Washington City Council abolishes local ethics policy after 4-3 vote

The Washington City Council voted 4-3 on April 13 to abolish the city's current ethics policy, with Mayor Bruce Bailey casting a tie-breaking vote after the council deadlocked 3-3.

Council Member David Fisher moved to repeal the existing local policy, which he said would allow the council to rely on state ethics law while drafting a new city ordinance. The motion was seconded by Council Member Newton Gunter. Council Member Larry Hill opposed repeal and expressed concern about removing the local policy before a replacement was in place. City Manager Long told the council that processing complaints imposes a financial burden on the city.

City Attorney Adam Nelson characterized the current process as ineffective, saying, "the system is broken," and Mayor Bailey urged the council to "cease spending money on frivolous complaints" as he explained his tie-breaking vote.

The vote followed earlier consideration of a specific complaint lodged by Ms. Angie Novelli alleging violations of City Ordinance § 2-231(a) (Decorum) and § 46-72 (use of an amplifier). A separate motion to move forward on that complaint failed for lack of a second, so no disciplinary finding was made during the meeting.

Council members agreed to pursue a comprehensive review of ethics and decorum rules with public input; in a related action the council voted unanimously to table proposed ordinance amendments so the entire policy can be examined and revised with community participation.

Next steps: the council approved repeal of the current policy but did not adopt a replacement at the April 13 meeting. Officials said they will schedule a broader review process and seek public comment before presenting a new ethics ordinance for formal consideration.