Conflict of Interest is a serious problem at the James Island Public Service District.
JIPSD Commissioner Kay Kernodle was found to be in violation of South Carolina Ethics law. She tried to have the JIPSD hire her husband to do legal work. The South Carolina Ethics Commission determined that by participating in the selection process and rejecting other applicants, she sought to narrow down the field to leave her husband as the only candidate. She claims that she did not intend to cause the District to choose her husband and that the other candidates were unsuitable. She admitted that no one would believe her, so she decided not to fight the charge.
Here is the consent order.
When Trent Kernodle was the only applicant left, Commissioner Kernodle must have known that she could not get away with voting to appoint her husband. With the Commission deadlocked 3 to 3, she instead voted to give up the Commissioners' role of voting for the General Counsel and instead turned the decision over to District Administrator Robert Wise. The District Administrator has continued to approve payments to the Kernodle Law Firm, funneling taxpayer money to Commissioner Kay Kernodle's family.
It is up to the voters of James Island to decide whether they want this kind of insider dealing on their Commission. Commissioner Kay Kernodle and her two allies who joined her in those votes--Commissioner Wilder and Hollingsworth--are up for election in November.
Isn't it time for a change?
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