New Lebanon voters in November approved an amendment to the village charter section 2.01, which stipulates that electorates of the village “must remain in good standing on all municipal income taxes throughout their elected term.”
The charter further requires any elected official in violation of this section to forfeit their seat.
The village council announced and affirmed Loch’s forfeiture during a June 18 meeting. The affirmation was approved in a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Lyndon Perkins dissenting. Councilman Gale Joy was not present, nor was Loch.
Perkins expressed his frustration with the action. He asked Mayor David Nickerson and Law Director Mike McNamee if any other council members were “investigated” for delinquent taxes and inquired about “whose idea” it was to conduct such investigation.
“Every council member was examined,” McNamee said. “... The charter is mandatory; it’s not optional. It must be done. You can have your opinion all you want, (and) who initiated it is not relevant.”
Tensions have been high in the village since the ousting of former Village Manager Glena Madden, along with four additional village leaders and three employees.
The five department heads included Madden, Chief Financial Officer Phillip Hinson, Law Director Ronald Keener, Police Chief Curtis Hensley and Service Superintendent Scott Brock. Each has been accused of alleged misconduct, an investigation into which is ongoing and lead by McNamee.
Voting in favor of Madden’s termination were councilmembers Melissa Sexton, Timothy Back, Vice Mayor Nicole Adkins and Mayor David Nickerson. Councilmembers Loch, Joy, and Perkins voted against the measure.
Back, Sexton, and Nickerson were all newly elected in November.
Soon after the firings, Loch and Joy publicly expressed their disapproval of how the situation was handled, highlighting the publicity of the moves as harmful.
“The events that have transpired could have been done quietly, and procedurally correct where it did not harm the community or damage the reputations of those involved; unfortunately, that isn’t the case,” Loch and Joy said in a joint statement in April. “Reputations were damaged, careers were impacted, civil liberties were violated. We will feel the repercussions of these actions for many years to come and it may have opened us up to financial liabilities and lawsuits.”
That same month, Madden filed a writ of quo warranto with the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas against both Acting Village Manager Rob Anderson and the municipality of New Lebanon. In the suit, Madden calls for her reinstatement to the position of village manager and the ousting of Anderson.
That case remains active and ongoing.
Neither Loch or Joy immediately responded to requests for comment.
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