Editor’s Note: Commissioners Kevin Gordon & Johnny Hutchins are trying to Deceive Cleveland County Republican Primary Election Voters!! School Board members Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch and Greg Taylor are trying to Deceive everybody. All want voters to forget about the shenanigans they pulled over Cleveland County taxpayers that has wasted Million$. All are telling lies like never before. And, ALL do not want anybody talking about their records in office.
Folks, let’s start with the Incumbent Commissioners running for re-election:
That would be Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins.
Kevin Gordon:
Commissioner Chairman Kevin Gordon never signed up to run for Commissioner in the 2020 Elections. An EMS Employee who had been shafted out of a promotion, Tommy McNeilly, signed up for the Office of CC Commissioner in 2020 and made it through the 2020 Republican Primary Elections. Then strange things began to happen. Perhaps due to the Rogue Republican Schemes of Dennis Bailey.
The person who was promoted instead of Tommy McNeilly, who was from Iredell County and had got himself into an affair with an Iredell County Commissioner’s daughter. And, in that process, had gotten himself into a “Pass the Trash” situation to come to Cleveland County to begin with, ended up getting suspiciously fired here in Cleveland County. Then, Tommy McNeilly, after winning in the 2024 Commissioner’s Primary Elections, but before the 2020 General Elections, was hired into that EMS Director’s job and then resigned as a Commissioner Candidate. These events created a vacancy in the 2020 Republican Commissioners candidates heading into the General Elections, that brought about even more strange happenings.
Former Commissioner Susan Allen, who had not originally signed up to run for reelection in 2020 because of health concerns, had her health improve and decided that she wanted to be appointed to that Tommy McNeilly vacancy. And then, Lo and behold, somehow this unheard-of person, Kevin Gordon, finds his name thrown into the pot with the CC GOP Executive Committee, to fill that McNeilly vacancy. All the while, the CC GOP Executive Committee failed completely to consider the two Republican Candidates, Dennis Davis and Robbie Morgan, who had themselves did sign up for the 2020 Republican Commissioner’s race and actually went through the 2020 Republican Primary Election process, were totally overlooked by the CC GOP Executive Committee as candidates to fill the McNeilly vacancy for the 2020 General Elections. Also note that both Dennis Davis and Robbie Morgan had previously won in county wide elections. Davis as the first Republican NC Senator since Reconstruction. And Robbie Morgan to the office of CC Coroner. The only Elected Officer in Cleveland County that can arrest the CC Sheriff.
So, the crooked CCGOP Executive only considered Gordon and Allen for that vacancy. The first vote was a tie. The second vote was a tie. And, only in that third vote did the relatively unknown Fireman from Waco, get selected by what had just become the Rogue Republican faction of the CCGOP to fill the McNeilly Vacancy. And the only Democrat in the 2020 General Election was a black, homosexual man who lost to all. So, that was how Johnny Hutchins, Ronnie Whetstine and Kevin Gordon advanced through the Commissioner’s race in the 2020 General Elections. Something NOT to be proud of then, and certainly Nothing to be proud of NOW in the 2024 Republican Primary Elections.
Now it is four years later and Kevin Gordon and all the rest have a record in office. Often very poor records. And occasionally, like the CC Justice Center Project, something that, all by itself, can and maybe has already, wreck Cleveland County financially.
Now, Kevin Gordon, as a Cleveland County Commissioner finds himself between two factions on the Cleveland County Commissioner’s Board. The Deb Hardin and Doug Bridges faction and the Johnny Hutchins and Ronnie Whetstine faction. Just where Dennis Bailey and the Rogue Republicans would want Kevin Gordon to be.
On a five-member Board, as the Cleveland County Commissioners have, three votes are a majority. With the two factions noted above evenly matched, a third person like the conniving Kevin Gordon, finds himself as the deciding vote on many issues. The first being, who will be the Chairman??
So, newly selected Commissioner Kevin Gordon follows the Dennis Bailey Rogue Republican “divide and conquer” plan. First, vote for one of the two faction’s nominee for Chairman. The next year do the same with the other faction. And, by the time the 2022 Elections role around, Kevin Gordon gets elected Chairman and the other Commissioners have now been played for the fools that they have become. Kevin Gordon picks and chooses between the other Commissioner’s factions and gets what Dennis Bailey wants. Total Control of the Cleveland County Commissioners.
