CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Ethics Commission today issued public reprimands as part of settlement agreements of ethics Complaints filed against two former public servants. The public reprimands were issued on February 4, 2016, against Harold D. Green, former President of the Boone County Ambulance Authority’s Board of Directors, and Joseph S. Gollie, former Vice President of the Board.
The Commission found that Green and Gollie violated the West Virginia Governmental Ethics Act by using their public positions for the private gain of Randall W. Lengyel, the Authority’s former Executive Director. Green and Gollie signed a loan repayment agreement which provided that the Authority would loan Lengyel $103,000 interest free to enable him to transfer his retirement participation from the Public Employees Retirement System to the more lucrative Emergency Medical Services Retirement System. The loan agreement provided that Lengyel repay the loan with monthly payments of $350, which would not begin until he received his first retirement benefit payment. Green and Gollie did not present the loan agreement, which is the only document containing the loan terms and amount, to the full Board of Directors.
In addition to the public reprimands, Green’s and Gollie’s Conciliation Agreements with the Commission require them to pay fines of $1,000 each and to undergo training on the Ethics Act.
The Conciliation Agreements may be viewed on the Commission’s website at www.ethics.wv.gov.