Former State Legislator Ihle Found Guilty Of Violating Wv Ethics Act

By Phil Kabler A former state legislator was found guilty Thursday of violating the state Ethics Act for using a city-issued cellphone in his 2014 House of Delegates campaign, and was ordered to pay more than $2,600 in fines and costs. Members of the Ethics Commission deliberated for about 15 minutes before unanimously approving the decision against Michael Ihle, a former mayor of Ravenswood who served one term in the House of Delegates. Commissioners concluded that Ihle violated the Ethics Act's prohibition against using public office for private gain for using the phone issued to him by the city of Ravenswood as his campaign phone.