The Paducah Board of Commissioners held a public hearing in regards to misconduct charges against City Commissioner David Guess.
PADUCAH, KY (WSIL) -- Board members approved a motion to remove a city commissioner in Paducah Tuesday night.
The Paducah Board of Commissioners held a public hearing in regards to misconduct charges against City Commissioner David Guess.
Guess was charged with misconduct in December stemming from text messages which included languages with racial overtones to a city employee in November.
In the meeting, the board approved a motion for findings of misconduct and approved a motion to remove Commissioner David Guess from office effective immediately.
“Over the last 60 days, this Commission has had to wrestle with one of the toughest issues that City leaders will ever face," Paducah Mayor George Bray said in a statement. "The decision to remove a commissioner, while very challenging and defining for the entire community, we believe sets a standard for behavior as leaders of our city going forward.
While we have much work left to do, our community has made tremendous gains in the area of diversity, equity, and minority inclusion. This is one of the areas that defines the city that we all want to live in, where we want our children to live, and where others will choose to live as they make relocation decisions in the future. Simply stated, as a community we have made many gains and are simply not willing to take a step backwards.�
