CURRITUCK COUNTY, N.C. - Two advisory board members could be removed from their positions on Wednesday amid allegations of "unbecoming conduct."
County Attorney Ike McRee sent the two letters last week informing them they could be removed.
Jerry Malesky was told he could be removed from the county's Alcoholic Control Board. The letter to him writes "you grabbed with your hand the buttocks of Currituck County Commissioner Marion Gilbert" at a meeting. "Such conduct is unbecoming of a member of a public body," wrote McRee in the letter.
Malesky denied the allegations to a reporter on Monday night. "I didn't do anything wrong," he said, adding that he has a witness to back-up his story. He plans to challenge the accusations at a meeting on Wednesday, and called them political payback.
Curtis Austin is accused of posting an inappropriate Facebook post and could be removed from the county game commission. The post describes male anatomy. In a phone interview, Austin told News 3 he had no code of conduct from the game commission. "I posted it as humor," said Austin. "I've not has a single person say it was distasteful," Austin said of his Facebook friends.
Commissioners wouldn't talk about the allegations on Monday, saying the county attorney has told them to keep quiet until Wednesday, when a board meeting will decide whether the two should be removed.
Commissioner Paul Beaumont talked about board members at last week's meeting. He says they often are important in advising commissioners. While the positions are volunteer, he says they are ambassadors of the county. "You have a role and responsibility to act in a mature manner as well as in the appropriate manner," he said.
The meeting to decide if Malesky and Austin was supposed to be on Monday, but has been pushed back to Wednesday. The two say they would like more time to mount a proper defense.
