Sheriff Raids County Computer For His Campaign
It’s all but self-evident that Mecklenburg County Sheriff Chipp Bailey, a Democrat up for reelection, broke state law, or at least purposefully skirted its intent, when he used a taxpayer-funded county database for campaign purposes.
Bailey even admits to nabbing a list of employee names and addresses from his office’s computer, which he used to solicit campaign donations from his subordinates. But the sheriff is crying ‘no foul’, claiming that the information had first been downloaded to a disc, instead of pulled straight from the computer.
In response, Mecklenburg County’s entrenched power structure has produced a collective yawn and turned a blind eye. The Board of Elections, controlled by Democrats, washes its hands of the matter and pitches it to county government. County government, controlled by Democrats, says its hands are also tied.
Notice any pattern here?
Legal experts with no political skin the game say Bailey ran afoul of the rules. This from WCNC:
John Szmer, an assistant professor of political science at UNC Charlotte, said it appears the sheriff broke the law. But he added that because they’re elected officials, sheriffs are typically given extra leeway.
“They may appear to be untouchable from a legal perspective, but the voters can punish him if they feel he’s doing something that he shouldn’t,” he said. “The question becomes whether the voters are informed enough.”
Bailey, meanwhile, says that any Sheriff’s Office employees who received a letter soliciting campaign donations from their boss – that would, of course, be Bailey – shouldn’t feel any pressure to lighten their wallets.
Um, OK.
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