DUSTIN ENSINGER Staff Writer Separate letters sent on behalf of two employees accusing a trustee of “defamatory activity” sparked the Orange Township Board of Trustees this week to pass resolutions stating “it does not support, endorse or condone any behavior of the type alleged in the correspondence.” The letters, sent by attorney David T. Ball on behalf of Orange Township Administrator Gail Messmer and Orange Township Maintenance and Parks Director Beth Hugh, accuse Orange Township Trustee Lisa Knapp of making “defamatory statements” about the township employees. The Messmer letter also states Knapp took “retaliatory action” against her for “protected activities.” Each resolution passed in a 2–1 vote, with Knapp voting against the measures and calling the action “unprecedented.” “This is simply harassment and it’s just meant to intimidate me,” Knapp said. Trustees Rob Quigley and Deb Taranto said the resolutions were designed to provide documentation of the township’s receipt of the letters and to make clear the board does not condone the actions which allegedly occurred. The resolutions do not endorse the allegations made in the letters, Taranto said. “Our goal is to protect the township,” Quigley said. The letter on behalf of Messmer claims Knapp has actively tried to oust Messmer from her position at the township in the wake of an Ohio Ethics Commission complaint she filed against Knapp. Hugh’s letter accuses Knapp of making “defamatory comments” about her job performance on several occasions. Knapp denied all allegations made in the letters, saying they have the “direct intent to embarrass and harass me.” Knapp has taken action of her own, filing a grievance with the Ohio Supreme Court alleging professional misconduct against Ball and Messmer, who is a licensed attorney in Ohio. She claims the letters constitute a use of the law to burden her, a violation of Ohio’s professional rules of conduct of attorneys. “Absolutely not one corresponding shred of evidence that would have corroborated any of the statements was submitted along with the letters,” she writes. Knapp has clashed with the township’s other elected officials and several employees since taking office in January 2012. Last year, Knapp was accused of clandestinely using a recording device during closed-door session of a trustee meeting. A complaint was filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission, alleging she violated state law through her dual role as a township trustee and zoning clerk in Berlin Township. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office investigated several incidents involving her, including an altercation with Orange Township Fiscal Officer Joel Spitzer at the township hall as she allegedly tried to access the computer in his office, another allegation that on a different occasion she entered his office after hours and accessed the same computer, and for allegedly tampering with public documents. She was not charged in any of the incidents. densinger@civitasmedia
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 01:57:33 +0000
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