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Residents allege misconduct by council member; council plans select committee to draft code of conduct
Summary
Several residents raised a private-property dispute involving Councilman Patrick Tavanagh and alleged differential police response when elected officials are involved. The mayor said he will appoint a select committee to draft a code of conduct and conflict-of-interest policy for future council consideration.
Multiple residents used the public-comment period to raise concerns about interactions with a sitting council member and to ask how the city handles incidents involving elected officials.
Angie Williams described a boundary dispute with a neighbor who she said is a member of the council and asked publicly whether written city policies govern when the Madison Police Department handles incidents involving elected officials. ‘‘No resident should feel intimidated when trying to protect their property or exercise their rights,’’ Williams said as she recounted interactions and repeated calls to law enforcement. She named Councilman Patrick Tavanagh during her remarks.
Kevin Williams and other neighbors said they recorded several calls to public safety agencies and urged the council to address perceived inconsistency in how the city handles complaints involving elected officials. ‘‘We are here to ask for accountability for these kinds of behaviors,’’ Kevin Williams said.
Council members responded on the record. One councilor noted the matter was treated as a potential conflict and that the Madison Police Department requested assistance from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to remove any appearance of a conflict of interest. The council did not resolve the underlying private dispute at the meeting, but the mayor said he would appoint a select committee to review and recommend a professional code of conduct and a conflict-of-interest policy because the city currently has no such formal code.
The mayor said staff and the police department will be consulted to determine existing procedures and that the select committee's work will be brought back for council consideration at a future meeting.
Next steps: mayor to appoint a select committee to research and propose a code of conduct and conflict-of-interest policy; staff to consult with the police department on procedures for incidents involving elected officials.
