The sister of the mayor of Brooklet has filed a Petition for Certiorari seeking the review of a higher court regarding her ethics complaint that was dismissed by a city judge last year.
Background
Becki Gwinnett 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 here.
Appeal
The paperwork was filed pro se, meaning Hodges is representing herself without an attorney.
In her Petition for Certiorari, Hodges attests that she is filing the Petition within 30 days of the municipal court decision issued on October 9. Her Petition was filed in Bulloch County Superior Court on November 15, 2025.
Though Hodges’ ethics complaint was against three city council members, she listed only Councilman Brad Anderson in her petition. She wrote that her filing superseded the municipal court order and was, by default, a stay on the city judge’s dismissal of the complaint in accordance with the city charter. Hodges asked for a superior court judge to vacate the October 9 order and grant ‘other relief,’ though she did not state specifics.
The appeal paperwork is dated October 22, 2025 and some of the paperwork was filed with the Clerk of Superior Court on November 15, 2025, but absent from the filing was the Sheriff’s entry of service – which proves the other party has been served with the filing.
On December 3, 2025, Judge Matthew Hube entered a Case Management Order in which he notified Hodges that a hearing on the matter would not be scheduled until all of the proper paperwork was filed. He noted that the court would review the case again on January 16, 2026.
According to paperwork, Hodges had served the city via a Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office deputy on January 15, 2026.
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