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Resident files ethics complaint alleging intimidation by Colmar Manor mayor
Summary
A Ward 3 resident announced at the May 19 meeting she has submitted an ethics commission complaint alleging Mayor Monica Casanhas used her office to intimidate residents and disparage opponents; the complaint requests an ethics review and guidance on election-room conduct.
During the resident comment period at the May 19 Colmar Manor Town Council meeting, Leslie Brooks of Ward 3 said she is submitting a formal complaint to the town’s ethics commission alleging the mayor used her official position to intimidate residents and suppress dissent.
Brooks told the council she has witnessed repeated disparaging remarks by the mayor toward a recent mayoral candidate and said the mayor approached residents and questioned their associations. Brooks said the behavior has caused residents to feel voiceless and cited turnover on the council and division in the town as consequences.
"I'm here tonight to formally notify the council... that I am submitting a complaint to the ethics commission on the mayor's conduct in her official capacity," Brooks said. She requested the commission investigate whether the conduct violates the town’s code of ethics and, if there is no code, to consider adopting one. Brooks also asked the ethics commission to review the appropriateness of the mayor’s husband being present in the voting room beyond casting his ballot on election day.
The mayor acknowledged Brooks' remarks but did not give a substantive response on the record in the meeting. The transcript captures the complaint and the request for a formal review; it does not record an immediate response from the ethics commission or a staff directive to investigate. Town procedure for addressing an ethics complaint was not discussed in the public hearing transcript.
The council took no immediate disciplinary action during the meeting; the complaint, as described by Brooks, is a formal submission to the town ethics commission.
