Mooresville Urges Court To Block Release Of ‘Pantless Mayor’ Video

By Carolina Journal Staff

Mooresville is asking North Carolina’s second-highest court to reverse a trial judge’s ruling that would force the town to release security video showcasing the “pantless mayor.”

WBTV sued Mooresville and Town Manager Tracey Jerome in June 2025. The television station sought access to Town Hall security camera footage from Oct. 10, 2024. The footage was anticipated to show then-Mayor Chris Carney walking in the town government building in the early morning hours without pants.

Carney resigned as mayor on Sept. 30. Town commissioners had voted, 4-2, in April to adopt a resolution seeking Carney’s resignation.

A trial judge ruled in April that Mooresville would have to release the security footage. The town is asking the North Carolina Court of Appeals to reverse that decision.

“This case asks the court to decide the novel question of whether footage from security cameras in and around the Mooresville Town Hall (‘Town Hall’) are public records,” Mooresville’s lawyers wrote in a brief filed Thursday. “There are forty-seven (47) cameras that provide security for Town Hall and its employees and to detect and deter criminal activity.”

“Video from the Town Hall security cameras was reviewed on the morning of October 10 by the Mooresville Police Department and later by Ron Campurciani, the Mooresville Police Chief, to determine that no criminal activity took place in Town Hall,” the brief added.

“Accordingly, the Security Video constitutes criminal investigative and intelligence materials and is not subject to release as a public record,” the brief continued. “The Security Video also constitutes sensitive security information because its review would allow a person to understand the location and capabilities of the video security within Town Hall and accordingly are not subject to release as a public record.”

“Despite arguments from Plaintiff to the contrary, the content of the Security Video is largely irrelevant for purposes of determining whether it is a public record,” Mooresville’s lawyers wrote. “Former Mayor Carney has publicly stated that while in Town Hall on the morning of October 10 he walked to the bathroom while not wearing pants.”

“While video of the ‘Pantless Mayor’ would surely be sensational and drive higher ratings for WBTV, the legal principles as to whether the Security Video constitutes criminal investigative or intelligence material, or are sensitive security information, are the same whether the Security Video shows the former Mayor or an empty hallway,” the brief continued. “The interest of the public in being able to see the ‘Pantless Mayor,’ and the interest in WBTV in generating ratings by showing the Security Video, are not proper considerations in determining whether the Security Video is or is not a public record under North Carolina law.”

“The interests of the police in using the Security Video to investigate and deter crime and the interests of protecting Town Hall and its employees mandate that this Court reverse the decision of the trial court and find that the Security Video is not a public record subject to production,” Mooresville’s lawyers added.

“The Town has asserted the videos are criminal investigative materials and/or sensitive public security information,” Superior Court Judge Richard Gottlieb wrote in his April order supporting WBTV’s request for the video footage. “Neither of these exceptions apply to the requested videos. Accordingly, the videos must be released to WBTV in response to its public records request.”

“WBTV merely seeks copies of videos depicting people within the Town Hall building when it was closed during a discrete period of time, and — while not a consideration in deciding whether public records must be released under the Public Records Act — there is legitimate public interest in what happened on October 10, which is the subject of three lawsuits filed by former Town employees against the Town and public statements by the Mayor,” Gottlieb added.