My local paper finally catches up with my reporting and notes that the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce has indeed suspended the selection process for a new city branding campaign. Shannon Marvel writes that Chamber chief Gail Ochs has asked bidders Production Monkeys and McQuillen Creative Group “to stop work related to crafting a slogan and logo until the matter has been resolved.”
That’s interesting, since no public action has been taken to “resolve” whether Production Monkeys boss Mayor Travis Schaunaman is behaving improperly by using his public position to promote his private bid. Marvel does write about the process available for discussing ethics complaints:
The city’s policy on how to handle conflict of interest complaints involves a board of ethics comprised of members of the community who are not elected officials or city employees. The city attorney’s office oversees the board.
If someone believes that an employee or elected official violated the city’s conflict of interest policy or state law, a complaint can be made. That complaint is then reviewed by the board of ethics, which meets in public but discusses complaints in closed session. The identity of the person in the complaint is kept confidential by the board [Shannon Marvel, “Work on New City Logo, Slogan Halted During Conflict Dispute {paywall},” Aberdeen American News, 2019.09.08].
Marvel reports the Aberdeen Board of Ethics meets tomorrow but has never received a complaint:
The board of ethics was created in April 2017 via city ordinance, which also requires the board to meet on the second Tuesday of September each year regardless of whether a complaint has been filed or not. That means the group will meet Tuesday.
Wager said the board has met twice since and has yet to receive a complaint for review.
If the board finds probable cause of a conflict of interest after reviewing the complaint, a report that is open to public inspection is provided to the city council. The council then decides what action to take [Marvel, 2019.09.08].
Marvel’s article does not make clear what actions must take place, by the Board of Ethics or anyone else before it will resume the bidding process for the city rebranding process that Mayor Schaunaman, who stands to make a buck from it, asserts we desperately need.
Mayor Schaunaman took to the airwaves with Don Briscoe Friday to continue defending his right to promote his business as Mayor.
Any yet…Ronayne or Bunsness decline the shows request for them to come on the air also….
DR, I prefer public officials be open and transparent. But is it possible that, as city council members who might be called on to adjudicate any formal ethics complaint, they are now trying to avoid speaking publicly on the matter, much as judges don’t comment to the press on cases before their bench?
Funny Don didn’t have me on—I could explain the conflict of interest pretty clearly.
But boy, I hate searching through audio.
Cory, are you going to write a complaint?
Debbo, anyone who writes and submits a complaint to the Board of Ethics has to sign a confidentiality oath: “Pursuant to Sections 2-385(b) and 2-388(c) of the Aberdeen City Code, and Section I.9.(b) and (d) or Section II.11. of the Conflicts Of Interest Policy, this complaint shall remain confidential unless the accused person elects to waive confidentiality. I understand that I am bound by this confidentiality provision. I further understand that a violation of this confidentiality provision may result in the dismissal of this complaint.” So even if someone does file a complaint, we don’t get to hear anything about it unless the subject of the complaint speaks up or unless the Board decides there is probable cause and sends the complaint to the City Council for action.
Specifically from the Conflict of Interest Policy, Section 9(d): “The board’s report to the city council shall be a public record, but all filings and proceedings prior to the report shall remain confidential unless the accused had elected to make the complaint public. Until a time as the board issues its report to the city council or the accused elects to make the complaint public, no complainant, board member, nor any person who has access to any confidential information related to the functions or activities of the board shall divulge that information to any person who is not authorized to have it.”
The Board of Ethics process is thus cloaked in mystery. I’m not even sure if the City Attorney could tell us if any complaints have been filed.
That policy sure serves the one being complained against. Sounds like a self-serving policy.