By DOUG NURSE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution / ww.ajc.com
The Milton Board of Ethics on Friday dismissed a complaint against a member of the board that was filed by another board member.
The board voted 5-0 to dismiss the complaint against Carol Lane filed in July by John McMillan. He alleged that when Lane addressed the City Council on a planning matter on July 12, she improperly failed to disclose on a comment card that she had given money to a City Council member's campaign.
Chairman Clint Johnson said the board determined there was no intent by Lane to violate the ordinance.
Lane said she was relieved to be exonerated. She acknowledged she didn't check the box, but said it was a simple oversight. Lane, a member of a group some consider to be dedicated to slowing growth, said the complaint was politically motivated. McMillan is a developer.
"They were waiting for me to make a mistake," Lane said. "It was retaliation against me and the Birmingham Hopewell Alliance, and any citizen speaking out. But I wasn't speaking on behalf of the BHA. I spoke as a citizen. This was frivolous."
McMillan on Friday offered to drop the complaint if Lane would resign. She refused. Lane and McMillan recused themselves from the proceedings.
The complaint against Lane came amid a flurry of allegations of unethical behavior by Milton officials. In all, four members of the seven-member City Council have had ethics complaints filed against them, and all have been dismissed.
The charge against Lane was filed just before the board was supposed to consider allegations of wrongdoing by two City Council members considered by some to be sympathetic to developers.
McMillan could not be reached for comment Monday.
The City Council, concerned that ethics complaints could be used for political retaliation or harassment, have since tightened up the process and definitions of what constitutes a violation of the city's code of ethics.
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5 comments:
I hope that we continue to waste money on things like this...it's so refreshing.
The 4 Council members that continue to make frivolous ethics charges are the ones that need to be removed from office. The community has already taken care of two of them this past election, and Lusk and Thurman are next.
The Council members were planned in there by Jan Jones not the people of Milton and we are sick and tired of all of this BS from these 4, and having to put up with all this political drama from Mohrig, O'Brien, Lusk, and Thurman.
Lusk and the others should have been removed from office after their display of unprofessionalism and pure disregard for their fellow council person who was being recognized for doing good in our community long before we became Milton. Shame on them and shame on the community for allowing them to continue in their seats making decisions for us. That is an outrage.
Their behavior is unethical and unbecoming of a representative of our community. These 4 on city council act more like high school politics making ethics charges left and right trying to get the other council members and our Mayor, who won't go along with their plans and Jone's plans for our city, out of office. They think we the community are so stupid. Their actions and intentions are crystal clear.
Really though folks...how hard is it to check a box on a comment card...if you donated the money and you're not afraid of that fact, then it makes no sense...but then again, this was an ethics charge, not a stupidity charge...
Agree , get rid of "Sheriff", Lusk and Thurman as soon as possible!!
After the election and holidays, nothing seems to be happening in Milton. It's so quiet. So strange for a city so busy busy busy for so long. So I thought I would post a comment to #2.
I don't know of any council member filing an ethics charge against anyone.
But I am very curious about something. How much did this all cost us? Who paid what? And who got paid?
Such as did everyone have to pay her legal bills? Did Lusk and O'Brien and the Mayor pay out of their pocket or did the City pay for it? Did our City Attorney solely represent them?
Happy New Year MILTON!!
-You know what, I'm not signing anymore, no one signs their name. Except Travis.
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