Editor’s Note: This Part II article provides an additional number of legitimate reasons that Robert A has labeled CC Commissioners Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins as “Skunks.” As well as “Crooks” and “Liars!!!” It is up to all us voters to make some necessary changes on November 5, 2024!!! Note that Part I provides the basic definitions for Robert A’s terms, “Skunks”, “Crooks”, “Liars” and “Schemers.”
Folks, On or about March 26, 2023 Robert A received an anonymous message through the US Postal Service that contained the following allegations:
Mr. Williams,
I wanted to bring this to your attention. You need to know that Mr. Kevin (maddog) Gordon has been placed on administrative leave in Gaston County from his job. Maybe you can get to the bottom of this and find out why. He (Kevin Gordon) is trying to keep this hush-hush!!!
This message was not signed. As is often the case since retaliation is alive and well in both Cleveland and Gaston County local Governments.
Also note that Robert A also received several telephone calls and other messages basically saying this same thing. Kevin Gordon had done something “bad-wrong” in his good paying job as the Gaston County Director of Emergency and Fire Services. KG had gotten caught at it and had been placed on Administrative Leave, pending an investigation. Then, was let go by Kevin Gordon’s own resignation.
Robert A, over time, has learned that such a scenario as this is common place in North Carolina County Governments and School Districts. When, in most cases involving wrongdoing, somebody gets caught in such a way that some mandatory punitive action must be taken.
In such an event, it is very typical, even usual, that the alleged offender is secretly (Hush-Hush as possible) placed on Administrative Leave for a certain short period of time where the highest-level people decide whether or not they can cover-up the situation. If the situation cannot be covered-up, the alleged offender is then informed that he or she must immediately resign or be terminated for cause. It is also very usual that the alleged offender had not been properly supervised by the County Manager and the County Commissioners such that a termination for cause looks bad for both the offender as well as the County Manager AND the County Commissioners. So, the offender is forced to resign with the understanding that nothing bad will find its way onto his or her employment records. And the County Manager and Commissioners get rid of the offender without themselves looking just as bad as the offender. The offender then is hired by another similar agency somewhere else and is soon out of sight; insulated from the original wrongdoing.
This process is often called Passing the Trash. Cleveland County Commissioners as well as the CCS School Board have done it many times that Robert A is aware of. Some, very recently. The Trash (the offenders) go looking for a job somewhere else with a clean employment record and get themselves hired by others who are unaware of the previous offenses. Sexual predators or sexual harassers, perverts and embezzlers are the Trash that one most often hears about. Especially when the victims file lawsuits against the County and the taxpayers have to pay the lawyers, fines and damages as they always have to do in one way or another.
So, Folks, this is some of what we know about Kevin Gordon in Cleveland County (about his so-called Leadership, Experience and Service he brags about in his campaign literature) and later the same, including his resignation from his position as the Director of Emergency and Fire Services in Gaston County.
Cleveland County:
- During the first of the THREE recent voter referendums pushing a Sales Tax Increase for Cleveland County, an unknown (Hush-Hush) Political Action Committee purchased and placed signs all over and around Cleveland County advocating voting for the tax increase. Robert Ainvestigated this unknown PAC and found that the PAC paperwork filed with the Board of Elections did NOT include a person’s name that was associated with the PAC, but only gave an address. Robert A investigated the property address listed in county records and found that Kevin Gordon was the person who owned the property that was listed as the location of the PAC in favor of raising CC sales tax collections to the maximum amount allowed by State law. This first attempt to raise CC Sales taxes to the maximum rate allowed by law failed by a wide margin. Later the second and third attempt to raise CC Sales tax rates to the maximum also failed by even wider margins. Clearly indicating that the Citizens and taxpayers of Cleveland County wants county government to show much more fiscal responsibility instead of continuous tax and spending increases favored by Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins.
