Tag: RPD Chief Clint Ingle

Silence Speaks Volumes When It Comes To Politically Endorsing D.A. Ted Bell

Posted on by Deborah Keller

 

May 6, 2022

As everyone in District Attorney Ted Bell’s district is aware Mr. Bell recently sent out a district wide political mailer stating that the heads of all law enforcement unanimously endorsed him in the race for the office of D.A. in the upcoming May 17th primary election.

Ted Bell’s Political Mailer

The reason this is so very important at this time is that this primary decides who the next District Attorney will be as there is no Democrat party opponent.  The race is strictly between Mr. Bell and Marion Attorney Krinn Evans.

D.A.Ted Bell with Judge Randy Pool

There have been numerous complaints and concerns about Ted Bell’s performance as the District Attorney for the past seven (7) years of his administration. The most recent being his apparently “protection” of former Judge Randy Pool. So it was surprising to see him claim that the head of every law enforcement agency in his district endorsed his candidacy.

The real surprise being that it is actually against the law to politically endorse a candidate if you or your department receive any federally funded grants or monies. All of these named officials departments receive federal funding in some form.

Mr. Bell knows about the restrictions and penalties of violating the Hatch Act, yet he still went with this advertising campaign putting each official and their department in potential jeopardy. After having it brought to his attention he tried to “walk it back” on Facebook with a post saying that they were “personal” endorsements, not official ones. Hummm….not what the flyer received in the mailbox  (shown above) said.

Mr. Bell has not posted any written endorsements by any of these officials. Each official was contacted multiple times via email and asked specifically if they endorsed Mr. Bell. Now be advised each of these officials work for the taxpayer and are answerable to them. Silence from all but one……..

Marion Police Chief Allan Lawrence did answer the request for comment saying “ The only position that I have taken in this matter has been an indication of personal support for the current District Attorney’s office.” He specifically used the word “office” not “person” or “political”. I have to take a minute and congratulate the people and city of Marion for having a Chief with such integrity to be brave enough to stand up and state publicly exactly what he said.

 

These are the “SILENT”  ones,

Chief Clint Ingle of Rutherfordton Police Department (who it appears recently removed a banner with Ted Bell’s image on it illegally at Ted Bell’s request),

SILENT!

 

Spindale Police Chief Eric Shelton

Chief Eric Shelton of Spindale Police Department,

SILENT!

 

 

Chief Chris LeRoy of Forest City Police Department,

SILENT!

 

 

LLPD Sean Humphries

Chief Sean Humphries of Lake Lure Police Department,

SILENT!

 

 

Old Fort PD Chief Melvin Lyle

Chief Melvin Lytle of Old Fort Police Department,

SILENT!

 

 

Sheriff Chris Francis

Sheriff Chris Francis of Rutherford County, and

SILENT!

 

 

McDowell County Sheriff Ricky Buchanan

Sheriff Ricky Buchanan of McDowell County have all remained suspiciously quiet.

SILENT!

 

 

 

These officials have not replied to multiple emails asking about their professional versus personal endorsements of Ted Bell.   Even after being told that they could be reported for violating the Hatch Act. I do understand that they have in fact been reported for investigation to the U.S. Special Council for violating this law due to the fact that they have remained silent.

A violation of this can result in dismissal and loss of funding for the official/department found in violation. It is a very serious charge with very serious consequences. Mr. Bell has in fact, by doing this, put his entire district in jeopardy.

Their silence on this matter does not release them from this, quite the contrary. It makes them seem guilty. I do feel for them as they are proverbially caught between a rock and a hard place. If they confirm, then they are guilty of breaking the law, if they don’t then they are guilty of confirming that D.A. Ted Bell was lying about their endorsements and since he continues in his position until January it could make making working with him very difficult.

Either way Ted Bell has put them in an untenable position. It is hard to believe that only one of these gentlemen “manned up” and actually answered the question asked. What does that say about the leadership of law enforcement in our communities? Silence in this instance is not golden.

Transparency must be returned to our governing bodies. It starts with you. Vote!

Your vote in tis primary determines who our next District Attorney will be. Vote for honesty and transparency.

Early voting continues until May 14th. Final voting in this primary is May 17th.

 

 

 

D.A.Ted Bell ….Violating The Hatch Act?

Posted on by Deborah Keller

May 2, 2022 

How many questionable decisions has District Attorney Ted Bell made in his tenure here? It obviously is an answer that will take years to fully discover. The latest is his decision to use public political endorsements of law enforcement officials in radio ads on WCAB, social media, newspapers, and mailers.

