7/2/2014
State Board of Elections clears Moffitt
The North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBOE) yesterday
cleared Representative Tim Moffitt, finding no evidence that the two-term
Buncombe County legislator violated any laws or acted in any way improperly. It is the second such vindication by a state-level agency in as many months.
cleared Representative Tim Moffitt, finding no evidence that the two-term
Buncombe County legislator violated any laws or acted in any way improperly. It is the second such vindication by a state-level agency in as many months.
The SBOE had investigated a claim by Biltmore Forest resident Brian Turner — who is supported by members of Asheville City Council, including Councilman Cecil
Bothwell — to unseat Moffitt. But, in a devastating rebuke of Turner, the Board said that Turner’s unsubstantiated allegations, “even when viewed in a light most favorable to [Turner’s] point of view” did nothing to suggest that Moffitt did anything wrong.
“The downtown Asheville crowd is desperate to get me out of office,” said
Representative Moffitt. “But this type of underhanded and deceitful behavior needs to stop. It takes time, energy and resources to deal with this kind of thing. It is a clear abuse of process for political purposes. If Mr. Turner wants to oppose me politically, he needs to use his campaign dollars — and not the taxpayers’.”
Representative Moffitt. “But this type of underhanded and deceitful behavior needs to stop. It takes time, energy and resources to deal with this kind of thing. It is a clear abuse of process for political purposes. If Mr. Turner wants to oppose me politically, he needs to use his campaign dollars — and not the taxpayers’.”
In March, Turner was advised by SBOE officials that his complaint would not be received favorably due to the lack of evidence supporting the allegations. Turner agreed and chose not to pursue a course of action at the time, later reversing himself when pressed on the matter by the media. In the days that followed, it was then revealed that Turner, possibly in an attempt to influence the testimony of a witness, recorded a telephone conversation with county commissioner David King without his knowledge. During that conversation, Turner admitted that making the allegations against Moffitt would be “advantageous to me in my campaign”.
“If Brian Turner is willing to secretly record telephone conversations of people he describes as ‘friends’ while he’s a candidate,” Moffitt concluded, “how can he be trusted to act honorably in office?”
Representative Moffitt has turned the matter over to his legal team to review what avenues may now be available to him. Such avenues could possibly include legal action for slander, libel, and abuse of process.
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