Falmouth mayor removed from office after city council vote

The city council of Falmouth, Kentucky, has decided to oust Mayor Sebastian Ernst from his role through a unanimous vote. This conclusion was reached after a prolonged period of intense disputes between Ernst and the council members. The decision to remove him came after a special hearing on Tuesday, initiated following a probe into Ernst's alleged misconduct and willful neglect of duties. Ernst was found guilty on all the three charges that were presented to him last month.

The first accusation pointed out Ernst's ban on a local group utilizing city property because he believed that it didn’t align with his "conservative Christian values.” Ernst identified the group as the county’s Republican Party. Ernst was also accused of utilizing his personal Facebook page as the official page of Falmouth Mayor and using it for personal benefits, including promoting a property he and/or his mother owns for sale/lease – a move that contravenes Falmouth city laws.

The final charge against Ernst was his alleged attempt to intimidate council member Robert Pettit into resignation by threatening to publicize an "evidence of assault on a minor" at a school board meeting. Following his dismissal, if Ernst decides to appeal against the decision in court, and fails, he has mentioned plans to re-run for Mayorship in the next November elections.

The city council now has a window of 30 days to select a new mayor, says a spokesperson from the city attorney's office. However, the council members chose to remain silent when approached for comments after the hearing. Council member Sabrina Hazen had previously mentioned they felt forced to make the tough decision to charge Ernst due to his continual misconduct and lack of good judgment.

Despite the ongoing issues, Ernst perceives the actions taken against him as a ploy to remove him and an attempt to inconvenience him and the public. He, however, was not present at the Tuesday hearing due to the birth of his son the previous day. The feud between Ernst and the council has been brewing for some time, with Ernst accusing the council of corruption and Hazen alleging that Ernst has verbally assaulted her.