Doddville City Auditor Tony Tarrant has ordered an independent audit of city spending records after Gotcha! revealed last week that Doddville Mayor Ken Mitchell purchased porn with a city credit card.

Both Tarrant and Mitchell have steadfastly refused comment on the issue, but the independent audit appears an admission that all is not as it should be at City Hall these days.  Spending records indicate Mitchell charged more than $400 to his Doddville-issued credit card to buy access to an array of pornographic websites.

Since the revelation, Mitchell has retreated from the limelight, stepping down from a leadership position at the Doddville United Methodist Church and avoiding public comment. Just two years ago, Mitchell won the mayor’s office with 58-percent of the vote, sweeping out longtime incumbent Paul Gibson.

Mitchell campaigned on a platform of government accountability, telling voters that their elected officials should reflect their community’s ethics and morals.

Now the question looms whether Mitchell will make it two more years to complete his term. Sources inside City Hall tell Gotcha! that members of the City Council are applying pressure on Mitchell to step down as mayor.

Gotcha! will have more on this story as it develops.

Doddville Mayor Ken Mitchell charged a lot more than meals and mileage to his government credit card.

Gotcha! has received spending records from Mitchell’s Doddville-issued credit card, and they include more than $400 in purchases to a number of pornographic websites.  It appears Doddville taxpayers have unknowingly footed the bill for Mitchell’s fetishes dating back to February YR-03.

Officially, Doddville issues credit cards to its city council members and the mayor for pre-approved travel and city business-related expenses.  City Auditor Tony Tarrant is supposed to monitor charges to city credit cards, but an anonymous source tells Gotcha! that Tarrant has known about Mitchell’s illicit spending for months and has done nothing about it.

Both Mitchell and Tarrant refused to speak to Gotcha! about the misconduct, hiding behind “No comment.”

But Gotcha!’s records revelation is no doubt a stain on Mitchell’s public image. Mitchell is an active member of the Doddville United Methodist Church and an outspoken opponent of the “vices” of alcohol, drugs, and pornography. For now, Doddville Methodist Pastor Alan Shaw said he stands by Mitchell and wants to wait for all of the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions.

My conclusion is Mitchell should have added hypocrisy to that list of vices. Gotcha! will have more on this story as it develops.