Dear Editor:
The author of the April 3 letter to the editor raised a valid question: is it a conflict of interest for an elected mayor to serve as a compensated city manager/administrator? The author said yes but failed to provide any basis for his conclusion.
The West Virginia Ethics Commission specifically addressed the question in 2007. The Ethics Commission has consistently held that elected municipal officials may be employed by the municipality where they hold office, unless the compensated position causes the person to directly supervise themselves. That is not the case here in Lewisburg, nor is it conflict of interest under the WV Ethics Act for someone to simultaneously be the mayor of Lewisburg and the city manager/administrator.
Brandon Johnson
Lewisburg
