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Ethics Complaint - Event Twelve involving Councilman Jesse Kerley
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SUMMARY:
Councilman Kerley did use his office and knowingly pursued efforts to harass and cause harm to citizens of Cumberland County for the purpose of causing harm, a violation of abuse of authority.
A. During the summer of 2015, Councilman Kerley did undertake an effort to have Donald Andrews, director of schools, investigated. Councilman Kerley came to see me to have the Police Chief investigate him. I told him that the City Council is not the correct forum that the Board of Education is appropriate and since it involved a child, this should not be put up in an open forum. Councilman Kerley had approached me over the years to have people fired: Bruce Wyatt, Mark Rosser, David Beaty, Tim Begley, Clark Annis (a contractor), and Sally Oglesby. I had become accustomed to his rants. While Councilman Kerley has the right to report wrongdoing, he does not have a right to use his office to carry out a personal vendetta.
Councilman Kerley did use his office to apply undue pressure on Chief Shoap to take action against Mr. Andrews, even after he had been told these actions were inappropriate and the City did not have jurisdiction. Councilman Kerley's actions were abuse of authority in that he knowingly did pursue legal criminal action using his office to cause harm.
B. Councilman Kerley, under color of his office, did with malice undertake an extended campaign to cause harm to one Randy Blankenship, a citizen of Cumberland County. This being a series of zealous acts to imprison Mr. Blankenship and his elderly mother and to do financial harm to him. This series of acts being done with great effort and energy on his part.
On March 10, 2016 Mr. Blankenship attended a council meeting and verbally addressed the shortcomings of the City Council (all members of the Council). The following day, flyers were posted around town offering a reward for any person having information on wron...
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