Mr. Bell as an attorney and current District Attorney is certainly aware of the Hatch Act. It clearly states that “​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Hatch Act, a federal law passed in 1939, limits certain political activities of federal employees, as well as some state, D.C., and local government employees who work in connection with federally funded programs. ​The law’s purposes are to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation.”​​​​ ​​

​“The Hatch Act restricts the political activity of individuals principally employed by state, District of Columbia, or local executive agencies and who work in connection with programs financed in whole or in part by federal loans or grants. Usually, employment with a state, D.C., or local agency constitutes the principal employment of the employee in question. However, when an employee holds two or more jobs, principal employment is generally deemed to be that job which accounts for the most work time and the most earned income.”   (See link here)

Mr. Bell seems to have forgotten that the stated endorsers he has listed all have federal funding sources and therefore are subject to the Hatch Act. (see above)  After an extensive search online I was unable to find any stated confirmation of these endorsements. I reached out via email last Thursday April 28th to all the individuals mentioned to receive direct confirmation of their endorsement explaining to them that I was writing an article about it.

No one mentioned above by Mr. Bell has replied to my original email. I then emailed Mr. Bell directly asking if he had written endorsements from these officials. He too did not answer my email but did post within a few hours of my sending it regarding his endorsements on his Ted Bell for DA Facebook page.

D.A. Ted Bell

“April 29 at 7:00 PM  ·

I never want to be misinterpreted or to mislead anyone, so based on a couple of questions I received I want to clarify. As I have always said, I have been unanimously endorsed by the heads of all of our local law enforcement agencies – the Chiefs and Sheriffs. This endorsement is in their personal capacity – obviously, a Town or Police Department cannot endorse someone, and I don’t want someone to misunderstand and think that I am stating that I am endorsed by a Town or Police Department as opposed to an individual.

Thank you for your support,

Ted”  

I then emailed all the supposed endorsers of Mr. Bell and asked for a direct confirmation or denial of the endorsement along with their department’s policy on endorsing partisan politicians. I also asked if their departments directly or indirectly receive federal funding. I did copy Mr. Bell on this email. As of right now I have not heard back from any of them regarding this except Marion PD Chief Allen Lawerence who asked for my article deadline date.

It is very concerning that only one of the “public servants” emailed answered me. These people have  sworn to protect and serve the public in their individual communities. How can the general public feel protected if they fear retaliation for not supporting the political candidate that the department Chief or Sheriff has endorsed. This is the entire purpose behind the Hatch Act, to decrease political coercion of any kind.

If you as a citizen are concerned about this you can file a complaint about these officials with U.S. Office of Special Counsel  Click on this link “File a Complaint”or click on the green button on the right hand side under the banner on the home page. They will investigate this and have a hearing. This is a link to complaints they have heard (click here)

If you are concerned about Ted Bell’s actions you can also file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office in Raleigh. (see link)  If you go to file a complaint be sure to check “received in the mail” if you received an endorsement flyer. Also you can attach the flyer you received or a screen shot of social media. If you need to call Toll-free within North Carolina: 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

 

You can also complain to the NC State Bar. Anyone can file a complaint to the Bar Association about any practicing lawyer. For info click here To directly file a complaint you can click this link https://www.ncbar.gov/media/490329/grievance-form.pdf or call (919) 828-4620. Individuals who file grievances in good faith against a North Carolina lawyer are protected by statute from retaliation.

Ted Bell himself has shown by his Facebook post (as seen above) that he knows using official endorsements are out of line but it’s too late to retract it as the mailers and social media ads have all gone out to the public.

D.A. Ted Bell

It’s one thing for Mr. Bell to personally erroneously represent his endorsements as official statements but to throw these men and their departments “under the bus” (so to speak) for his own political gain seems unconscionable even for him.

Is this the man you want to represent you as District Attorney? One who seemingly conveniently “forgets” major points of law or feels the law does not apply to him when it suits his purpose? One who has no issue with endangering other officials with his actions? This man who stands up publically and says he is the embodiment of “ethical behavior.”

When you consider the length of time it takes to have a case heard by him, the plea deals, the protection of Judge Pool, the admitted alteration of body cam video in a death by officer shooting, his working relationship in the office, and now the questionable endorsement mailer it makes you wonder. It makes us all wonder.

(contributed photo)

Rutherford and McDowell County both deserve better than this.

Please go vote for integrity, for transparency, for ethical behavior, for legal knowledge, but especially for change. You can make a difference.

Early voting is going on now. Final primary voting date is May 17th. All unaffiliated voters are eligible to vote in the Republican primary.

 

This article will be updated as new information is received.