Folks, please bear with me on this third article of this series. Important news had just come in as I was writing Part II, that just had to be looked into and followed upon. As I have stated, this 2022 School Board Republican Primary Election WeRCC Candidate’s Forum was a shame and a disgrace. Well, I was wrong!!! It is worse than that. MUCH WORSE!!! Starting with WeRCC itself!!!
First, the Women Republicans of Cleveland County (WeRCC) organization itself has become controlled by the wives of Republican Party Officials, as well as the wives of Elected Republican officials. WeRCC has degenerated into a faux (phony) self-proclaimed elitist-based, pompous, pretentious, and rigid (caste) type system of social distinctions. Where the wives of the Party and elected officials are at the top. The wives of people who work directly for the Party officials are next. The wives and women of “regular people status,” who happen to be interested in politics, good schools and good government, etc. are last. And those at the bottom have pretty much become PO’d at the elitism, the highfalutin ways, and the fact that THEY are always the ones who always get tasked with doing all the work, have taken a hike. They’ve dropped out of WeRCC and doing their own thing somewhere else. And THEY are NOT looking back.
Second, additional information has come in since I published Parts I and II that deserves some close attention prior to the ending of the actual candidate’s forum. Information like:
Instead of being anywhere close to an unbiased candidate’s forum, while some WeRCC members are asking the candidates questions at the front, other WeRCC members are in the back of the room passing out marked-up sample ballots with the statement “Paid for by Robert P. Queen with his own money.” This ballot endorses Aaron Bridges, Dale Reviere, Glenda Womack, and Walter Spurling These ballots were passed out by Robert Queen, Kevin Whisnant, Whisnant’s son, and WeRCC members.
School Board incumbent candidate Danny Blanton was blocked (by Commissioner Ronnie Whetstine) from coming into the Forum building with campaign materials. While other WeRCC endorsed candidates were allowed to bring in their campaign materials and pass them out to the attendees.
The Cleveland County Republican Party Vice-Chairman Kevin Whisnant has threatened me with legal action for informing the public of his and WeRCC’s many nefarious, low-down and unethical actions regarding Parts I and Part II of this article. Whisnant did NOT specify anything that I had written about him, WeRCC or anybody else, as being incorrect in any way. Therefore, I have not published his threatening post. (Kevin, this ain’t Facebook. If I have printed anything that is incorrect, let me know and I will correct it. (I suspect YOUR lawyer has already advised you (and Robert Queen) to take that approach; instead of just shooting off at the mouth.)
Commissioner Ronnie Whetstine (married to a WeRCC member) displayed a “pissy” attitude toward me when I asked him a legitimate question about the apparent move by the Commissioners to “take over” the Rural “Fire Departments (like they did with the County Risqué Squads) at the April 19th Commissioner’s meeting. Ronnie, get over YOUR attitude when asked, by the people AND TAXPAYERS you represent, questions about your closed-door secret and illegal way of doing county business. Otherwise, expect to be replaced in the 2024 elections.
Now folks, back to the end of the April 14th, 2022 WeRCC Candidates Forum.
‘The WeRCC prepared questions, such as they were, came to an end. And WeRCC finally did something right. They asked if anybody in the audience had any questions. They said they would allow such audience questions at the start of the forum if there was no time left. And I had been thinking all along about what question I would ask if I got the chance. And I did get that chance.
I came up with, what I think, was the perfect question.
First, a preface: CCS declared the Central School in Kings Mountain surplus property and went through, sort of, the process for an auction sale of that property. Although that sale was rife with controversy and most likely corruption, the sale process was finally completed and the sale price was close to $1,000,000. Also, during this time the long-promised (50+ years) Auditorium Project for Burns and Crest High Schools was delayed/canceled because CCS had spent lots of money elsewhere and despite a $15,000,000 state grant, there was not enough money available for the Auditorium project.
Now, during April 11, 2022, School Board Meeting with ALL the school board candidates present, and myself, Danny Blanton raised the totally appropriate question “When are we (CCS) going to get that Million Dollars for the sale of the Central School?”
As I stated before, all the school board Republican Candidates and I were present. We all heard the same thing, so my upcoming question had no bias or favoritism toward any particular candidate.
In answer to Danny Blanton’s question to Chairman Robert Queen, Queen stated that “CCS had negotiated with the buyers that had made the winning bid, that CCS would get out of the Central School in one year, 12 months later, and then close on the sale. The Million Dollar$ would be paid at Closing-at the end of that one year that had been negotiated and agreed upon.
., Folks, that was the background I laid out for my question. That was what we all had heard at the April 11th meeting and this WeRCC Candidate’s Forum was just a few days after.
Now, before I state my question, the Robert Queen Rogue Republicans in the back of the room had been heckling me, “Speak up! Speak Up!” They were yelling. Of course, there was plenty of room closer in and I knew they wanted me to speak louder so they (and maybe WeRCC too) could report to the Shelby Star that Robert Williams had “raised his voice” at the WeRCC forum.
But I “spoke up” anyway. I didn’t give a damn about the hecklers or the heckling. I wanted ALL the candidates to hear what I was saying so they would understand my simple question and my requested “Yes” or” No” Answer. Besides, didn’t care what the Shelby Star might write. I have my own platform for getting the news out.
I went through all the preface to my question and told the candidates that I only wanted a YES or a NO from each of them regarding my question.
My question was, “If you were on the school board, would YOU have voted to agree to such a negotiated agreement that would have held up that Million Dollars for ONE FULL YEAR?
This is the answer from each Candidate”
Danny Blanton NO
Ronnie Grigg NO
Annette Fain NO
Aaron Bridges NO
Glenda Womack Didn’t understand the question-no answer
Walter Spurling Yes-No, didn’t know all the details
Dale Reviere Yes
The correct answer was NO. for the following reasons.
