Primary Elections signups began to get near, Rogue Republicans Robert “Luke” Queen, Dennis Bailey, Ron Humphries, Pam Keller, David Bridges, Kevin Whisnant, Guy Smith, Debbie Clary and others conspire to recruit “their kind” of school board candidates for the sole purpose of defeating Danny Blanton’s 2022 re-election to the CCS School Board. One of their recruits was Ronnie Grigg. Upon learning off the true purpose of his recruitment, Mr. Grigg “told off” the Rogue Republicans and signed up to run for the School Board as an ally of Danny Blanton. Along with Annette Fain.
The Rogue Republicans did manage to recruit enough Republicans to defeat Danny Blanton, Ronnie Grigg, and Annette Fain in the 2022 Republican School Board Primary Election if they could muster up enough Republican votes. The Rogues put up all kinds of political pressure on Blanton, Grigg and Fain. So much so that Annette Fain became too ill and dis-hearted to continue campaigning. However, Danny Blanton and Ronnie Grigg BOTH won in the 2022 Republican School Board Primary Elections. Danny Blanton was the top vote getter and Ronnie Grigg was a close third for the four-seat election.
Since Blanton and Grigg had advanced to the 2022 School Board General Elections, the Rogue Republicans would have to resort to supporting at least two Democrats for the School Board to defeat Blanton and Grigg. As this election was just a week ago, Robert A will not describe again all the dirty tricks pulled by Robert “Luke” Queen and his Rogue Republican pals during that 2022 School Board election.
Except to say that Danny Blanton was the top vote getter and Ronnie Grigg also prevailed. They, along with Aaron Bridges and Walter Scott Spurling will be sworn in as School Board members in December.
Also, in the 2022 school board election process the Shelby 9.12 TEA Party destroyed itself and many, many loyal Republicans are totally PO’d with the Rogue Republican infested CCGOP and WeRCC for causing such an unnecessary turmoil in the 2022 School Board Elections.
All this has been said to say this: Danny Blanton, Ronnie Grigg, Aaron Bridges and Walter Scotti Spurling will be sworn in as School Board Members next month. ALSO, a new Chairman and Vice Chairman will be selected. And troublemaker Robert “Luke” Queen must NOT be chosen as the Chairman.
Robert A provides the following recommendations and the good reasoning for the recommendations.
Danny Blanton has nine years’ experience on the CCS School Board. Luke Queen, Ron Humphries, Joel Shores, Rodney Fitch and Greg Taylor each have only 2 years’ experience. Ronnie Grigg, Aaron Bridges and Walter Scott Spurling have zero years’ experience. CCS has just gotten through the COVID lockdowns and EDUCATION at CCS was at an emergency low level before COVID. CCS is an Emergency, Emergency low level how and a CCS School Board has to be led by an experienced and level headed Chairman. Danny Blanton fits that bill and Robert “Luke” Queen does not. Danny Blanton has to be selected as the School Board Chairman.
Ronnie Grigg has supported Danny Blanton and NONE of the other Board members have supported Danny Blanton because of misplaced political attitudes and their involvement with dirty tricks. Ronnie Grigg is devoid of such petty and distrustful motives. Ronnie Grigg has to be selected as Vice Chair.
Also, and perhaps most important of all, there is Robert “Luke” Queen’s accusatory letter against Danny Blanton that has to be investigated and resolved. As previously stated, this letter (Attached) is damaging and defamatory toward Danny Blanton. There has to be a resolution for the following reasons:
- If Queen’s letter is TRUE, Danny Blanton should be immediately removed from the School Board.
- If Queen’s letter is FALSE, Robert “Luke” Queen should be immediately removed from the School Board.
From the election results, the citizens, voters and parents in Cleveland County trust and respect Danny Blanton to do what is right and what is necessary for CCS students to thrive. No such trust and respect presently exists for Robert “Luke” Queen. And for good reasons. Perhaps it is time for the Cleveland County Commissioners to reduce the School board membership from nine to five. Keep the newly elected four School Board members. Remove the five 2020 elected school board members, including Luke Queen, and appoint a fifth School Board member to serve until a 2023 SPECIAL school board election can be held for that fifth seat. Note that four or even three school board members represent a quorum for a five-member board. All this is do-able for a group committed to doing what is right for ALL the students at CCS. Whether Luke Queen thinks so or not!!!
Throw out the bad and keep the good. That is the solution for a speedy recovery of a sound basic education at Cleveland County Schools. It can be just that simple as outlined above.
Note that if Robert A was a Cleveland County Commissioner, he would do what is best for the proper and good education of ALL our children. While watching costs and demanding good behavior from all.
Queens defamatory letter to Danny blanton