Hollywood, SC House 116 Candidate Sues Town Mayor for Alleged Ethics Violation
James Teeple Accuses Mayor of Unlawfully Influencing Elections
In a surprising turn of events, James Teeple, the Republican candidate for the SC House 116 seat, has levied a lawsuit against Hollywood, Charleston County’s Mayor, accusing her of imposing on South Carolina’s ethics laws.
Teeple, contesting against Rev. Charlie Murray for the House District 116 representation, lodged a suit against Hollywood Mayor and prior state representative, Chardale Murray. The suit alleges the mayor of violating Section 8-13-1346 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, prohibiting the misuse of public resources including funds, property, or time, to sway election results.
Town’s Facebook Page Used to Unduly Influence Elections
According to the lawsuit documents, Chardale Murray has repeatedly utilized the town’s official Facebook page for publicly endorsing and providing support to her brother Charlie Murray’s campaign, allegedly intending to sabotage Teeple’s run for the seat. The allegations suggest that the mayor’s actions of using the government-owned Facebook page were purposed to affect the election outcome favorably for her brother.
Teeple presented screenshots substantiating his claims, screenshots of posts which have been purportedly removed from the Town of Hollywood’s Facebook page. These include one post featuring a news report that announced Charlie Murray’s candidacy along with a pro-Murray slogan posted by the town.
Lawsuit Claims Unfair Fight and Voter Suppression
The lawsuit alleges that the biased Facebook posts that remained visible for some time before being removed resulted in an unequal battleground for Teeple. According to him, the continuing expose of potential constituents to such influence adversely impacted his campaign, suggesting a possibility of voter suppression.
Reacting to the lawsuit, Murray’s campaign released a statement terming the allegations as ‘ridiculous’ and accusing Teeple and his attorney of using the legal system to create a misleading political narrative. However, Teeple dismissed these counterclaims by emphasizing the direct involvement of Murray’s sister and business partner, the Mayor, in the issue.
As of now, the Mayor’s office has not released a statement or responded to media requests for comments on the lawsuit.
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