First of all, WeRCC stands for Women Republicans of Cleveland County. They have become “weaponized” by the tiny Rogue Republican wing of the Republican Party that wants to remove Danny Blanton from the Cleveland County School Board. Shame! Shame! Shame on you WeRCC. I was an associate member twice, but never, ever again. WeRCC has become a joke and a disgrace and I will tell you why and how in this article.
What I saw and heard with my own eyes and ears at the WeRCC School Board Candidate forum Thursday evening April 14, 2022 at the County Extension Auditorium. A County owned property that was hijacked for their own brand of socialist-like bad behavior. This article, and WeRCC behavior, ain’t pretty.
I have attended many Cleveland County Candidate forums over the years. Probably more than any of the WeRCC members at this candidate’s forum. I have become tuned-in to bad and improper political behavior and can spot it a mile away. The bad behavior of WeRCC started right there at the front door.
As I walked in the front door, I noticed a table to the right with a sign-in sheet. This was the first indication that something was wrong as LOCAL political campaign candidate forums are ALWAYS open to the public and NO sign-in sheets are ever required. That was the first rat that I smelled.
When I looked at the sign-in sheet, they wanted your name and email address. So what? I figured. As a former associate member, they already had that information on ME.
However, as I was signing in. I noticed a placard to the immediate right that, in BIG LETTERS stated NO VIDEO RECORDING ALLOWED. I smelled another rat. Candidate Forums are supposed to be open to the public and for the purpose of getting the public informed of the candidate’s positions on issues. Normally video recording would and should have been welcomed. AND ENCOURAGED. And this being a County owned building where public meetings have often been held, allowing video recording are REQUIRED according to North Carolina Law, I immediately wondered, who do these people think they are? And WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO HIDE?
So, I asked the WeRCC person sitting there monitoring the sign-ins, WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT? Pointing at the placard with my finger. She told me that it was THEIR rules.
Me, knowing that Cleveland County was still in the USA. And knowing this was a County owned building and Knowing that private users of government owned property cannot enforce illegal rules, I asked who made these rules?
About that time another WeRCC member came over and told me that these were OUR (WeRCC) rules and WE can make whatever rules WE want to. I told the lady that I had rules and rights too. That, if I wanted to video record (although I had no intention of doing so), I had the right to do so. The WeRCC person then stated that I would be escorted out of the building if I did. (AKA what Robert Queen did to a citizen at the school board meeting held only days before.) Then I asked her who is going to throw me out. She said the Police would throw me OUT. Yeah, like a Policeman was going to throw me out of a public building for doing nothing that was against the LAW!!) Then I said, I don’t se any policeman here. She said they are coming. Later I heard from several other women that the WeRCC crowd was telling everybody that THREE Shelby Policeman were on the way. An obvious lie since NO police from anywhere ever showed up. AN OBVIOUS LIE from WeRCC trying to intimidate somebody. It sure as Hell didn’t intimidate ME.
But, Hey folks, I am not even inside the county taxpayer owned auditorium yet.
And, when I take one step into the auditorium, there is a WeRCC person selling WeRCC “Half and Half” Raffle Tickets. Something (gambling) that is probably illegal in a taxpayer owned government facility. I quickly informed the woman that I had no intention of never ever providing WeRCC any funding whatsoever. And walked on by. I am sure that the Half of the take that went to WeRCC, was quickly turned over to the Cleveland County Republican Party–MEN. They are too lazy to do their own fundraisers. But that is discussion for another day.
So NOW I am inside the auditorium. I do what I always do, go up as close to the dais as possible. So I can see and hear what the candidates say when they are asked questions.
As it turns out, I was able to get a seat on the front row right in the center. The attendance was quite low for such a contested election. Infamous too because of the Dirty Tricks of Robert Queen and his Rogue Republican friends. Wes Westmoreland, Kevin Whisnant, Dennis Bailey, Dave Allen, Ron Humphries, Guy Smith and others. However, Commissioners Johnny Hutchins, Doug Bridges and Ronnie Whetstine, as well as Register of Deeds Betsy Harnage, State Senator Ted Alexander and perhaps other elected officials were also present.
There were seven candidates and four seats up for election. School Board member Danny Blanton was the only incumbent and Robert Queen and his Rogue Republicans are bound and determined to get rid of Danny. Danny Blanton being the first Republican elected to the CCS School Board nine years ago. (That I know of.) And is still asking good questions and discussion at Board meetings, To the apparent chagrin of Robert Queen. Himself being a cross between a chameleon and a lying snake in the grass.
