Charles Town, WV (2026 Oct 8) — The Charles Town Utility Board (CTUB) announced a quick conclusion of its investigation into the Sidewinder waterline stormwater construction permit at a special meeting on October 7.
During a meeting held on September 23 at the Jefferson County Government Center (image above), the CTUB board had voted to redo that stormwater construction permit.
Following that vote, Charles Town Mayor Micheal George, acting in his capacity as the chair of the CTUB board, directed CTUB staff to conduct an internal investigation into the alleged irregularities surrounding the drafting and approval of the recently issued permit. At the time, George said that he hoped to be able to share the findings of the internal investigation within the next few weeks, after the report had been reviewed by CTUB attorneys.
At the October 7 meeting, the CTUB board members — Mayor George, Patrick Kratovil, John Maxey, Heidi Parker, and Keith Pierson — were joined by attorneys Cindy Wilson, Richard Lewis and Tracey Eberline. Charles Town City Attorney Stephanie Grove also participated in the meeting, along with CTUB General Manager Paul Mantello.
Lengthy Discussion With Legal Counsel
Mayor George called the October 7 meeting to order and immediately requested a motion to enter into executive session to discuss what was listed on the agenda as “Legal Issues related to Former General Manager, Kristen Stolipher.”
After the executive session, the board reconvened and Mayor George made the following statement:
“Legal counsel has reviewed the staff’s investigation and found it thorough and agrees with staff that there are no indications of illegal actions. Because there was a thorough review and no indications of illegal actions, an independent third party investigation is not recommended by legal counsel.”
The board then voted unanimously to request staff to prepare a policy for public transparency, which will be reviewed at the board’s October 14 meeting.
Mayor Explains CTUB Actions
In response to The Observer’s questions earlier today, Mayor George stated that “CTUB never accused Kristen Stolipher of doing anything wrong.”
Mayor George said that the investigation found that CTUB’s direction to staff with respect to signing agreements had been vague. He also said that the investigation found a lack of communication between CTUB and the engineering firm that prepared the application for the stormwater construction permit.
In response to a question about the October 7 meeting agenda’s reference to “Legal Issues,” Mayor George said that the legal issue was a demand for indemnification sent by attorney Dan Casto on behalf of Kristen Stolipher, the former General Manager of CTUB. Casto’s letter referenced the investigation announced at the September 23 meeting.
One Lawsuit Filed, Threats Of More To Come
Casto has already filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kristen Stolipher against Jefferson County Commissioner Cara Keys. That complaint, filed on September 29, is for defamation, referencing questions that Keys directed to Commissioner Steve Stolipher (the husband of Kristen Stolipher) during a County Commission meeting on September 4. Commissioner Keys has not yet made any public statements in response to that lawsuit.
In public comment at the October 7 CTUB meeting, Casto called the board’s actions a “witch hunt.” In a statement to The Observer, Casto said “Mrs. Stolipher’s comment is the lawsuit.” — a reference to an additional lawsuit that he said “will be filed shortly against 13 defendants and will seek millions of dollars in damages….”
UPDATE (2026 Oct 9) — Kristen Stolipher filed a lawsuit in Berkeley County Circuit Court on October 9 naming 10 individual defendants. That complaint is for defamation, based on statements these individuals made during the public comment during the September 23 CTUB meeting. It does not appear that the individuals being sued have received notice of the lawsuit at this time (6 pm on Oxct 9).
>>>More coverage of CTUB and the Sidewinder project…
Published 2026 Oct 8 in the Observer Weekly. Updated 2026 Oct 9 (second lawsuit filing).
By Steve Pearson