Councilmember Says Italy Mayor Threatened Defamation Lawsuit Over Disputed Quote

According to Councilmember Raymond Mosley, Italy Mayor Clinton Sulak-Tovar is threatening to sue Italy Texas News (ITXN), Italy's local online newspaper, for defamation over five words: "I don't want to know." Mosley says the Mayor texted him on Thursday that he never said it, and that he could sue if ITXN doesn't fix it.

Mosley says the Mayor did say it, to him, after Monday's council meeting, about the sexual harassment allegations at the Italy Police Department. Mosley contacted me on Thursday for an on-record interview and to tell me what the Mayor had sent him by text.

Mosley also says that earlier on Monday, City Administrator Keith Whitfield told him there was no investigation: "no, there's not, it has been handled." On Thursday afternoon, the police department said it has been investigating the allegations since September 14, and that the employee involved is on administrative leave.

What the Police Department Said

On Thursday afternoon, the Italy PD TX Facebook page posted a statement signed by Chief Chad Nelson. It says the department "is aware of recent social media posts concerning an allegation of sexual harassment involving members of our department."

According to the statement, the department received a complaint "from an outside source with knowledge of the alleged incident" on September 14, 2026, and has "been actively investigating the matter" since then, including taking written statements.

"Based on information gathered to date, the employee who is the subject of the allegation has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation," the Chief wrote. He also wrote that the leave "should not be interpreted as a final determination of wrongdoing," and that "the allegation should not be considered a finding of misconduct."

The statement does not name the employee, and it does not say when the leave began.

That is the first public word from the department on the allegations, which reached the public through the Italy Talk Facebook group on October 8, ITXN on October 9, and my article on October 11.

What a Councilmember Says He Was Told on Monday

Mosley says he went to Whitfield on Monday, October 12, and asked whether he knew anything about the allegations and whether an investigation was going on. According to Mosley, Whitfield told him the situation had been handled and there was no investigation.

Mosley says he asked it plainly: "so there's no ongoing investigation?"

Whitfield's answer, according to Mosley: "no, there's not, it has been handled."

Mosley says he asked whether he could get any details about who was involved, and Whitfield told him he could not give out any information. When Mosley asked whether the council needed to meet to discuss it, Whitfield told him it was nothing the council needed to meet about.

That evening, after the council meeting, Mosley asked the Mayor.

"I asked the mayor if he knew anything about the allegations. He told me no, he didn't know anything about it. I said so no one has told you anything from city hall or the PD? He again said no," Mosley told me.

Then, according to Mosley, Mayor Clinton Sulak-Tovar added: "well I did talk to Keith this afternoon about it, but I told him I don't want to know anything, and I still don't know anything."

Mosley asked him directly whether an investigation was going on. The Mayor's answer, according to Mosley: "I think there is an investigation but I don't know anything about it."

Mosley says he told the Mayor that Whitfield had told him earlier that day that everything was handled and there was no investigation. According to Mosley, the Mayor said maybe they had handled it and wrapped it up, and repeated that he did not know anything about it and did not want to know anything about it.

Mosley first saw the police department's statement when it went up on Thursday. That post is what made him feel he had been given false information by the city.

"So why is the City Administrator and our Mayor, giving me, a councilmember, false information about this situation?" Mosley asked.

The Mayor's Texts

On Wednesday, ITXN published an article titled "I Don't Know and Don't Want to Know," reporting the Mayor's response to the allegations.

The same day, according to Mosley, the Mayor sent him a text message: "I don't talk to you to go report back to Ron. In the future, if you want to know anything, go to Keith."

On Thursday, according to Mosley, the Mayor texted him again:

Whoever is in charge of ITXN, I never said that 'I don't want to know.' I only spoke with you over it. So they need to fix it, or I could sue for defamation, and libel. Especially with an unaccredited Facebook page.

In that text, as Mosley relayed it, the Mayor denies saying he doesn't want to know. Mosley says he said it. The text does not dispute that the two of them talked about it.

The Mayor's text was addressed to "whoever is in charge of ITXN." ITXN's president is Shelby Browning, and Clayton Muirhead is its vice president, as I reported in July.

Questions

When was the employee placed on administrative leave? If it was before Monday, is that what Whitfield meant by "handled"?

The department says it has been actively investigating since September 14. Mosley says the city administrator told him on October 12 that there was no investigation. If that is what he said, why?

Mosley says Whitfield also told him the council did not need to meet about it. Why would the city administrator rule out council involvement, and had any councilmember been told an investigation was underway?

Italy's Mayor presides over the council. If Mosley's account of the Mayor's text is accurate, why should a councilmember who asks the Mayor a question be told to go to the city administrator instead?

I am sending a copy of this article directly to Mayor Sulak-Tovar and Mr. Whitfield as it publishes, and asking each of them to respond to the statements attributed to them. I will review whatever they send and report it, including any correction or clarification it calls for.

About ITXN, and an Open Invitation

The Mayor raised ITXN, so here is where I stand with it. I founded ITXN in August 2024. When Shelby Browning asked about taking it over, I stepped away and pointed her to Muirhead, and the two of them worked out her becoming president. I have no part in ITXN's editorial decisions today. I help with the technical side, and like the other journalists and watchdog advocates I work with, I sometimes share information that each of us publishes on our own.

When Councilmember Billy Long asked me to publish a statement to the people of Italy, I ran it word for word, and I have interviewed officials on the record across the cities I cover. That offer is open to every official, including Mayor Sulak-Tovar and Mr. Whitfield: an on-record interview, or a written statement published in full. It is open to everyone else too. If you want to write a letter to the editor, including one that says I got something wrong, send it to [email protected], and I will publish it with my response.

We lose everything when we can't have open conversations.