Two more elected officials added to KM's censure investigation

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

Kings Mountain City Council during a special session, May 12, 2026. | The Shelby Independent

KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. – The censure trial of the decade that began with Kings Mountain Council Member Scott Neisler has now expanded to include Kings Mountain’s mayor and another council member.  

The open censure investigation, which could reportedly cost the city as much as $20,000 in legal costs to outside counsel brought in to investigate the allegations, will now have to deal with new alleged accusations which were brought forth to the council's attention Tuesday night during a special meeting of the Kings Mountain City Council.

During the meeting, a motion to investigate a complaint filed by Council Member Scott Neisler against Mayor Robert Wagman regarding a possible violation of the City Council Code of Ethic Policy was presented by City Attorney Mickey Correy and passed unanimously.

Mayor Wagman relinquished his responsibilities for the first part; recusing himself due to the nature of the discussion.

Immediately after, came a second motion to investigate a complaint filed by Council Member Scott Neisler against Council Member Jimmy West regarding a possible violation of the City Council Code of Ethic Policy which also passed unanimously, with Council Member Jimmy West making the motion, himself.

Correy explained it was similar to and treated the same as Council Member Neisler’s own censure investigation. These two other complaints would be handled by the same outside legal counsel and would fall under the same umbrella and not add any new costs to the current censure investigation.

This move by Neisler falls on the heels of last month, during another special meeting held by Kings Mountain, when a historic vote was cast to open censure investigations against Neisler. For what reasons, specifically, are still not clear.

However, during the special meeting Tuesday night, Neisler spoke to council and those in attendance, stating that this was not a retaliatory act and that he had filed these complaint around the same time as the complaint was filed against him. Although neither Neisler nor city attorney Correy gave an exact date when these accusations were filed against Wagman and West. Correy would only confirm that they were filed roughly around the same time.

(KM censure expansion continued below...)

City Council Member Shearra Miller wanted clarification on what would happen tonight, to which Correy said the investigation will begin immediately and finding would take place and submit any findings back to the council at a later date to decide to take action or not to pursue censure.

The cost for this investigation into Wagman and West would be covered by the same monies allocated for the Neisler censure.

This portion of the meeting wrapped up in less than 10 minutes.

In unrelated business, Kings Mountain City Council then voted to adopt a resolution to receive an offer of Purchase from Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity for City-owned property located on Myers Street and known as Cleveland County parcels 8460, 13347, 44093 and 8450 and begin the 10-day upset bid process.

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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent. 

 The Shelby Independent.