Beckley Mayor ethics hearing delayed, again - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Beckley Mayor ethics hearing delayed, again

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By Douglas Fritz - email

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A public hearing by the West Virginia Ethics Commission into alleged ethics violations by Beckley Mayor Emmett Pugh has been put off for up to a month.  The hearing, which will be held in Beckley, was scheduled for Monday, Jan. 28. It was postponed because one of the attorneys involved moved to a different agency.  The delay is to give the new attorney time to get up to speed on the case.

It was in early April of 2012 that the state Probable Cause Review Board said that there was reason to believe Mayor Pugh had violated provisions of the West Virginia Ethics Act up to nine times.

The violations were connected to alleged business deals between Mayor Pugh and local businessmen Woody Duba and Roy Shrewsbury.  Those deals lead to Pugh gaining some ownership in Burning Rock ATV Park and the Beckley housing development, Woodland Properties.  The allegations said that Pugh did not pay any money to get involved in the businesses.  The deals date back to 2007 and Mayor Pugh said that he has known for years the ethics commission was conducting an investigation.

Mayor Pugh has spoken to 59News several times about the allegations.  He said that he had never used his office for personal gain, but that did prevent members of the Beckley Common council from voting in favor of asking Pugh to retire.  That was during a meeting of the council in April, not long after the Probable Cause Review Board made their announcement about the violations.

In an interview with 59News at that time Pugh said he was glad that it was out, because he spent years not knowing where the investigation was going.

"I don't know how this will end up playing out but I think a lot of it has to go with how I feel about it, and I am very content with my stance. What I have done, I do not feel I have done anything wrong," Mayor Pugh said in the interview last year.

If the ethics commission finds Pugh guilty of the violations, the commission could recommend several punitive actions; from something as lenient as a public apology or fine to a recommendation that he be removed from office.

59News is staying in touch with the West Virginia Ethics Commission, and will keep you updated on when and where the public hearing will be held, as soon as a new date is set.