PORT ANGELES — A departing Port Angeles School Board member leveled accusations of unethical conduct and dereliction of duty against a fellow School Board colleague.
At Monday night’s regular School Board meeting, Jessica Schreiber filed a complaint against Cindy Kelly, alleging that Kelly conspired with activists opposing May’s tax levy to “harass me into resigning my position on the School Board.”
On Tuesday, Kelly declined to address specific complaints made against her in a 30-page document prepared by Schreiber that was submitted to the School Board.
“I’ve been a lone wolf on the board since I was elected four years ago,” said Kelly, who won her seat with 50.4 percent of the vote in 2001.
“I’ve hired an attorney to handle this matter. I’ve turned it all over to an attorney.”
Allegations made in public
Kelly did say, however, that she consented for Schreiber’s allegations to be submitted in an open meeting, rather than in an executive session in which contents are off-limits to the public.
Schreiber’s complaints center around a series of e-mails exchanged among Schreiber, Kelly, local activist Ed Tuttle and Bill Henry, a retired law enforcement officer who is acquainted with both Schreiber and Tuttle.
“There is significant evidence to suggest that Director Kelly recruited Ed Tuttle, a lead of the anti-district group and sponsor of anti-levy ads, to send an e-mail to me for the purpose of harassment and to intimidate me into resigning from the School Board,” wrote Schreiber, who is resigning from her seat July 17 to move to Chicago.