- In the 2020 Commissioner’s Elections, Kevin Gordondid NOT sign up with the CC Board of Elections to run for the office of CC Commissioner. Instead, after Republican Candidate Tommy McNeilly won in the 2020 Republican Primary Elections the opportunity to run in the 2020 General Elections, McNeilly was hired by CC as the EMS Director at a high rate of pay and McNeilly resigned his position to run for Commissioner in the 2020 General Elections. Which created a vacancy that the CCGOP Executive Committee (overflowing with Rogue Republicans) had the opportunity to fill. So, the schemers, skunks, crooks and liars on the CCGOP Executive Committee, in a very unethical maneuver, skipped over Candidates Dennis Davis and Robbie Morgan, who did indeed sign up to run in the 2020 Primary Republican Party elections for CC Commissioners, campaigned, spent campaign money and received a large number of CC votes. Instead, the Rogue Republicans, lead by Dennis Bailey, et. al, appointed the well-known tax and spender Kevin Gordon to replace Tommy McNeilly on the 2024 Election ballot. Robert A believes all this scheming and unethical maneuvering was also a planned scheme by KG, Dennis Bailey and other Rogue Republicans. A test run for the 2022 School Board elections when the Rogue Republicans tried to defeat Danny Blanton and Ronnie Grigg. But failed miserably with much adverse and hurt feelings and other sorts of unnecessary and scandalous bruhaha!!!
- Once sworn in as a CC Commissioner following the 2020 General Elections, Kevin Gordon worked to dismantle the Cleveland County Rescue Squads (by a very hostile takeover) and combine the Rescue Squad personnel into the CC EMS. Kevin Gordon, Johnny Hutchins, et al, claimed this would SAVE CC taxpayers $3 Million$. When the hostile takeover was finalized, but ended up COSTING CC $9 Million$. A $12 Million swing (From the promised savings to the final total spent) that will extend that $12 Million$ in INCREASED COSTS into every year’s budget from now ‘til infinity freezes over. So much for Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins poor planning and organizational skills. Also, a good (bad) example of KG’s Leadership, Experience and Service as he notes on his campaign materials.
- Kevin Gordon, as the CC Commissioner’s Chairman, has a direct effect on guiding every action of the CC Fire Marshall’s Office. The CC Fire Marshal has the legal authority to shut-down business that are deemed to have dangerously high levels of fire hazard risks. It has come to Robert A’sattention that the CC Fire Marshal has shut-down the Dollar General in Fallston several times now. Allegedly for leaving cardboard boxes partially filled with product to sell on the floor near the products spot on the shelves. Pretty much a “chicken shit” offense. The last time reported was during the recent Hurricane Helene aftermath when 95% of CC residents were without electrical power and were out searching for food, toilet paper, gas and other necessary items. And the Fallston Dollar General remained shut down due to the Fire Marshals Order, although Fallston was one of the areas where electrical power was first restored in CC. Fallston and Robert A were Lucky (in no thanks to Kevin Gordon, Johnny Hutchins and the other CC Commissioners who had ZERO of an Emergency Plan in place for CC), as we (Robert A and downtown Fallston) just happened to have our electrical power restored much earlier than most other areas of CC’s 95% power outages.)
- Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins are fanatical supporters of the new Justice Center Project and the Catawba Casino. KG and JH have both claimed that doubling the jail size from around 300 inmates to over 600 inmates is an asset to Cleveland County. While a never-ever lack of providing direction and accountability to the DSS Foodstamps Program, which provides the majority of the funding for the illegal drug trade in CC. AND, the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council which has never succeeded in preventing juvenile crime; but, instead is a juvenile crime incubator and training program. All the while, the present jail is holding too many low-level criminals who are poor and cannot afford bail and are just kept in jail without trial until they finally plead guilty in some sort of plea bargain. And the six courtrooms in the present jail (which is only 30 years old) are never (Or almost never) in full use. The New Justice Center will have at least 10 courtrooms, which will also probably just sit there empty most of the time. Also note that the New Justice Center cost, including financing and acquisition and demolition costs of adjoining property, will likely exceed $400 to $500 Million$. More than Five times the original cost estimate. (Remember the example of the Rescue Squads takeover by Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins missed their target cost savings by a factor of negative four.)
- The Constitutional Rights of Free Speech and Pressare the top freedoms our forefathers have left us in order to carry on with our successful democratic republic form of government. It is essential that these rights be preserved at all costs. However, Commissioners Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins, et. al, have worked hard to suppress these freedoms at the core of our local governmental processes. This is what they have done:
- The Commissioners have just recently reduced the Public’s right to come to commissioner’s meetings and speak/comment from two meetings per month to only ONE meeting per month.
