Resident alleges misconduct by councilmember; council declines legal debate in public session

Jennifer Chen used the meeting’s public‑comment period to again allege that the city and Councilmember Todd Lawley violated federal, state and city rules and that Lawley had personally attacked her and her family. Chen told the council she had witnesses, documents and recordings supporting her claims and said she had emailed copies to the clerk and provided extra copies for the record.

Chen said the materials included what she described as a recording of a call to her husband’s employer and cited correspondence from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support parts of her account. “I have documents, and I have recordings, including Mr. Lawley’s call to my husband’s employer, which he absolutely, categorically, 100% denies making,” Chen said during her allotted remarks.

Mayor Slamka asked Law Director Alex Ewing to comment on the legal issues raised. Ewing replied that detailed legal interpretation would be better handled in attorney‑client communications and said he would follow up with counsel outside the public meeting rather than discuss legal strategy in open session.

Several councilmembers expressed frustration with repeated personal naming and attacks during public comment. Councilmember Horn said that naming specific individuals in a way that appears to accuse them of crimes or misdeeds crosses the line of the council’s rules and urged consistent enforcement; Councilmember West suggested staff contact the other municipality identified in the complaint to ask why an outside official or administrator pursued a HUD complaint involving Middletown.

The council did not take formal action on the allegations at the meeting. The mayor and law director indicated staff and legal counsel would review the materials Chen said she submitted and respond through appropriate channels. The public record created at the meeting includes the materials Chen said were given to the clerk and emailed to staff.

What the city said: Law Director Alex Ewing declined to provide legal findings in open session and offered to handle legal interpretation through counsel communications. City Manager Ashley Combs did not add legal commentary at the meeting; she later asked staff to coordinate follow‑up as appropriate.

Next steps: The council did not schedule further public discussion or a vote on the allegations at this meeting. Councilmembers indicated staff and the law director would handle review and follow‑up with any appropriate notifications or actions outside of the public meeting.