Folks, Now for a reminder. Robert Queen, Dennis Bailey, David Allen, Kevin Whisnant, Ron Humphries and others have formed a “group.” A group (gang may be a better term) operating completely outside North Carolina Election Law for the purpose of getting Danny Blanton off the school board. And, the only way to absolutely ensure that is to select four NEW school board members in the Republican Primary 2022 elections. Therefore, this illegal group of Rogue Republicans, months ago, began secretly “recruiting” Republican candidates for this sole purpose. And they have said so.
They recruited Ronnie Grigg and Aaron Bridges to start with. Ronnie Grigg became incensed after hearing that they were recruiting him for the sole purpose of defeating Danny Blanton. Grigg immediately rebuked the Rogue Republicans that were back-stabbing Danny Blanton, filed for the School Board anyway and became a Danny Blanton supporter. With the purpose of assisting Danny Blanton in his cause to stop waste and corruption at Cleveland County Schools. Annette Fain also signed up for the School Board to support stopping waste and corruption at CCS.
Aaron Bridges (an associate of Ron Humphries), Walter Spurling, Dave Reviere and Glenda Womack are the other four candidates illegally endorsed by Robert Queen and his Rogue Republicans. I say ILLEGALLY endorsed, because Robert Queen was caught passing out so-called “Palm Cards” at a recent Republican Party Convention showing all the school Board candidates and endorsing those four as candidates to vote for, without properly following North Carolina Elections laws.
I also say ILLEGALLY endorsed because I filed a Formal Complaint to the Cleveland County and North Carolina State Board of Elections and have been informed that MY complaint against Robert Queen’s illegal acts 1. Have been Confirmed by the State Board of Elections, 2. Robert Queen has been informed that he has to mend his illegal ways and 3. Formal Documentation is on the way telling me this.
However, Robert Queen, apparently believing he is above the law, has only mended his illegal ways as noted above, only in such a manner that is also illegal. That he has failed to register himself and his “group” As a Political Action Committee (PAC). So, I have filed a SECOND Formal Complaint to the County and State Board of Elections regarding Robert Queen and his pals “persistently” violating State Election Laws. I also requested that Robert Queen be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for his intentional, repeated and continual violations of State Election Laws. Violating one law after another. That was this week and I haven’t heard anything else, and don’t anticipate hearing anything until after these Easter Holidays.
But, NOW, it is certain that Robert Queen and his Rogue Republican co-conspirators’ have “WEAPONIZED” the WeRCC organization such that this candidate’s forum is held in a biased and unethical way.
Back to the WeRCC Candidate’s Forum.
All the forum questions were limited to one minute. Sixty seconds per question. Times 7 candidates equals seven minutes per question. Just about all questions were complex. Such as … Question Number 2. ”If elected, what are your top three priorities on the School Board and why?”
Such a question is totally impossible to fully answer in sixty seconds. Or even 10 minutes in a way that makes sense.
At this point, persons attending this so-called WeRCC candidate’s forum began noticing that Robert Queen, Kevin Whisnant Guy Smith and others had positioned themselves in the back of the room and were cutting up, making hand signals to some of the candidates (like coded sign language on how to answer the questions), then trying to distract other candidates. And mocked candidate Annette Fain, when she had to temporarily leave the dais to get a drink of water to soothe her throat. Also, Senator Ted Alexander, seated elsewhere in plain view of Danny Blanton, was seen rudely laughing at candidate Danny Blanton as Blanton was answering questions. Also, some of the candidates, unusually, had the same answer to the same question. Like they had access to the questions beforehand.
This rude, crude, disruptive, distracting, unethical and unsavory behavior was NOT called out by the WeRCC Moderator. Or, any other WeRCC member, although some WeRCC members were close to these unsavory acts and had to see what was going on. MAYBE EVEN PARTICIPATING. Bottom line was the perps were NOT even called down. Much less asked to leave. The bad behavior was also clearly directed toward Danny Blanton, Ronnie Grigg and Annette Fain and FOR the other four, in various degrees. And all the shenanigans endorsed by Robert Queen and carried out by a weaponized WeRCC.
Because of all these major and unchecked improprieties, I am NOT going into great details of what each of the candidates actually said regarding every question. Just a bit about some key points.
Hey, this is getting long. So, we will Continued in Part II
Folks, Stay Tuned!!! You ain’t heard nothing yet!!!