Governor could oust indicted Cherokee County School Board member | www.myajc.com

Kelly Marlow’s days as a Cherokee County School Board member could be numbered.

According to the governor’s office, now that Marlow has been indicted for making false statements to police, Gov. Nathan Deal will, by the end of the month, appoint a three-person panel that will make a recommendation to him on whether Marlow should be removed from her post.

The panel will then have 14 days to make its recommendation to Deal.

A Cherokee County grand jury indicted Marlow on Tuesday for falsely claiming that Cherokee County Superintendent Frank Petruzielo tried, with his car, to run down her and two associates after a contentious board meeting.

Marlow could not be reached for comment Friday. She was elected last year with the support of tea party activists, possibly making her removal an uncomfortable prospect for Deal, who already has two GOP primary opponents and could use some tea party backing as he seeks re-election next year.

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In February, Deal suspended six DeKalb County School Board members after a company that accredits school districts, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, put DeKalb on probation for alleged financial mismanagement, nepotism and overstepping its authority.

If the panel recommends Marlow’s removal and the governor accepts that recommendation, Marlow would not be ousted under the same authority the governor used in DeKalb. In that instance, Deal was empowered to suspend board members under a 2011 law triggered by SACS action. In the Marlow case, Deal would use gubernatorial power driven by the criminal indictment of an elected official.

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