CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- An e-mail signed by the chairman and vice chairman of the Bradley County Board of Education and sent to county school employees urges support for Lisa Stanbery as county mayor.
The e-mail, sent Thursday, was read by most of the 800 school system employees on Friday when they arrived at school.
PDF: Stanbery endorsement
County Mayor D. Gary Davis said some of them called him.
"It's a shame and a disgrace for the chairman to do this," Mr. Davis said Saturday.
Mrs. Stanbery, a county commissioner, and Chris Weir are challenging Mr. Davis in the May 4 Republican Party primary.
School board Chairman David Kelley said "somebody is just fabricating an issue."
"What I did was as a private citizen," Mr. Kelley said, "although it is kind of hard to speak as a private citizen and separate yourself from the board. But I did not sign the letter as a board member."
Mr. Kelley said he wrote the letter on his private computer. It bears the typed signatures of Mr. Kelly and Vice Chairman Terry McGuire.
Mr. Kelley said Mrs. Stanbery's campaign manager, Michelle Michaud, obtained the list of employees' school e-mail addresses and created a private e-mail account to send the letter.
The letter says that Mrs. Stanbery played a vital role in helping school officials find out how to fund the new Park View Elementary School and renovation at Valley View Elementary. It urges school workers to vote for her in the mayor's race.
"I wrote a letter that was very positive about Lisa. I did not say anything negative about anybody. It was not intended to be at the expense of anybody," Mr. Kelley said.
Mr. Davis said the point is that more than 800 county employees opened an e-mail on county time and on county taxpayers' computer system because it was signed by the school board chairman and vice chairman. That made it look official, Mr. Davis said.
"I have heard from many teachers who are upset," Mr. Davis said. "They knew this was not right. Even if it was sent from a private computer, they know it is not kosher."
Asked for a response, Mrs. Stanbery issued a statement Saturday. She didn't refer to the e-mail but said Mr. Davis last year used the county Web site and phone lines to sell tickets for a political fundraiser.
"His assistant Dan Howell sold tickets during his workday and routinely sends political e-mails on county time," Mrs. Stanbery said. "Mayor Davis places campaign signs on county property without permission, and just last week Mayor Davis used the Human Resources Department's computer, projector and screen -- taxpayer-owned assets -- at a GOP political forum, all violations of internal policy he had written for this election year."
As mayor, she said, "there won't be anymore double standards, no more use of the taxpayers' property for personal gain."
Blake Fontenay, spokesman for the State Elections Division of the Tennessee secretary of state's office, said there are no state laws governing the situation. He referred questions to the county attorney.
Bradley County Attorney Joe Byrd said Saturday he deferred to the school board attorney, whom he said should review questions and issue an opinion to the school board.
"At a minimum, he will likely have to review if the activity violated Tennessee's so-called "Little Hatch Act" (T.C.A. 2-19-201 et seq.) or prohibitions governing recipients of federal grant money," Mr. Byrd said.