Is Greensboro City Manager in violation of the Hatch Act?

GREENSBORO, NC -- In addition to creating a webpage where challenger council candidates—but not incumbents—have their questions and requests made of the city posted for public scrutiny, Greensboro City Manager Denise Turner-Roth has doubled down and sent a letter to candidates in which she says she has asked staff to:

"[N]otify the City Manager's office of all requests made of them by candidates."

It is hard to imagine what legitimate purpose the City Manager may have in requesting this notification. In fact, it appears as if she is improperly inserting herself into an election in what may well be a violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law that makes it illegal for a local public employee whose organization receives federal funds to:

"[U]se official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election or nomination for office."

Still, no public objection by her bosses, the incumbent city council representatives exempted from the Manager's scrutiny. Are they going to let her get in hot water for the sake of having a campaign advantage? That seems short-sighted and irresponsible.

And where is the City Attorney?