Tea Party County Executive Sued for Allegedly Firing Prosecutor for "Not Protecting Him Politically"

The new County Executive in Jefferson County, Ken Waller, is being sued by former county municipal prosecutor Daniel James, who claims that Waller fired him because Waller was afraid that James "wouldn't protect him politically." Waller, who's a member of the Jefferson County Tea Party and who spoke at one of their rallies while he was running for office, reportedly told James that his decision to fire him "had nothing to do with what James did or did not do while James had been County Municipal Court Prosecutor but that Waller needed someone in office who would protect him politically." However, according to the County Charter, the position is a "merit position," which means that James should not have been fired without just cause, and in particular can not be fired because of his well-known affiliation with the Democratic Party.

Furthermore, James was not given a hearing before being fired, which again goes specifically against the language of the Merit System outlined in the County Charter.

Thanks to Nicholas Phillips at the RFT, you can read the lawsuit here:
James v Waller et al