Mooresville Mayor Accused in Lawsuit

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney is at the center of a new federal whistleblower lawsuit filed this week by a former town employee who alleges retaliation after reporting what he says was inappropriate conduct by the mayor inside Town Hall late last year.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, names Carney, the Town of Mooresville and other senior officials, including Town Manager Tracey Jerome and Chief Financial Officer Christopher Quinn, according to reporting by The Charlotte Observer.

Allegations of Misconduct and Retaliation

Former IT employee Jeffrey Noble claims he discovered surveillance footage from Oct. 10, 2024 showing Mayor Carney and a town communications consultant inside Town Hall after business hours. The lawsuit alleges the video depicts the mayor walking through secured areas without pants for an extended period, and that motion sensors triggered a police response in the early morning hours.

Noble says he viewed the footage after noticing unusually timed badge-access logs and reported his findings to supervisors, consistent with the town’s whistleblower and ethics policies. According to the complaint, rather than investigate the reported conduct, town leadership restricted access to the video, initiated an investigation into Noble, placed him on administrative leave and ultimately recommended his termination.

“It’s not about a leak,” the lawsuit states. “It’s about retaliation for telling the truth and weaponizing police and investigative authority to protect politically connected officials.”

Town’s Response and Media Litigation

Carney has previously addressed questions about the October 2024 incident. In media interviews last year, he described returning to Town Hall at night to retrieve his cell phone and said the footage would show “just me … in the hallways,” dismissing public concern over the content.

The town’s refusal to release the surveillance video prompted a separate public records lawsuit by local news outlet WBTV in 2025. In that case, Carney sought to block a subpoena forcing his deposition and argued portions of the video captured private conduct that should not be publicly disclosed.

Mayor’s Track Record and Political Context

Despite controversy, Carney ran for re-election in November and won, stating it would be his final bid for public office.

Carney’s time as mayor has been marked by other local disputes, including criticism over town employee turnover and prior whistleblower claims related to a traffic stop that he has publicly denied.

What’s Next

The whistleblower suit adds a fresh legal challenge facing Carney and Mooresville’s administration. Court proceedings are in the early stages, and attorneys for Noble have argued his case highlights concerns about transparency and accountability in local government.