FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2020
For More Information, contact:
Mike Lewis (334) 353-2199
Joy Patterson (334) 242-7491
Attorney General Steve Marshall Announces Conviction of Former Lake View Mayor for State Ethics Law Violation
(MONTGOMERY) – Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Wednesday the conviction of former Lake View mayor Paul Calhoun for violating Alabama’s ethics law.
Calhoun, 45, pleaded guilty in Tuscaloosa County district court to voting on a matter in which he had a financial interest. The violation is a Class A misdemeanor under Alabama law. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Punishment for a Class A misdemeanor is up to one year in prison, or a fine of up to $6,000, or both.
Calhoun was appointed mayor of the Tuscaloosa County town in 2016 and was elected to a four-year-term shortly after. Following a dispute with the town council regarding official travel and whether he would be required to reimburse the town for unauthorized expenditures incurred out of state, Calhoun, as a voting member of the Lake View Town Council, voted “no” on a motion to compel the payment, causing a tie that led to the failure of the motion. As part of today’s guilty plea, Calhoun agreed to resign from office and not seek re-election in the upcoming municipal election.
“Former Mayor Calhoun crossed the line when he violated state ethics laws for his personal benefit,” said Attorney General Marshall. “We expect public officials to conduct themselves with integrity and when they do not, they will be held to account.”
Attorney General Marshall thanked the Town of Lake View for its cooperation in this case. He commended Assistant Attorney General Peggy Rossmanith as well as Special Agents of the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division for their outstanding work to achieve this conviction.
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