Convoluted mess results in Shawnee mayor's arrest for perjury

Shawnee’s Mayor Michelle Distler was released this morning from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office after paying a $2,500 bond. Distler has been charged with perjury, stemming from filing a complaint under someone else’s name, way back in March 2020.

What was the situation that resulted in a local mayor being taken into custody? Well, it’s exceptionally stupid. And a little funny? And mostly action-packed with gaping narrative holes. We’ll try to explain it as best we can.

Distler became away of some kind of group chat/email exchange between four members of City Council. She believed that this private exchange was an ethical violation of the Kansas Open Meetings Act—a common government transparency clause that says all citizens have the right to observe and participate in public policy decisions. Sure, backroom conversations must happen all the time, but four people coordinating together without accountability seems a bit suspect.

Distler later told investigators that she wanted to file a complaint about the situation, but when submitting it decided she was afraid to put her own name on it. Rather than just make the complaint anonymously, Distler wrote in the name and contact information of a local “watchdog” who had previously filed similar complaints. Her logic being that this person with local interests at heart would want to be made aware of (what she considered to be) a genuine violation.

Read more: https://www.thepitchkc.com/convoluted-mess-results-in-shawnee-mayors-arrest-for-perjury/