Two ethics complaints filed against members of the Brooklet City Council have been dismissed by a judge.
Complaint Filed by Sister of Mayor Nikky Gwinnett
Becki Hodges, a Brooklet resident and sister of the city’s mayor, filed a complaint against Councilman Brad Anderson, Councilwoman Sheila Wentz, and Councilwoman Rebecca Kelly back in September. The complaint arose over a denial by city council to approve a proposed long-term comprehensive plan, a non-binding blueprint that addresses the entire city and is used to guide growth in the coming years.
Hodges contended that Anderson, who owns a number of properties along Highway 80 in Brooklet, should have recused himself from voting on the Comprehensive Plan because he had a pending zoning application in the city for one of his parcels. Hodges also alleged that the council members Kelly and Wentz colluded to vote in the best interest of Anderson because they opposed the adoption of the Comprehensive Plan.
You can read the background on the complaint here, including details of Hodges’ press release issued regarding the filing of her complaint and a complete analysis of the parcels in question.
Hodges asked the city, via her ethics complaint, to:
- Formally acknowledge that Councilman Brad Anderson’s conflict of interest exists
- Declare the September 18 Comprehensive Plan vote null and vote due to his participation
- Require Anderson to file a written disclosure of his property interests and recuse himself from all deliberations and votes related to the Comprehensive Plan and his rezoning application.
- Initiative an ethics review of the council members Kelly and Wentz for undermining the the integrity of the process
- Take corrective action to restore public trust in Brooklet’s government
In an Order filed in Brooklet Municipal Court on October 9, Municipal Court Judge Johnny Vines addressed the relevant matters outlined in the city’s ethics ordinance and avoided Hodges’ personal opinion offered in the narrative of the complaint. Judge Vines determined that the complaint should be dismissed for “being unjustified and for failure to state facts sufficient to invoke the disciplinary jurisdiction of the city council.”
You can read the Order below.
Second Complaint Filed By Citizen
A second complaint was filed by citizen Gilbert Howard on September 23. The complaint was addressed to the Chief of Police and asked the vote by city council to be ‘rescinded and made null due to deliberate conflict of interest.”
Howard also alleged:
- Anderson should have abstained from voting on the comprehensive plan
- Kelly and Wentz should not have allowed Anderson to vote on the comprehensive plan
- that their votes give the appearance of collusion and violates their obligation to serve in a fair and impartial manner as city council members.
Howard asked that Anderson, Kelly, and Wentz “be investigated for unlawful practice of their duties under public trust and openness of accountability and transparency as a council member for the City of Brooklet.”
“Investigation, corrective action on information withheld from the public, and dismissal of council members in violation of duty and responsibilities needs to happen immediately. They should all be made to resign for their actions,” he stated in his complaint.
You can read the full complaint below.
Judge Vines found that the complaint should be dismissed for “being unjustified and for failure to state facts sufficient to invoke the disciplinary jurisdiction of the city council.”
You can read the Order below.
