ELIZABETHTOWN, N.C. (WECT) – Charlotte Smith was collecting signatures on a petition to get her name on the ballot for Bladen County Board of Education in November.
At a community event back in April, Smith asked Elizabethtown Town Manager, Dane Rideout, if he would like to sign her petition, but he declined.
“He said that he couldn’t, because he was a town employee and paid by the taxpayers, and I said, ‘Okay, well, does that just apply to you? Or is that all town employees?’,” Charlotte Smith said.
Smith says Rideout never gave her an explanation.
Rideout says he told Smith a policy in the town’s employee handbook does not allow political activity while on the clock.
Days later, on a Saturday, Smith says another town employee said they could not sign her petition after being told not to.
“It sounds like that he did not want anyone to sign my petition. And I was told that some people may face retaliation for signing my petition,” Smith said. “It was encouraging for everybody to show their support and sign the petition. It is discouraging to know that rights, the public’s rights, are being oppressed.”
Smith has withdrawn her petition, not wanting to potentially impact town employees that have signed it.
“I didn’t know what else to do to protect my supporters than to withdraw the petition and seek an official complaint against Mr. Rideout,” Smith said.
After a series of emails to town officials asking for an explanation, Smith says she finally received a copy of the Elizabethtown employee handbook. It includes the policy that states: “no employee shall engage in any political or partisan activity while on duty.”
Additionally, Rideout is a member of the International City/County Management Association and it would be against their code of ethics for Rideout to sign any petition.
“I understand that Mr. Rideout is a member of an association where their ethical duty is not to participate in political agendas and things like that, but that does not apply to all town employees,” Smith said.
Smith has requested copies of emails and documents that Rideout has sent within the past month.
Smith wants to know if he said anything at all to town employees regarding her petition.
Rideout was not available to immediately answer questions, although he was able to confirm that he did provide Smith with an explanation on why he could not sign her petition.
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