Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ethics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Prospect Ethics Commission issues advisory opinion: no conflict for mayor in proposed retention of outside counsel
Summary
The Ethics Commission unanimously advised that Mayor Doug Farnsley's request to retain outside counsel (including attorneys affiliated with Seis and Harbison) did not present a conflict of interest, the commission reported to council.
At the Oct. 20 meeting the Prospect Ethics Commission reported it had reviewed Mayor Doug Farnsley's request for advisory guidance about retaining outside legal counsel for two matters, including bond-issuance work. John Embry, speaking for the commission, said the review considered the mayor's prior affiliation with the law firm Seis and Harbison and his current explanation that he is not receiving income from the firm.
"The ethics commission agreed, unanimously that there was no, conflict of interest, with the sites, the sites matter," John Embry reported to the council. The commission provided its advisory opinion to the mayor and recommended that council members avoid detailed questions in open session about the mayor's legal-retainer request beyond general inquiries, per the mayor's request.
Council did not take formal action on the legal-retainer matter during the meeting; Embry said the commission's report is advisory and that a formal complaint process would be a separate, more complex path if one were filed.
