The video allegedly shows Mayor Chris Carney inside Mooresville Town Hall without his pants in October 2024.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. โ The Town of Mooresville filed an appeal on Wednesday in an attempt to block the release of surveillance video showing Mayor Chris Carney in Town Hall from 2024.ย
The video allegedly shows Carney inside Mooresville Town Hall without his pants during early morning hours in October 2024, outside of normal business operations. An Iredell County Superior Court judge ruled on April 15 that the town had five days to make the video public. The ruling was handed down just days after Mooresville commissioners issued a no-confidence vote against Carney, who says he doesn’t plan to step down from his role.ย
Mooresville’s appeal focuses on concerns about the safety and security of government buildings in the wake of the ruling.ย
“This includes video of any person in or around any public building including a police department, fire department, or courthouse. The expansive breadth of this order poses safety and security risks for public service workers and the community at large,” the town said in a statement.ย
Mooresville commissioners said the appeal wasn’t filed to protect Carney.ย
We want to be clear that the decision to appeal the court order is not about concealing anything or protecting Mayor Carneyโs interests in this ruling,โ the Board of Commissioners said in a release. โThe Board stands behind its earlier decision in not condoning the specific behavior of the Mayor that evening. The decision to appeal the court order is solely focused on protecting the safety and well-being of our Town staff, and ultimately anyone who needs the services provided in public buildings across our community and our state.
Carney has denied wrongdoing. He said he became ill after drinking and removed his pants because of that. He also said he returned to Town Hall late at night because he forgot his phone.
A request for the surveillance footage was first made in November 2024. The town denied that request, arguing the video was part of a potential criminal investigation and raised security concerns.
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