The DOJ announced that Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota is indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts connected to the 2026 Jackson County Executive race. Phil LeVota agreed to trade government jobs for political action—specifically, for a candidate to abandon the race with the promise of a county job. 

This was not simply one person's word against another. The indictment states these meetings and communications where recorded as part of the federal investigation.

Jackson County residents should not have to wait years for the criminal case to conclude before demanding accountability. We should not be expected to continue paying the salary, benefits, and costs associated with keeping an indicted executive in office while this case proceeds. We demand his immediate resignation.

Phil LeVota must resign—not after a trial, not after a verdict, and not months from now. Resignation would not determine his guilt or innocence; that is for the federal courts to decide. This move would simply recognize that Jackson County deserves leadership capable of commanding public confidence while this serious federal case moves forward. Residents deserve better.