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Residents accuse city attorney of misconduct; council urged to seek special prosecutor
Summary
Two public commenters told the council they believe city attorney Natalie Steffey engaged in unethical conduct, including alleged dissemination of private images; petitioners asked the council to refer the matter to a special prosecutor and placed materials in the record.
Two members of the public used the council's petition period to press serious allegations against the city attorney and to ask the city to seek an independent prosecutor. An unnamed resident described how a lawsuit involving alleged misconduct 'tied together' with local government actions and said they had provided documents to the council for review.
Sherry Black, who identified herself as "a long time resident of Waterloo," presented a packet and summarized what she described as "a pattern of extortion, of ethical misconduct, and a blatant double standard involving our city attorney, Natalie Steffey." She said the packet included an email timestamped 05/15/2024 and alleged the attorney had been in possession of and circulated private imagery; Black said the material was used to apply pressure during related court proceedings and called the conduct a "gross abusive process." Black asked explicitly that the council place her materials into the public record.
Another speaker reiterated that the city could not investigate its own lawyer and asked the council to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations. The presiding official and other council members responded that some matters would be decided by a court and recorded that the documents had been received for the city’s files.
The council did not take an immediate investigatory vote during the meeting; members asked that the submitted materials be included in the public record but declined to describe a specific next step beyond acknowledging receipt. The comments raised questions about potential conflicts of interest in local investigations and requested outside review; no independent prosecutor was appointed during this session.
Direct quotes in the meeting record included Black's statement that: "This is not a personal grievance, it is a report of professional misconduct that affects integrity of this city," and her claim that she would "like you to be in the public information." An unnamed attendee also urged the council: "You cannot investigate your lawyer. We need a special prosecutor."
