COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – The State Ethics Commission has dismissed “pay to play” allegations against North Charleston’s mayor and chastised the accuser.
The dismissal order released Tuesday to The Associated Press clears Keith Summey, the city’s mayor since 1994.
An unsuccessful challenger to Summey’s re-election last fall alleged companies received no-bid contracts in exchange for campaign donations.
The order says an investigation determined Summey did approve a no-bid contract to one company that later gave $1,000 to the mayor’s campaign, but there was no evidence he solicited the contribution.
The ethics agency says it dismissed 18 other identical complaints. One was dismissed in April after the supposed signer said it wasn’t her signature. The agency says recruiting people to sign or fraudulently signing complaints wastes the agency’s time, as only one is necessary.