Former councilman Sharrock, fired as sex offender, cleared to run again (with video)

photo Charles Sharrock

Fort Oglethorpe's elections superintendent sent off November's election ballots to be printed with ousted former councilman Charles Sharrock's name on them without a second thought.

"I did it just like normal," said Orma Luckey, the superintendent.

A couple of weeks later, on Sept. 22, things grew complicated: Someone challenged Sharrock's eligibility to run because he'd been fired by a unanimous City Council vote in 2012 after three female city employees complained he sexually harassed them at work.

Luckey determined Friday that the ballots can remain as printed, and Sharrock is eligible to run for the council seat that he previously held.

The decision has caused caused more complications in Fort Oglethorpe, particularly because Luckey ratified her earlier decision to use her own credit card to pay for ballots with Sharrock's name on them.

Luckey sent the ballots to be printed with Sharrock's name on them a couple of days after voting qualification ended. On Sept. 29, James Cooper filed a challenge alleging Sharrock was ineligible to participate in the election.

Luckey held a hearing on Oct. 9 on Cooper's challenge, She said she used her credit card to pay for the ballots card after she was unable to obtain a request-for-purchase order. She said she wanted the paper ballots ready in time for early and absentee voting.

City Manager Rob Goulart told the Times Free Press that Luckey bought the ballots against protocol and without his approval of the purchase.

Goulart questioned why Luckey paid for the ballots with her own money when she knew that Sharrock might not qualify for the election -- depending on her decision in the hearing.

Mayor Lynn Long said Luckey "doesn't have a dog in this hunt, and it's her job to make the election run."

Long said she was a fair voice to oversee the hearing into Sharrock's eligibility to run for a seat on the council.

But Cooper's attorneys, Stuart James and McCracken Poston, disagree.

They argued in the hearing that Luckey was personally biased in the case.

Poston said that Luckey's financial interest as the purchaser of the ballots disqualified her from hearing the challenge.

Poston said, "We are not at all surprised [by the verdict]. Ms. Luckey is extremely biased and should not have been sitting in the hearing."

Luckey said she went into the hearing with an open mind.

"It was a hard decision," she said, "but I feel like I made the right one."

In determining Sharrock's eligibility, Luckey said, she examined the election code for the state of Georgia and the charter of the city of Fort Oglethorpe.

There's no grounds in the election code to disqualify Sharrock, and he meets city and state requirements to run, Luckey wrote. She also wrote that there is no proof of conviction and sentencing on his alleged offenses that would prevent him from participating in the election.

Sharrock said he was pleased with Luckey's decision, but he would have accepted the outcome either way.

Staff writer Tyler Jett contributed to this story.

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.

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