Corruption in Cleveland County Government is NOT a new phenomenon. One of the first articles published by Robert A was involved with a corrupt transfer of property between Gardner Webb University to a middleman who then doubled his money by selling the property to the County for an expansion of the old landfill. The Cleveland County Commissioner Chairman at that time was also on the Gardner-Webb Board of Trustees and had to know exactly how this land-scam was being pulled off. Word was that the Commissioner Chairman at that time was paid a bribe of over $100,000 in cash for his part of the taxpayer scam. This was about 30 years ago when exposed by Robert A. The only lesson learned by the Commissioners was NOT to be so quick to file the documents with the Register of Deeds for Robert A to find so easily.
Fast forward about 20 years or so to the sale (giveaway) of the Cleveland County medical facilities to Carolina Medical Services (CMS), a forerunner of Atrium Health, for $100 Million$. The properties sold to CMS included the Shelby Hospital, the Kings Mountain Hospital, the Hospital in Boiling Springs, Cleveland Pines as well as the old Cleveland County Health Department.
Commissioner Eddie Holbrook was the ramrod in the sale of the CC Medical Facilities to CMS. CMS paid the County $23 Million$ to build a new Health Department and was to pay the County $3 Million$ per year until the remaining $77 Million$ was paid off. AT ZERO interest. More than half of that $77 Million$ has still not been paid to Cleveland County. Prior to this sale, CMS was already paying $1.4 Million$ per year for the rental of the Shelby Hospital. So, effectively CMS obtained ownership of the Medical facilities for only $1.6 Million$ per year.
As the story goes, CMS also paid $1 Million bribe to Eddie Holbrook to make this sweet deal for CMS happen. Also, according to the story, Eddie Holbrook cashed that $ 1 Million into his own accounts. But then became afraid that he would go to jail if caught in this scam. Then Holbrook wrote a $1 Million check to Cleveland County and Cleveland County then wrote a $1 Million$ check to Eddie Holbrook’s company-The American Legion World Series, Baseball, Inc. Robert A has obtained a copy of that $1,000,000 check and previously published it online for everybody to see. That check and other documents Robert A obtained through a Public Records Request was (probably falsely) listed as a Grant to ALWS Baseball, Inc. from CMS.
Then, the Catawba Indians, represented by County Attorney Tim Moore, comes along wanting to build an Indian Casino in Cleveland County near Kings Mountain.
Recent Investigative Articles by the Wall Street Journal, the Charlotte Observer, Citizens For Good Government (Robert A) and the Daily Haymaker indicate that Former Cleveland County Commissioner Eddie Holbrook and Former Cleveland County Manager David Dear and perhaps others have been BRIBED by the Kings Mountain Equipment Supply Company (under contract to the Catawba Indians) for Holbrook’s and Dear’s favorable treatment in establishing an Indian Casino within Cleveland County. So, it appears, crimes or certainly unethical behavior related to payoffs are clearly entrenched at the highest levels in Cleveland County Government.
Now, Consider this.
At the November 15, 2022 Commissioner’s Meeting Robert, A arrived quite early and took a front row seat. As Robert A was siting there working on some paperwork, Commissioner Johnny Hutchins comes in. Commissioner Hutchins walks by Robert A and says, “I just want you to know that I didn’t take a dime from the Casino.” Robert A responds by saying, “Johnny, you should have been paying more attention to what was going on.” As in, How could you have been a Commissioner for all those years the Casino was in the works and NOT know what was going on in full detail?
As Robert A was sitting there comprehending this whole exchange, he wondered, Which is worse? A Commissioner or several Commissioners and the County Manager taking bribes, big Bribes? And other Commissioners NOT knowing that the corruption was happening right there in their face and under their noses. Without them knowing that something BAD was going on?
And, on top of that, now that they DO know, without a shadow of a doubt, that something bad is going on, Why are THEY not demanding an investigation themselves??? And NONE of them have asked for an investigation.
And, if THEY are not asking for an investigation, what are THEY afraid of???
The only conclusion to this Catawba Casino mess is ALL the Commissioners are involved!! And are now involved over their heads. Maybe All of the Commissioners didn’t actually take a bribe. But, if any Commissioners did NOT take a bribe and don’t know that anybody else did, then they are incompetent to the bone and unfit to be a Commissioner representing the best interest of the people of Cleveland County. The Crooks and the incompetents ALL should be ashamed of themselves and resign immediately. All the Commissioners, the County Manager and anybody else in charge or in the know should just resign, resign, resign!!! All should resign! Right NOW, if not sooner!!!
And the District Attorney Mike Miller too. Government officials taking bribes are serious crimes that deserve punishment. Using the same logic as noted above, A DA that won’t prosecute crimes is just as bad as a corrupt DA. “Goodbye to all and good riddance” are the proper words for this situation.
Editor’s Note: Remember the sale of the Cleveland County Medical facilities for $100 Million$?? A few after this sale, New Hanover County sold their Medical Facilities. NHC did everything by the book. No secret meetings or secret sale. They advertised widely for bids and got them. They ended up selling their Medical Facilities for upwards of $5 BILLION. Again, $5 Billion dollars, B as in Billion dollars. Which is FIFTY (50) times what Cleveland County got for their facilities. All because Eddie Holbrook wanted a bribe for his American Legion World Series Baseball, Inc. Just think what Cleveland County could have done with $5 BILLION DOLLARS. All new Schools, A new jail and Courthouse complex. Lowering property taxes to almost nothing. No need to raise the sales tax. And, even more than that. And the Commissioners who let Eddie Holbrook give away our Medical Facilities to CMS let Eddie Holbrook and David Dear get them in deep do-do over the Catawba Casino.
Now, who is to blame for ALL of this? All of us here in Cleveland County. We keep on electing crooks and incompetent Commissioners. And, we are getting what we deserve!!! Especially with Commissioner Kevin “Mad Dog” Gordon running things. You just have to wonder, What is next!!!