Community Board 11 ethics committee revises complaint process, adds anonymity option and timelines

Community Board 11's Ethics and Disciplinary Committee met remotely May 19 and agreed on a set of procedural changes to how ethics complaints are handled, including a centralized intake email and office-held shared drive, a requirement to send respondents a redacted copy of complaints, and clearer timelines for review and hearings. The committee did not take any formal votes because the meeting agenda was posted with the wrong month and therefore did not meet the 72-hour posting requirement.

The changes grow out of a line-by-line review of a flowchart and the committee's complaint form. Jeanette Wilson, acting chair of the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, opened the meeting by saying, "Good evening, everyone. And welcome to the meeting of the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee. We do have a quorum." Committee members focused on making the process transparent, protecting confidentiality where required, and ensuring the committee meets statutory or board notice requirements.

Under the revised procedure the committee agreed to centralize intake: any complaint received by an individual board member or staff must be forwarded to the CB11 ethics inbox so the filing time is recorded and the 90-day review clock can begin. Staff (Jeremy, Chris and Harriet were identified…