LOUDON - The Loudon County Ethics Committee voted unanimously Friday to reprimand one of its own, Trustee Estelle Herron, for improper use of county resources.
Herron, a Republican candidate for Loudon County Mayor and a member of the ethics panel, admitted to using the county postal meter to mail out invitations for the Loudon County Republican Women's Club Christmas dinner.
Herron said the issue was contrived as a political ploy to get her to drop out of the county mayor's race. She said she used $44 of her own funds to mail most of the invitations and only charged $4.84 to the county.
Loudon County Mayor Doyle Arp said he was notified about the improper use of the postage machine by way of an anonymous letter on Jan. 11 that included a copy of the postmark on a mailed invitation with the county postal meter number clearly visible.
"I immediately launched an investigation into the allegation in an attempt to determine whether the county resources had been misused for activities that were unrelated to county business," Arp said.
Arp said he and county attorney Betsy Beck confronted Herron about the issue Jan. 20. During that meeting he said Herron offered no explanation for the unauthorized use of the meter. He also said that she admitted using the county postal meter to mail personal items in the past.
Arp said he referred the matter to the Ethics Committee after an unsuccessful attempt to get Herron to provide a receipt showing reimbursement had been made. Herron said that the Loudon County Republican Women's Club had since provided reimbursement for the entire amount of 48.84 postage used to mail the invitations.
"In effect, we paid twice," she said.
The use of county resources such as copy machines for personal use is not unusual at the county offices, Herron said. She pointed out that elected officials have no vacation or sick time on which to conduct their campaigns.
In addition to Herron, the Ethics Committee includes county commissioners Chris Park and David Mears, and Election Commission secretary Betty Brown. The committee requested an opinion from County Attorney Robert Bowman, who was also present at the meeting.
Bowman said that the committee could ask county commission to censure Herron, refer the matter to the District Attorney's office or issue a letter of reprimand.
Some members on the committee said they were concerned that the investigation was sparked by an anonymous letter.
"The first thing I would do is shred the anonymous letter," Brown said.
Mears added that he was surprised that the Ethics Committee would hold its first meeting in two years based on such allegations.
Parks made the motion to issue a letter of reprimand and an addendum to the county employee handbook outlining proper use of county resources.
Ethics committee takes
action
The Loudon County Ethics Committee has decided to send a letter of reprimand to Loudon County Trustee Estelle Herron for improper use of county resources and change the county employees handbook to make the rules clear.
At the Friday morning meeting of the ethics
committee, Committee Chairman Commissioner David
Meers opened the discussion of why the
committee, which was formed in 2007, was meeting
for the first time since its inception. The
committee includes Betty Brown of the Loudon
County Election Commission, County Commissioner
Chris Parks, County Commissioner Earlena Maples
- who was not in attendance and Herron herself.
Loudon County Mayor Doyle Arp was also in
attendance as well as county attorney Bob
Bowman.
Arp told the committee his office received an
anonymous letter dated Jan. 11, saying the
county postage machine at the Courthouse Annex
had been used to pay the postage on invitations
to the Loudon County Republican Women's Club
Christmas dinner. He said he met with Herron
Jan. 20 and she admitted she had used the
postage machine.
Herron spoke up saying she had purchased $44 in
stamps herself but they ran out before all the
invitations were done resulting in $4.84 cents
worth of postage coming from the postage
machine. Upon hearing about the controversy, the
Republican Women's Club ultimately remitted a
payment of $48.84 to the county despite only
$4.84 being charged on the county tab. Herron
said the club would "rather pay twice than have
our reputation questioned."
Bowman said there was three ways to deal with
the situation- - it could be referred to the
attorney general's office, the matter could go
to the Loudon County Commission for a censure
vote or the Ethics Committee could issue a
reprimand and the county could adopt a policy
for county employees and elected officials
forbidding the use of county resources for
personal or political purposes.
Brown said while the committee was formed in
2007 it had never met before and now was meeting
on a relatively small matter. "For the past four
years there has been so much going on in this
county," Brown said adding she found it odd the
first committee meeting was over an anonymous
letter in the middle of an election
campaign."The first thing I would have done was
shred it," Brown said of the letter in
question.
Parks said that though the amount was small it
was technically a misuse of county funds and
Herron should get a letter of reprimand saying
basically "Estelle don't do it again." It was
also noted if a change in the handbook was being
made it should include a warning against using
county copiers, computers and phones for
political and personal business as well.
Arp noted his office receives a lot of anonymous
letters and e-mails some of which are "off the
wall." But, he said, when an accusation of
misuse of county resources is alleged he has no
choice but to investigate. He told Herron, who
is running for his position as county mayor,
"when there's funds involved , if you're lucky
enough to get mayor, I'd hope you'd
investigate."
Ultimately, Parks moved to send Herron an
official letter of reprimand. He initially moved
the letter be approved by the county commission
but Bowman said that was not necessary unless
they wanted the commission to vote to censure
her as well. He also moved to task Bowman with
researching the county handbook and to draft
language to forbid the use of county resources
for political or personal gain. Parks asked
Bowman if the committee had covered their
liability. "The Ethics Committee has fulfilled
its obligation," Bowman answered.
Herron said she found it odd that invitations
sent in October of last year stirred controversy
three months later. "A letter (the anonymous
one) did not appear until after I announced my
candidacy for mayor," Herron said adding she
felt the letter was a political ploy.
"Welcome to my world," Arp said.