‘Malicious vendetta.’ Cabarrus leader under SBI investigation says claims are false

The chairman of the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners says claims by a local town council member that he committed “malfeasance” in office are false and that a State Bureau of Investigation inquiry will vindicate him.

“I think it is just a malicious vendetta, politically motivated,” Steve Morris told The Charlotte Observer this week.

The SBI is investigating “allegations of potential collusion and fraud” involving Morris, agency spokeswoman Anjanette Gruber said in a statement.

In January, the SBI received a request from the Cabarrus County District Attorney to investigate the claims, Gruber said. She declined to detail the allegations.

In a news release Tuesday, District Attorney Ashlie Shanley said her office followed standard procedure when Midland council member Richard Wise asked her office to request the SBI “look into a claim regarding the County Commission.”

“The District Attorney’s Office does not investigate any complaints and makes no assertion about the validity of the claim when making a referral to the SBI,” Shanley said.

Her office forwarded the complaint to the SBI in January and awaits a report from the agency, she said.

Gem Theatre contracts

When The Observer asked Wise to specify his allegations, he declined. Sharing details could jeopardize the SBI investigation, he said.

Wise previously told a local news outlet that he called for the outside investigation because Morris, first elected a county commissioner in 2012, is “very influential in Cabarrus County.

”His relationships here run deep and to the highest levels, including within the local law enforcement and justice system,” Wise said in a statement to the Observer. “A local investigation could not be impartial.”

Morris said the SBI has yet to contact him. He said he wasn’t aware of an investigation until a WBTV journalist contacted him this week.

He told the Observer he can only guess that the complaint involves his agreements with the city involving the landmark 1930s Gem Theatre — agreements voted upon by the Kannapolis City Council in public last year.

Since 1995, Morris owned and managed the business, which shows films, hosts weddings and stages other events. He owned all the equipment in the 900-seat, single-screen Gem, he said. Other entities have owned the building, starting long ago with Cannon Mills Co. and most recently the city of Kannapolis, he said.

Morris began at the Gem Theatre that summer as vice-president and general manager and part-owner of its operations, according to the Gem Theatre website.

The lifelong Cabarrus County resident became chair of the Board of Commissioners in 2014.

Preserving the Gem

In 2015, the city bought the Gem Theatre building and other downtown properties and has been committed to preserving the building and its operations since, City Manager Mike Legg said in a statement to the Observer Thursday.

“Kannapolis residents have repeatedly expressed their desire and support for the Gem Theatre to remain open as a first-run movie theatre with affordable ticket and concession pricing,” Legg said.

“In numerous public meetings and surveys the public has told us the Gem Theatre is a touchstone in the community and a historic cultural asset that must be preserved,” he said.

As Morris neared retirement, Legg said, city officials asked if he’d sell his Gem Theatre operations to the city.

“By owning and operating the Gem Theatre, the city could preserve the structure of the building, maintain and control a viable cultural and tourism asset, and continue to improve this important financial anchor in our downtown,” Legg said.

Morris told the Observer he’d already been thinking of the need for a plan for the Gem for after he’d no longer be there due to age.

“I’m 69 years old, so it’s time for me to step aside,” Morris said.

Public agreements, manager says

The City Council voted last summer to pay Morris $475,000 for all of the assets, trademarks and operations of the Gem, Legg said and public documents reviewed by the Observer confirm. The Gem typically generates $700,000 in annual revenues, Legg said.

The council also voted to award Morris a two-year contract to manage the Gem at an annual salary of $75,000, as theater operations transition to Kannapolis Parks and Recreation staff, Legg said.

“Legally required public notices and a public hearing regarding the purchase agreement were completed over a year ago,” Legg said.

No Kannapolis elected officials or city staff have been contacted by the SBI, city spokeswoman Annette Privette Keller said.

Legg said the city also has invested in replacing the Gem’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, adding restrooms, restoring its historic marquee and gaining it national historic status. Kannapolis also is pursuing grants to help pay for new seats, curtains and projectors, he said.