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Public commenter accuses Melbourne mayor of misconduct, plays audio alleging police wrongdoing
Summary
A public commenter at the Jan. 27 Melbourne council meeting alleged the mayor engaged in improper dealings and played an audio clip accusing the mayor and the police department of misconduct; organizers and city staff did not respond during the meeting.
During the public-comment period of the Jan. 27 Melbourne City Council meeting, Sean Paul Reyes of Long Island Audit accused Mayor Paul (name spelled inconsistently in the record) of improper financial dealings and called the conduct "corruption." Reyes said he had filed a records request and objected to a reported $7,000 charge to obtain communication records between the mayor and a third party.
Reyes told the council, "You can't vote for $500,000 to go to somebody and then benefit $10,000. None of you would see that as objectively reasonable. You would see that as corruption." He said he had previously found a related $10,000 payment and that he is conducting a journalistic investigation.
Reyes also played an audio excerpt during his comments containing allegations against the mayor and the Melbourne Police Department. The clip included the line, "A disgrace from the Melbourne Police Department," and accused police of misconduct and an unlawful use of force that led to a settlement, and named the mayor in a derogatory context. The clip's voice is not otherwise identified in the council record.
Council and staff did not respond substantively to the allegations during the meeting. The mayor was absent from the Jan. 27 session and no city official provided an on-the-record denial or confirmation at the time.
Because the accusations are assertions by a public commenter and an audio excerpt, they remain unverified in the council record. "These are all facts," the commenter asserted; council did not take up the matter for inquiry or referral during the session.
The council clerk or appropriate staff would be the normal channel for formal complaints or records disputes; the commenter said he had submitted a public-records request and disagreed with the fee estimate. The council did not vote to direct staff to open an investigation or to place the matter on a future agenda during the Jan. 27 meeting.
Next steps: staff or any council member may request the item be placed on a future agenda for formal consideration; as of Jan. 27 no such direction was given.
