Overview

• Council members hope the letters will prompt the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation to reconsider after it initially declined Mecklenburg’s request for an inquiry
• Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg formally called for a criminal probe following discovery of Mayor Seren’s laptop hidden in the Law Department and concerns over covert recordings
• Mayor Seren has refused to explain his after-hours entry to the Law Department or the presence of his laptop and has declined all related media interviews
• The mayor has labeled the scrutiny a racially driven political lynching, a claim that council leaders and residents say distracts from his alleged misconduct
• Elected officials have asked Seren to resign and local organizers are pursuing a recall even as he vows to stay in office and run for re-election