1.If CCS couldn’t get out of the building and be still using it, the school board should NOT have put the building up for sale in the first place. They should have waited until they WERE out of the building so potential buyers could inspect the building.
2.If you don’t understand the situation you are asked to vote on, then YOUR vote on the school board, or on any board, should always be NO?
3.If you don’t understand ALL the details of what you are asked to vote on, YOUR school board or any board vote should always be NO.
4.A YES answer to this question must only mean that YOU would be willing to just go along with a “half-baked” action that has NOT been properly planned, described and fully discussed. Like almost every vote on this present school board. And this was a Million Dollar vote and that Million Dollars was badly needed NOW!
I did not throw in the fact that school board member Danny Blanton had asked that original question to Robert Queen at the April 11th school board meeting because Robert Queen had unilaterally agreed to those sale terms without even bothering to go to the full school board for a vote, to begin with. And Robert Queen does not have the authority to spend a million dollars on his own authority. Neither does Superintendent Stephen Fisher.
Upon learning this fact, all the other eight school board members at the April 11, School Board meeting should have immediately made and passed a motion to CANCEL THE SALE OF THE CENTRAL SCHOOL until CCS was out of the Central School and go from there.
In MY opinion, we do NOT need one more School Board member that would sign off on such a botched up and probably illegal act that Chairman Robert Queen has pulled off on the sale of the Central School, a million dollar deal that he alone agreed to wain a year for payment. Also, in my opinion, based on the present School Boards’ M.O., the taxpayers will likely spend tons of money fixing up that old Central School in the upcoming year, at the taxpayer’s expense.
AND REMEMBER FOLKS, Only Danny Blanton, Ronnie Grigg, Annette Fain, and Aaron Bridges passed my litmus test question for a vote for that candidate for the School Board. And, Mr. Bridges is saddled by his too-close association with the Robert Queen-led Rogue Republican contingency. It is like the old saying goes, “When you lie down with the dogs, YOU are going to get some fleas!” I met Mr. Bridges after the forum and he appears to have the makings of a school board member at some future election when he learns to stay clear away from those with unethical agendas. Like Robert Queen, Like Ron Humphries, Like Dennis Bailey, Like Wes Westmoreland, Like David Allen, Like Kevin Whisnant, Like Guy Smith, Like Ronnie Whetstine, Like WeRCC
Therefore, I am ONLY recommending Danny Blanton, Ronnie Grigg, and Annette Fain for the 2020 School Board Republican Primary Elections. A three-shot vote for those four seats on the school board. Leave that fourth choice blank. That best insures the best three, Blanton, Grigg, and Fain will get elected.
Incredibly folks, this is not the end of this article. There is more.
Some good news and sadly there is more bad news.
The good news is the “Cleveland County News” folks have conducted an independent Facebook Poll on this 2022 School Board Republican Primary Elections.
Cleveland Count News reports the winners are:
No 1 Samantha Davis-a write-in candidate that is not an official candidate and cannot be seated on the School Board. This election anyway. I predict Samantha Davis will defeat Robert “Luke” Queen in the 2024 School Board Elections
No 2 Danny Blanton, a nine-year veteran incumbent School Board member.
No 3 Ronnie Grigg, rebuked the Rogue Republican Robert Queen crowd and ran his own ethical campaign.
No 4 Annette Fain, a candidate that would “burn the house down” if necessary to rid CCS of all their corruption, get rid of teaching Critical Race Theory and keep boys as boys and girls as girls.
These candidates above ran away from the others on the Cleveland County News Facebook poll.
Aaron Bridges, Glenda Womack, and Walter Spurling, in that order, finished way back behind the frontrunners.
Typically, at the end of political candidate’s forums, and I have been to tons of them, the candidates “work” the room speaking to people they know and especially to people they don’t know. I “worked” the room too. Talking to the candidates I have come to know from attending School Board meetings. As well as candidates Aaron Bridges and Dale Reviere. I did not have the opportunity to talk much to Glenda Womack and not at all to Walter Spurling.
My discussion with candidate Dale Reviere was mostly regarding his incorrect YES vote to my question as previously described. Our discussion began inside the building and moved to the outside sidewalk when WeRCC started turning all the lights out.
I told Mr. Reviere that I could not support him because I have come to strongly believe that a board member voting YES to something they did not understand or agree with was intrinsically wrong and often was the precursor to waste, inefficiencies, fraud, and just plain old mistakes. That voting NO enough times and with enough board members doing so would totally and finally clean up the mess on the School Board and put the Chairman in his place. His place only being as the “Moderator” of the meeting and no more powerful than any other board member. Just as North Carolina law so states.
It was my outside discussion with Mr. Reviere that Robert Queen was “spying” on me that caused a number of people to call me and email me at home after the forum expressing concern for my safety. I believe Mr. Reviere, as young as he is, is well-meaning but misled by Robert Queen and the Rogue Republicans. Also, Mr. Reviere, being a former US Marine, would, I believe, have been a good person to be in a “foxhole” with if a real danger was near. And, witnessing Robert Queen becoming more and more angry, sneaky, and mean, perhaps there was a real danger. But I believe Robert Queen is too much of a coward to actually attack me face to face. Maybe I will start walking with a cane so I will have a ready defense if ever actually needed.
And, I will finally finish this article on that note. But, be sure that there are MORE articles to come. Like the Commissioners Republican 2022 Primary election. And the Commissioner voting to approve what may likely turn out to be a hostile takeover of all Cleveland County’s rural fire departments. And other such unknown news. That YOU will not get anywhere else!!!