- When a citizen does come to a commissioner’s meeting and wishes to speak, he is allowed only three minutes to speak, no matter how complex the subject. The Commissioners have a clock that counts down by the seconds, and when your three minutes, to the second, is up, you must shut up and sit down. Or be arrested. Note that State Law requires the Commissioners allow a person to speak for at least three minutes, but the Commissioners have made that three minutes minimuminto a three-minute maximum. A “three minute, to-the-second” maximum, at that. On top of all that, the Commissioners refuse to include what a person who speaks at a meeting actually said during that three minutes into the official meeting records. The Official Minutes of the meeting will only include an entry that states: “During Citizens Participation John Doe addressed the Board of Commissioners.” Not a peep is recorded of what the person actually said. North Carolina Law requires minutes of official Commissioner’s Meeting “to be an accurate description of what transpired at the meeting such that a person that did not attend the meeting could read the official minutes or the meeting and fully understand what transpired at that Meeting.” Just this one example of how Commissioners Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins break the laws of North Carolina is PROOF ENOUGH that they are Crooks, Liars, Schemers and Skunks. Only fools would vote for such as this for any elected office!!
- Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins, et. al. has also twisted other laws with a wild abandon. NC Laws require all regular Commissioner’s Meeting where public business is discussed is to be open to the public so the public can hear and see for themselves the discussions by the Commissioners, County Manager and others of the various business items and how the Commissioners arrive at the justification for their votes on the various matters. The Cleveland County Commissioner schemers Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins have taken to the idea that they don’t have to obey the laws of North Carolina and the USA as well as CC Ordnances. This is what they have chosen to do. In total disregard for truth, ethics, laws and just plain common sense and curtesy.”
- During a Commissioner’s “Workshop” Kevin Gordononce was pushing for a County “Noise ordnance” to be passed that would allow KG to have his neighbor arrested for having a once a year holiday party at his home that, according to KG, kept him KG up at night. The Commissioners, at that time, did not approve that ordnance. However, that particular Workshop meeting was video recorded and placed on the County’s website. When Robert A watched the duly published and public website of this particular Commissioner Workshop and reported to the public what Kevin Gordon had tried to do, Kevin Gordon stopped the video recording of Commissioner workshop meetings and Kevin Gordons had the offending video taken down.
Editor’s Note: Folks, this is Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins MO. Go back and re-read the first part of Part I of this article. No, Robert A will repeat it right here for your convenience:
Most recently Regina Williams(No known relation to Robert A) made this post on Facebook under the “heading” VOTE!
I send a fb comment to Kevin Gordon about one of his signs blocking the view of drivers at an intersection and he deletes my comment and blocks me. I did it politely. Does he not care about the safety of the community? Bad example of leadership.
Kevin Gordon (Johnny Hutchins too) obviously has very large problems with handling:
- Truth
- And WHO (the Public) gets to know the Truth.
Folks, One has to wonder just what else these two Commissioners-Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins-are up to. Especially since their favored Building Contractor was recently handed over a $BILLION$ in Cleveland County related construction contracts. More on that later in a separate article. But remember the old saying, “when you are looking for mischief, follow the money!!!”
Kevin Gordon in Gaston County will be covered in Part III of this article!!
The above noted items offer clear examples of how both Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins have acted in ways that deserve the terms of “Skunks”, “Crooks”, “Liars” and “Schemers”. And should NOT be re-elected in 2024 as County Commissioners. If that is not enough, more will be forthcoming in another article!!!
Folks, this article is getting a bit long. So, we will divide the other information up over several articles. Especially since Commissioners Kevin Gordon and Johnny Hutchins have apparently prevented any CC Commissioner Candidate Forums from being held using County owned facilities in this 2024 Commissioner elections cycle-which includes the 2024 Commissioners Republican Primary Elections. They apparently think that Road signs, Billboards and Postcard Mailers are the only source of information that the CC Citizens and Voters need to see.
Robert A has a cure for all this mess:
TRUTH and the following voter recommendations:
Robert A recommends voting in the 2024 General Elections for the Commissioner and the CCS School Board Candidates as follows:
(Please vote for ALL of the Candidates listed below on your ballot to provide the maximum Ballot Security!!)
Cleveland County Commissioners Candidate recommendations: Vote for these three!
XXXX Tony Berry
XXXX Stormy Mongiello
XXXX David Peace
Cleveland County School Board Candidate recommendations: Vote for these five!
XXXX Kenneth A. Ledford
XXXX David Fisher
XXXX Gloria Sherman
XXXX Rod Powell
XXXX Tracy Ross
Stay Tuned for Part III of this article.
