The December 15, 2020 Cleveland County Board of Commissioner’s Meeting was a bit of a surprise for me. Commissioner Doug Bridges was the Chairman and Commissioner Deb Hardin was the Vice Chairman. I wondered how this came about. Last I knew Ronnie Whetstine was the Vice Chairman and when the Chairman, Susan Allen “retired” it seemed likely that Whetstine would move up into the Chairman position. Something had happened and something had gone on that I had missed.
So, I “nosed around” a little and found out some other things that were also a surprise.
Johnny Hutchins, Ronnie Whetstine and Kevin Gordon had won the 2020 Election for Commissioner by a wide margin. Their only Democrat opponent was a young black man who was openly a homosexual. Virtually certain to get beat badly. However, I had recommended single shot voting for the Democrat opponent as a “Protest” vote in the 2020 elections for Commissioner. My protest was the several $Billions lost on the corrupt sale of the Hospital and other Healthcare facilities in Cleveland County for only $100 Million plus the under the table bribe of only one million dollars that was “donated” to the American Legion World series in 2013. Although the Young black homosexual Democrat lost the Commissioner’s race, he still gathered more votes than Shearra Miller, Richard Hooker and Roger Harris in the School Board race.
Anyway, the Commissioner swearing-in was set for December 7, 2020 at the LeGrand Center at 10:00 AM. The Swearing-in was the only item on the December 7, 2020 Commissioner’s Meeting agenda. Moving the Swearing in to the LeGrand Center for a morning meeting indicated to me that the swearing in ceremony would be only for show with plenty of county employees attending on “company time” and only for show. So, I decided I had better things to do that to be part of the “show.” I was wrong!!!
This swearing in ceremony also includes the commissioners deciding who would be the Chairman and Vice Chairman for the next year. Ho-hum I thought. Whetstine and Hutchins or Hutchins or Whetstine were sure things. Or so I thought. So, when I saw Doug Bridges and Deb Hardin heading up the Commissioner Board leadership at the December 15th Commissioner’s Meeting, I knew I had missed something and I would find out what happened. And, I did!
A trusted source told me that Ronnie Whetstine had refused to go along with some things (I did not learn what things) and PO’d the other Commissioners. The same for Johnny Hutchins. So, when nominations and the vote for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman were made, my sources said Hutchins and Whetstine both refused to vote and new Commissioner Kevin Gordon joined up with Bridges and Hardin to elect Bridges as Chairman and Hardin as Vice Chairman.
Actually, the teaming up of Bridges, Hardin and Gordon is encouraging. These are the newest Commissioners and the least involved and associated with previous corruption. Neither are they personally involved with the corruption still swirling around with Eddie Holbrook, the ALWS and the Hospital giveaway and bribery. Perhaps even Johnny Hutchins has seen the light as he questioned to COVID-19 numbers provided by the Health Department not being informative enough and refused to accept the mathematical gymnastics offered by County Manager Brian Epley on those deceptive Health Department numbers. Also, perhaps, the practice of Epley’s illegal one or two on one persuasive on the decisions related to County business will be eliminated. And Epley too.
All in all, the 2020 Elections may have served the higher purpose of electing new people on the school board as well as on the Commissioner’s board. WE, you the people and me, will do our part on shining the light on governmental corruption. And removing the people who refuse to see the light.
Stay tuned folks. If you have any questions, call your favorite commissioner. Tell them to do what is right. Now and forever.