MORGANTOWN – A Morgantown man has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to remove three Morgantown City Council members and the mayor from their positions.
The suit seeks to remove Morgantown Councilpersons William Kawecki, Jennifer Selin, Nancy Ganz and Mayor Marti Shamberger.
George Papandreas claims the city council members and mayor are guilty of misconduct, malfeasance in office, incompetence and neglect of duty, according to a complaint filed Oct. 8 in Monongalia Circuit Court.
Papandreas claims Kawecki solicited employees of the city to give him money and took this action by sending out an e-mail that Kawecki claimed he mistakenly sent to the wrong contact list.
Ganz, Selin and Shamberger were officeholders at the time the e-mail was center and the trio also received the e-mail and were explicitly mentioned in the e-mail as being endorsed by the Morgantown Together PAC, according to the suit.
Papandreas claims they have failed to forfeit their office and are in violation of the City of Morgantown Charter.
Shamberger, Selin and Ganz "received benefit, permitted, participated and/or acquiesced to Kawecki’s efforts," according to the suit.
Papandreas claims Ganz used her position within the council to court special favor and personal treatment with the police department to watch her home while out of town and Selin also used her position on the council to inappropriately prohibit the development and discussion of legal options surrounding certain ordinances within the city.
The suit also states that the councilors used their positions and influence on council to prevent the redistricting of the city’s 4th and 7th wards, which would have placed Ganz and Selin in the same ward.
Papandreas is seeking Shamberger, Kawecki, Selin and Ganz be "removed from office immediately," and contains a petition with 57 signatures. He is being represented by Mark A. Kepple of Bailey Wyant.
