Judge Rules for Ex-Lawmaker Mezzatesta

Former House Education Committee Chairman Jerry Mezzatesta has convinced a circuit judge to order his re-hiring as a "community specialist" for the Hampshire County school system, MetroNews reports.

The former Democratic legislative leader was fired in 2005 from his $60,000 job "because redirected $35,000 in state Department of Education money to volunteer fire departments in Hampshire County," the report said. Judge C. Reeves Taylor "ruled that there was not enough evidence to support Mezzatesta’s decision to redirect the money was a 'willful neglect of duty.'"

A lawyer for Mezzatesta says he "does plan to return to his job with the Hampshire County school system, but it’s not clear when," MetroNews reports. "The Hampshire County School Board can appeal the judge’s decision."

Update: Others with coverage include The Associated Press and The Charleston Gazette.