Schools

UPDATE: Cherokee Reacts to Marlow Panel Ruling

A panel ruled on Thursday that the charges against Cherokee School Board Member Kelly Marlow do not affect her ability to perform her duties.

UPDATE at 8:11 p.m.: SCRAM!, or Smart Citizens Rally Against Marlow, has released an official statement on the panel's ruling:

We are weighing our options and a recall is still possible. However, one thing is certain: SCRAM! is here to stay. We are a committed group comprised of parents, students, teachers and local residents that is dedicated to monitoring and bringing light to Kelly Marlow's decisions and actions as a School Board Member. 

While Ms. Marlow may remain in office at this time, we are confident that she will never be elected to public office after her term expires. Our 1,800 SCRAM! members will make sure of that. We will continue to closely monitor her pending criminal case with hopes that any repercussions will include her termination from the Board of Education. 

Moving forward, our focus will also include several upcoming elections in 2014, including Board of Education seats. Our group of dedicated community members will ensure that the RIGHT people are elected to do the job, which is to represent the students of the Cherokee County School District - a role that Ms. Marlow has failed to fulfill.

ORIGINAL STORY

A mixture of disappointment and anger were the theme in responses from local residents following a three-person panel's ruling that Cherokee County School Board Member Kelly Marlow can remain in office while she faces four felony charges. 

Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said the ruling did not come as a shock to her, adding the panel's decision "does not have any impact on how the DA's office will proceed with the criminal case." 

"The committee's purpose was not to decide if Ms. Marlow committed a crime or not," she said. "That is the job of the criminal justice system."

The panel, made up of Attorney General Sam Olens, Cobb County School Board Member Tim Stultz and Forsyth County School Board Member Ann Crow, recommended to Gov. Nathan Deal that Marlow should remain in office while she faces the charges.

The panel's found the charges, which include four counts of making false statements, do not "adversely affect" Marlow's ability to perform her duties as a school board member. 

Marlow did not return calls and emails requesting comment on the panel's decision. However, her attorney Brian Steel commended the panel's decision, adding he and his client "look forward" to the trial in Cherokee. 

He also maintained his client's innocence. 

"I believe that Ms. Marlow committed no criminal conduct," he said. "I believe in the jury system and the courts and if everything goes well, justice will reign."

Both Steel and Cherokee Prosecutor Rachelle Carnesale on Thursday outlined the criminal charges against Marlow in front of the panel. 

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Carnesale argued Marlow lied to Canton police investigators when she made statements accusing Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo of trying to run her and two others over as they crossed East Main Street in downtown Canton after a June school board meeting. 

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Steel had a crime scene analyst show video of a car driving behind Marlow as she crossed the street, and noted Marlow would have been hit by a car if she stopped in the middle of the road, the AJC writes.

Petruzielo, who has frequently butted heads with Marlow since she took office in January, declined to address the panel's ruling. 

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"The superintendent will reserve further comment regarding the false charges made against him by Ms. Marlow until after a court judgment is issued regarding the four felony indictments Ms. Marlow faces for making false statements to police," District Spokeswoman Barbara Jacoby said. 

Many members of the SCRAM (Smart Citizens Rally Against Marlow) Facebook group also expressed disappointment in the ruling. Resident Ashley Cline noted she's "lost all faith in the system."

Also, Woodstock resident Jake Marler tweeted the panel should have suspended Marlow until an outcome of the criminal trial is decided. 

Another resident is also openly expressing disappointment in the ruling. Garrett Jamieson of Canton said he was disappointed, "but not surprised" by today's outcome. 

"It seems as if Ms. Marlow is getting away with everything that she is charged with," he said, noting he's losing faith in the judicial as well as the state's election system.

Jamieson added he's also "concerned" with the outcome of Marlow's ethics appeal, which she vowed to do after the board in October that said she violated school board policies when she asked AdvancED to investigate the district. 

When asked if he expected a recall petition will soon get underway, he said he didn't "think it's feasible at this point."

Readers also expressed disappointment in the ruling on Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch's Facebook page at the ruling as well as towards Deal's decision. 

One Facebook fan, Andy Bayler, noted the governor "has to go." 

"If they can't see how thousands of dollars in expense and countless hours dedicated to this subject matter isn't adversely effecting the board's ability to serve the children of our county, then they are blind or (have been) bought," he added. 

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