| By Dianne Weaver
Following a long silence and some official muzzling over the Jerry Mezzatesta case, the Hampshire County Board of Education has fired him after a marathon executive session.
The board voted unanimously for his removal.
Mezzatesta's attorney, Deirdre Purdy plans to file an appeal with the state grievance board, which reviews employee disciplinary matters.
"There was no basis for the termination," said Purdy, a Charleston lawyer. "It was wrong."
Mezzatesta was recently moved by the school board from his grant writing position to head the county's transportation system.
It has been three days since he was indicted on a charge of lying under oath, a continuing series of events that have fallen upon the former chairman of the House Education Committee.
It has been over a year since Mezzatesta became outraged with Linda Martin of Challenge WV, who was presenting information regarding school consolidation before his committee.
Mezzatesta became so angry he called capitol security, saying that the diminutive Martin had threatened him, indicating she should be removed from the building.
The perceived "threat" was a statement Martin made to him, saying, "We [voters] will remember you on election day."
Since then Mezzatesta has faced ethics violations, investigations and criminal charges, much of which are related to his funneling education money to Hampshire County.
Mezzatesta had agreed not to use being an elected official to obtain money through a grant writing job he had with the Hampshire Board of Education, but he violated his own "double dipping" contract.
The State Department of Education has said some of the funds were misappropriated, including money shifted to local fire departments.
Those allegations are currently being investigated by the federal government.
On April 14th, the state Board of Education ordered the Hampshire County school to return $35,000 in grant funds to the state after a review found the grant was not spent as approved.
The money was supposed to have been used for a sheltered workshop, but some of it went to seven fire departments.
After being defended by State Superintendent of Schools David Stewart and House Speaker Bob Kiss, Mezzatesta was removed from his powerful education chairmanship. He was later defeated in his re-election bid.
Currently a next door neighbor to Mezzatesta, Del. Harold Michael of Hardy County is under scrutiny for funneling millions of education and taxpayer dollars to his district, using the chairmanship of the House Finance Committee. (SEE earlier Herald stories)
Del. Bob Kiss says that's what you're supposed to do if you have tenure, funnel money to your home county.
Kiss says he has not violated ethics rules nor broken any laws.
Challenge WV fellow Thomas Ramey says "It sounds like a repeat performance."
Michael says he will never be apologetic for what has been called obtaining "drunken sailor money" for his constituents.
Challenge's Ramey asks "But what about the rest of us? Del. Michael is our Finance Chairman too. Whatever happened to fairness?"
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