Now, let’s look more directly at Kevin Gordon.
By all of Kevin Gordon’s own campaign materials and accounts, Kevin Gordon has never held down a regular job. He has never drawn a paycheck, worked for any private company or enterprise, never made a payroll or had to work outside of some sort of job position in a public business, like most everybody else in Cleveland County. Now, we do know that up until recently, Kevin Gordon was the Director of the EMS and Fire Services for Gaston County. Probably a high paying government job. WE also know that Kevin Gordon worked a number of years at the Charlotte Fire Department and at the Waco Community Volunteer Fire Department. It certainly appears that every dollar Kevin Gordon has ever made came from taxing somebody. But, to be fair, Robert A also personally knows that Kevin Gordon and his father built a Restaurant on Stoney Point Road many years ago that has been closed for business many, many years. So, it is fair to say that Kevin Gordon‘s campaign material claiming “Leadership,” “Experience” and “Service” is 99.9999 percent based on his Fireman and EMS jobs and positions.
Of course, this is all fine and dandy. Working all your life in such positions and never having to grow up is the dream of many a young man. Woman too. Maybe? I will say no more about that as women can speak for themselves.
But, being a County Commissioner, A Cleveland County Commissioner is much more than the Fire Department, the EMS and even the Sheriff’s Department. Commissioners have to collect taxes and answer to the people. Something Kevin Gordon has NOT had to do, until now.
Under Kevin Gordon’s leadership:
- The Justice Center Project, the largest single CC project in Cleveland County history is floundering. $105 Million$ in State funding and the project has been almost totally shut down for a year. All there is to show for it are big holes in the ground and no obvious plans when the project will restart. If it restarts at all. And, nobody knows at what cost. And all that will likely by County funding. Directly from CC Taxpayers pockets.
- The CC EMS hostile takeover of the CC Rescue Squads went from an alleged $3 Million$ in Savings to a proven $9 million$ (a year?) expense. A $12 Million$ overestimation.
- A Federal Lawsuit is progressing through Federal Court over Cleveland County failing to Pay the CC EMS personnel properly for straight time and overtime. For a self- or Johnny Hutchins proclaimed champion of first responders, Kevin Gordon has been in a position to settle this claim, but has refused to do so. A Federal Judge has put his foot down on Cleveland County’s foot-dragging in this case and has set firm deadlines in the Court processes that will soon bring about a Trial or a settlement. All the while other EMS workers who were cheated on their pay are joining in to make this a class action lawsuit. And, not a peep from Kevin Gordon. Or Johnny Hutchins.
- Kevin Gordon’s yelling and screaming at people in front of Cleveland County Staff has caused a number of County high level employees to find other jobs elsewhere. And likely many others are looking. (Or are waiting for Robert Ato win the election for commissioner in 2024 and finally set things straight.)
- The other Commissioners themselves have become afraid of Kevin Gordon and his fits of rage. Making Cleveland County Government, as a whole, a hostile work environment. And, in large part wasteful and ineffective.
And, then, there is Kevin Gordon’s “removal” from his cushy and high-paying n job under the Gaston County Commissioners, closing in to about a year ago. What is known for sure is Kevin Gordon was:
- Put on administrative Leave for an extended period of time. In that time, an interim Director of the Gaston County EMS and Fire Services was put into place.
- Eventually a permanent Director was selected and Kevin Gordon was erased from Gaston County history. Rumors varied from Kevin Gordon (1) had gotten caught submitting falsified financial records to State officials, (2) had harassed a black woman to (3) had maintained a hostile work environment. Robert A has not been able to confirm any of these rumors. Or, they might all apply! And Kevin Gordon refuses to comment. Although about every Fireman in Cleveland County seems to “Know” that Kevin Gordon was caught up in some sort of scandal that nobody is talking about.
Folks, at this point, Robert A must interject that a Cleveland County Commissioner’s position is a position of TRUST. A Cleveland County Commissioner MUST have a modicum of Trust about him (or her) for an informed and thinking voter to be able to mark their ballots for that person. And if Kevin Gordon believes that Cleveland County Voters would not vote for him if they knew the truth of this matter; then Cleveland County Voters should not vote for Kevin Gordon. For Commissioner or anything else. If Kevin Gordon doesn’t trust the CC voters, why should the CC Voters trust Kevin Gordon???
