Former LR5 school board member found guilty of violating ethics laws

Former Lexington-Richland 5 school board member Ken Loveless was found guilty of three counts of violating state ethics laws because of inquiries he made about the construction of an elementary school.

The state Ethics Commission determined Loveless had a conflict of interest because the company managing the elementary school’s construction had hired Loveless’ company to work on a separate project not related to the district. The ruling was issued on Friday, March 24, after a hearing was held on Feb. 16.

“Regarding conflicts of interest, the Commission has long held that recusal is required in any matter that implicates the economic interest of a business with which a public official is associated,” the order said.

The panel ordered Loveless to pay a fine of $5,250, or $1,750 for each count, plus a $900 administrative fee.

His attorney, Desa Ballard, could not be reached for comment.

Loveless was involved in conversations about Chapin’s Piney Woods Elementary school during district board meetings on June 15, 2020, and Sept. 14, 2020, and sent a letter on March 24, 2020, to then-Superintendent Christina Melton about the school’s construction, according to the commission’s order.

He was found not guilty of a fourth ethics charge that accused him of visiting the Piney Woods construction site in June 2020. The commission said it didn’t find enough evidence to prove he visited.

The saga began when a constituent filed an ethics complaint in February 2021 seeking a formal ethics charge against Loveless. Loveless’ company, Loveless Commercial Construction, had a business relationship with Contract Construction Inc., the company that built Piney Woods. Loveless Construction had a $1 million contract to work with Contract Construction on a forensic lab for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Prior to this, Loveless sought an advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission about his involvement in the Piney Woods construction. The Ethics Commission said that Loveless must step back from any discussion or oversight.

Loveless lost his re-election bid in November.