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By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
Tribune Staff Writer
KEYSER – A Keyser resident who filed Thursday for election to the City Council has accused un-named senior city officials of sexual misconduct, and forwarded the charges to the West Virginia Attorney General's Office, the state's Ethics Commission and local law enforcement agencies.
Mark Tranum aired the allegations during the public-comment period of Wednesday's City Council meeting, saying concerns were brought to him by five city employees, including supervisors, who spoke of misconduct by “the mayor's office” involving several city workers.
“These people contacted me, I did not contact them,” Tranum said in an interview Thursday. “All these people are saying the same thing.”
According to Trenum, the employees, whom he spoke with individually, provided “specific dates and times, and exactly what was said and done.”
“I can't go into details because I was advised not to by the Attorney General's Office,” Tranum said.
Tranum did not name any city official, saying his reference to “the mayor's office” can refer to “anyone who is under the mayor's supervision.”
“I have not accused the mayor of anything,” he said.
Keyser Mayor Randy Amtower, who has been in office less than a year, denied the allegations of sexual misconduct, and said that Trenum's oblique reference obviously refers to him.
“Who's in 'the mayor's office'? The mayor,” Amtower said. “The comment is absolutely unfounded.”
Amtower attributed the accusations to election-year politics, noting that Trenum filed this week for one of three open seats on the City Council. “It happens every year when you start talking about elections...,” Amtower said. “He surfaces around election time every year.”
The mayor also noted that Trenum is a frequent poster to a new Facebook site, “Eye on Keyser,” where he has written about crime rates increasing in Keyser, as well as city employees selling city-owned copper for scrap, and keeping the money. Both claims are false, the mayor said.
“He's probably brought more negativity to that site than any individual in Keyser,” Amtower said of Trenum.
Amtower also said that, in raising the allegations, Trenum leaves himself open to questions of credibility. “If you want to start looking at credibility, I don't think he'd want us to dig too deep into his ... ,” the mayor said. “A large majority of people who hear this will say, 'Oh God, it's Mark Trenum again.'”
For his part, Trenum said he brought the issue up at the Council meeting to make Council members aware that he has called for an investigation by state officials, so that the Council would not be blind-sided by such news. He said the employees approached him because he is active in city affairs.
“These people want to be anonymous,” Trenum said. “They're being bullied around and are afraid of being fired.”
The alleged sexual misconduct apparently involves staff in City Hall. “These girls were treated wrong,” he said. “Someone had to stand up for them.”
Trenum denied that the allegations are politically motivated. Elected in July, Amtower is not even one-third of the way through his three-year term.
“I can withdraw from the Council race tomorrow if people think I'm doing this to get elected to the City Council,” Trenum said.
Beyond politics, Amtower attributed the allegations to the general trend of “negativity” apparent in the comments of the Eye on Keyser web site. He noted that after Trenum made his allegations Wednesday night, the Council meeting room largely cleared of its standing-room-only crowd. The Council then moved to approve design contracts for $40 million in upcoming sewer and water projects, but those issues did not seem to interest the crowd, he said.
“Are they really concerned about the town, or just controversy and drama?” the mayor asked.
Noting the ongoing Republican presidential primary, which has featured allegations of marital infidelity against some candidates, Amtower said such accusations deter people from seeking public office. “This is why you can't get credible candidates,” he said.
Until he hears something official from the state agencies Trenum referred to, the mayor said he is paying little regard to the allegations. “I haven't seen a thing from them,” Amtower said. “As far as I'm concerned, it's business as usual.”
By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
Tribune Staff Writer
KEYSER – A Keyser resident who filed Thursday for election to the City Council has accused un-named senior city officials of sexual misconduct, and forwarded the charges to the West Virginia Attorney General's Office, the state's Ethics Commission and local law enforcement agencies.
Mark Tranum aired the allegations during the public-comment period of Wednesday's City Council meeting, saying concerns were brought to him by five city employees, including supervisors, who spoke of misconduct by “the mayor's office” involving several city workers.
“These people contacted me, I did not contact them,” Tranum said in an interview Thursday. “All these people are saying the same thing.”
According to Trenum, the employees, whom he spoke with individually, provided “specific dates and times, and exactly what was said and done.”
“I can't go into details because I was advised not to by the Attorney General's Office,” Tranum said.
Tranum did not name any city official, saying his reference to “the mayor's office” can refer to “anyone who is under the mayor's supervision.”
“I have not accused the mayor of anything,” he said.
Keyser Mayor Randy Amtower, who has been in office less than a year, denied the allegations of sexual misconduct, and said that Trenum's oblique reference obviously refers to him.
“Who's in 'the mayor's office'? The mayor,” Amtower said. “The comment is absolutely unfounded.”
Amtower attributed the accusations to election-year politics, noting that Trenum filed this week for one of three open seats on the City Council. “It happens every year when you start talking about elections...,” Amtower said. “He surfaces around election time every year.”
The mayor also noted that Trenum is a frequent poster to a new Facebook site, “Eye on Keyser,” where he has written about crime rates increasing in Keyser, as well as city employees selling city-owned copper for scrap, and keeping the money. Both claims are false, the mayor said.
“He's probably brought more negativity to that site than any individual in Keyser,” Amtower said of Trenum.
Amtower also said that, in raising the allegations, Trenum leaves himself open to questions of credibility. “If you want to start looking at credibility, I don't think he'd want us to dig too deep into his ... ,” the mayor said. “A large majority of people who hear this will say, 'Oh God, it's Mark Trenum again.'”
For his part, Trenum said he brought the issue up at the Council meeting to make Council members aware that he has called for an investigation by state officials, so that the Council would not be blind-sided by such news. He said the employees approached him because he is active in city affairs.
“These people want to be anonymous,” Trenum said. “They're being bullied around and are afraid of being fired.”
The alleged sexual misconduct apparently involves staff in City Hall. “These girls were treated wrong,” he said. “Someone had to stand up for them.”
Trenum denied that the allegations are politically motivated. Elected in July, Amtower is not even one-third of the way through his three-year term.
“I can withdraw from the Council race tomorrow if people think I'm doing this to get elected to the City Council,” Trenum said.
Beyond politics, Amtower attributed the allegations to the general trend of “negativity” apparent in the comments of the Eye on Keyser web site. He noted that after Trenum made his allegations Wednesday night, the Council meeting room largely cleared of its standing-room-only crowd. The Council then moved to approve design contracts for $40 million in upcoming sewer and water projects, but those issues did not seem to interest the crowd, he said.
“Are they really concerned about the town, or just controversy and drama?” the mayor asked.
Noting the ongoing Republican presidential primary, which has featured allegations of marital infidelity against some candidates, Amtower said such accusations deter people from seeking public office. “This is why you can't get credible candidates,” he said.
Until he hears something official from the state agencies Trenum referred to, the mayor said he is paying little regard to the allegations. “I haven't seen a thing from them,” Amtower said. “As far as I'm concerned, it's business as usual.”