Folks, that is enough said about Commissioner Kevin Gordon. By all sane-thinking, voters should just send Kevin Gordon back to where he came from. However, Kevin Gordon doesn’t seem to be able to go back to where he came from. And another thing becomes abundantly clear, Kevin Gordon in his political advertisements lists Sheriff Alan Norman and the Cleveland County Firefighters Association as his personal endorsements. Kevin Gordon does NOT say a word abut his former bosses, the Gaston County Board of Commissioners, endorsing him for a Cleveland County Commissioner position. If you are reading this and still have the notion that Kevin Gordon deserves YOUR vote, then Robert A is just wasting his time and words on this particular matter.
Johnny Hutchins
Johnny Hutchins has been a Cleveland County Commissioner for 20 years. When Johnny Hutchins took office in 2004, the CC Population was right at 100,000 residents. Twenty years later, in 2024, the official CC Population is still right around 100,000 residents. (Legal residents I should say. There is no telling how many illegals there are holed up somewhere within the boundaries of Cleveland County sucking-up on Cleveland County Taxpayers money.)
Considering this stagnant growth scenario, and doing a little independent thinking, Cleveland County has made literally NO Progress under the leadership of CC Commissioner Johnny Hutchins. For every job brought into Cleveland County, there have been an equal amount of jobs that have left Cleveland County. Textiles were here and now textiles are gone. Copeland came here and now Copeland is gone. Kemet came here and now Kemet is gone. Indian Motorcycles and Bayliner Boats came here and now Indian Motorcycles and Bayliner Boats are long gone. It goes on and on. Most to all of the new home construction coming to Cleveland County that Johnny Hutchins talks about is due to the widening of I-85 and workers that will commute to jobs in Charlotte and into South Carolina. The 4,000 “domestic” workers that were supposed to be coming because of the Catawba Casino will likely be all taken up by people fresh from crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico, Venezuela and other points South.
Although Robert A has, on several occasions, recommended voting for Johnny Hutchins for Commissioner, those days are long ago. Those days included times when Johnny Hutchins was considered the lesser of two evils, but that is not the case in the 2024 Elections.
Careful consideration of Johnny Hutchins 20-years career as a Cleveland County Commissioner indicates that Commissioner Johnny Hutchins has never showed strong leadership capabilities. Johnny is more a follower than a leader.
Johnny Hutchins has been a Waterboy on almost every vote:
- Johnny Hutchins carried water for Commissioner Eddie Holbrook and others on the ALWS Baseball that has drained at least $10 Million from CC taxpayers’ pockets over the years. Even when Holbrook was defeated in the contentious 2018 Elections, Johnny has continued to vote Hundreds of Thousands of Dollar$ to Eddie Holbrook’s ALWS Baseball, INC., which has never broken even financially and never will. Which has never hosted a local ALWS team. Which has a very limited or negative contribution to Cleveland County’s overall economy.
- Johnny Hutchins carried water for Commissioner Eddie Holbrook and County Manager David Dear while Holbrook and Dear were cashing in on the Catawba Casino right under Johnny’s nose.
- Johnny Hutchins carried water for Commissioner Eddie Holbrook in the sale of Cleveland County Health Care properties for pennies on the dollar. To this very day, Cleveland County is owed approximately $35 Million$ (at ZERO interest) under the terms of that foolish sale.
- Johnny Hutchins has never questioned where the money came from when Cleveland County issued a $1,000,000.00 Check directly to the ALWS Baseball, Inc. for unspecified purposes.
- Johnny Hutchins oversight of the Fair, the Foothills Shooting Range, the Scruggs Center, the Justice Center and perhaps other county projects and involvements appears NOT to meet generally acceptable accounting principles. (GAAP) And perhaps State Laws.
In conclusion, there are better candidates than Johnny Hutchins and Kevin Gordon running in the 2024 Republican Primary Election for CC Commissioner to vote for. Robert A. Williams being one of them.
Robert A recommends voting for the following 2024 CC Commissioner Republican Candidates:
- Robert A. Williams
- Linda Laine
- Carter York
Stay Tuned folks, Part 2-The CCS School Board is coming out next!!