Two ethics complaints filed against the mayor of College Park by members of City Council have been dismissed.
Councilmen Roderick Gay and Joe Carn filed ethics charges against Mayor Bianca Motley Broom in June, following a City Council meeting in which both councilmen abruptly walked out while there was a list of agenda items still to be discussed.
Attorney Marquetta Bryan, who was retained as the hearing officer by the city, wrote in a preliminary review dated July 3 that the charges did not show how the mayor violated the ethics ordinance.
Bryan stated in her review that video clips from City Council meetings that were offered as evidence in both complaints did not summarize or detail what Motley Broom did to commit a violation.
“Consequently, this hearing officer is not required to scour the internet for videos to interpret or decipher what the complainant believes to be a violation,” Bryan wrote.
Arguments first arose when Carn took issue with Motley Broom denying Gay a second opportunity to comment before voting on a controversial renewal contract of the city’s lobbying firm, Peachtree Government Relations.
Gay was critical of the process for his ethics complaint, saying he expected the outcome. The councilman said he was not contacted or interviewed by the hearing officer.
“Honestly, it was designed this way to control the outcome,” Gay said.
College Park’s ethics ordinance is unlike some other cities in Fulton County that convene a panel to consider a complaint. Instead, College Park appoints a hearing officer who is a hired attorney at an outside law firm and does not maintain an office or reside in the city.
Carn did not return a phone call asking for comment.
“I want to reaffirm my commitment to representing College Park in a fair and balanced manner,” Mayor Bianca Motley Broom said in a statement. “I am grateful for the timely response to this matter so we can get back to the important work of building the community we deserve.”
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