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.
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.
Marlow was arrested in July after Canton police said she lied to them in alleging that Petruzielo tried to run her and a pair of associates down as they attempted to cross a street.
Marlow had been at odds with Petruzielo from the start of her term, accusing him of withholding district financial information. Marlow also made a range of complaints against the board and its chairwoman, Janet Read.
In June, she called for an investigation from SACS. The accrediting group conducted a review and said it found no evidence that the district had violated its policies.
Marlow’s board colleagues sanctioned her for violating board ethics policies and fined her $3,600 — half of her $7,200 pay as a board member.
Through it all, Read said Petruzielo and the board have kept, and will continue to keep, their focus on running the school system.
She offered no guess as to whether the three-person panel will recommend the removal of her colleague or whether the governor would accept such a recommendation.
“I would hope the governor would look at how the board has functioned and what it’s focused on,” she said. “I’m sure the panel will make a decision that’s best for the district and its 39,000 students.”
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