Did some of the political shenanigans virus from Mingo County spread to Harrison County? Follow along here and see what you think.
Last week, the board of Harrison County’s public transit system, CENTRA, voted to retain John Aman as its general manager. Just one problem: Aman will soon begin serving a prison term of nearly two years after pleading guilty to bank fraud for abusing his power of attorney over a relative.
The board decided to hold the transit general manager’s position open for Aman while he’s in jail. Aman initially accepted but after a public outcry, said he would not take the job.
The CENTRA board also voted 2-1 to give the general manager’s job in the interim to Zeke Lopez. He’s a member of the CENTRA board (he abstained from the vote) and a Clarksburg City Council member. Last January, Lopez was convicted of domestic assault.
Lopez is currently fighting attempts by fellow city council members to remove him from his seat. He remains on council, but only as a non-voting member. He resigned his seat on the CENTRA board so he could run the bus system.
Another member of the CENTRA board who voted to hire Lopez was Mario Blount. He was Bridgeport’s mayor, but he resigned after pleading guilty to federal charges of illegally selling prescription drugs while working as a pharmacist at Best Care Pharmacy.
There’s some question about whether Blount should have even been allowed to remain on the CENTRA board after he resigned as mayor.
As the Clarksburg Exponent Telegram opined last Sunday, “Talk about ‘Good Old Boy politics’—this takes the cake.”
One Harrison County opinion leader I talked with, who is familiar with the story, said this may be a case of good people making bad decisions. Perhaps, but they remain bad decisions. Individuals who exhibit such poor judgment should not be in public service positions where they control taxpayer dollars.
Fortunately media coverage of the antics have spawned a public outcry and triggered corrections. The Harrison County Commission and the Clarksburg City Council met yesterday to appoint all new members to the CENTRA board.
First, that board should wish Aman well in his next endeavor when he gets out of prison and then start looking for a permanent replacement. Second, the new board should tell Lopez that it will find someone else to keep the buses running in the interim.
The Exponent Telegram said it best: “Sadly, the actions by these men in their positions as public servants have brought great shame to Clarksburg, Bridgeport and all of Harrison County.”