Florida Politician Resigns After Face-Licking Scandal

Florida Commission on Ethics found Nancy Oakley licked the city manager's face in 2012
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 8, 2019 7:22 AM CST

"I just hope we can all come together and be the quaint little fishing village we used to be," so says the mayor of Madeira Beach, Fla., in the wake of an odd political scandal that has become national news. City Commissioner Nancy Oakley tendered her resignation Tuesday, the day before the city commission censured her for publicly licking a former city manager's face, reports the Tampa Bay Times. The Florida Commission on Ethics determined that Oakley had violated the state's ethics rules after investigating a complaint filed by former City Manager Shane Crawford. The incident dates to a meeting held during a November 2012 fishing tournament in the town of 4,500; Oakley had admitted to drinking during the tournament. The details are a bit convoluted, but Oakley took issue with the presence of Crawford's executive assistant, Cheryl McGrady.

McGrady had been tasked with taking the meeting's minutes. Oakley suspected she and Crawford were having an affair (they deny this; the two later married) and, using obscenities, demanded McGrady be removed from the meeting. Another city employee stepped in to take the minutes, the meeting occurred, and then Oakley approached Crawford and licked him from his Adam's apple up the side of his face. She then groped him and attempted to punch McGrady, who told her she was being inappropriate. Crawford filed the complaint in 2017 when Oakley decided to run for reelection. Oakley maintains the incident never occurred but says she resigned to "still the controversy." WFTS notes the sponsor of the 2012 fishing tourney alleged that his face had been licked by Oakley at other tournaments, and that she had done the same to volunteers. (More Florida stories.)

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