Tuesday, December 28, 1999
Complaint against mayor to be examined
Waynesville official accused of lying
BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
WAYNESVILLE — The Ohio Elections Commission will take the first step today in judging the merit of allegations that Waynesville Mayor Charles Sanders lied in campaign materials.
Two former village councilmen filed complaints last week, claiming Mr. Sanders made false statements in two pieces of campaign literature this fall when he sought a second term.
Mr. Sanders, the only popularly elected black mayor in Warren County, also is a Democratic candidate for the 2nd Congressional District, the seat now held by Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park. Mr. Sanders filed a petition to run for the congressional seat on Nov. 13, less than two weeks after voters returned him as mayor.
Mr. Sanders did not return calls Monday.
Former Councilman Pat Irelan, who did not seek re-elec tion in November, alleged the mayor claimed in a paid political advertisement that he was elected “by all in attendance to be the vice president of the Warren County Municipal League.”
Mr. Irelan, who said he attended the meeting, said none of the Waynesville council members endorsed or voted in favor of Mr. Sanders.
“He's gotten into the world of political spin,” Mr. Ireland said of Mr. Sanders. “He outright lied about the Municipal League vice president (position).”
Cincinnati attorney Timothy M. Burke, who is representing Mr. Sanders, conceded in a letter to the commission that the language in the paid ad was ambiguous. Still, “the statement can be read in a manner that interprets it consistent with the fact,” the letter says. “All of those in attendance voted and Sanders was elected.”
When Mr. Sanders won his first term in 1995, Mr. Irelan was an ardent supporter of the mayor. The two banded together a year later when Mr. Irelan resigned his seat in protest of what he considered the council's “misuse of executive sessions.”
Mr. Sanders reappointed Mr. Irelan to council.
“I apologized to the community at the council meeting,” Mr. Irelan said of his support for Mr. Sanders.
Photo misused?
The second complaint was filed by former Councilman Larry Weller, who also did not seek re-election in November.
In a campaign pamphlet, Mr. Sanders featured a photo of the 1999 village council, which included Mr. Weller.
Mr. Sanders did not have his permission, Mr. Weller said in an affidavit filed with the Ohio Elections Commission. “Especially in a political ad, (the picture) implies endorsement, which there wasn't, of course,” Mr. Weller said.
His concern is for the integrity of the office, Mr. Weller said.
“If a person lies once, when are they telling the truth? I've always been told there's no such thing as a little lie,” he said.
Mr. Burke countered that the picture implies nothing. It simply has a caption of “Council Make-Up as of January 1999.”
By law, the Ohio Elections Commission is to review complaints of campaign violations. Since the November election, the commission has received 12 complaints, including the two against Mr. Sanders, Executive Director Phil Richter said.
Several options
Three of seven commission members meeting in Columbus today will determine whether the charges have probable cause. If so, the allegations will go before the entire board at a later hearing date, Mr. Richter said.
The commission has a variety of options, including dropping the complaints, issuing a letter of public reprimand and forwarding the allegations to the county prosecutor for further criminal investigation, Mr. Richter said. Making false statements in campaign literature is a fifth-degree felony, he said, which could carry a sentence of six months to a year in jail and up to a $2,500 fine.
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