Resident urges council to refer ethics complaint after council member acknowledged promising a vote

Marie Narani of Ridgeland used the public comment period at the June 17 Richland City Council meeting to raise an ethics concern about a council member’s conduct and the council’s handling of her complaint.

Narani said she had written to council on May 8 after hearing comments at the May 6 meeting in which a council member explained a vote and admitted they had “promised a vote to somebody,” and that the council member later confirmed the promise in an email to her. Narani said the admission meant the council member voted at the behest of an unelected individual rather than their broad constituency.

Narani cited the municipal charter, referring to “section 2.26 0.063, section g” and section 2.260.01, and argued that a council member with a personal interest should have recused themselves from the discussion and vote. She said she had repeatedly asked for clarification on the process for referring matters to the ethics and administration committee mandated by the charter but had received no response for more than a month.

Narani said her concern was not motivated by personal ill will but by a desire for the council to perform its duties under governing documents and to publicly address ethical matters. The mayor acknowledged her comments and the meeting moved on; no council action or public response to her specific allegations was recorded on the June 17 agenda.

Because Narani’s remarks were made during public comment, they constitute a resident allegation and not a formal council finding. The council did not announce any immediate referral or staff follow-up at the meeting; Narani asked for clarification of the referral process and for the council to answer ethical concerns publicly.