Commissioner Steben denies role in Avondale FYI; board says June 23 personnel matter is closed

Commissioner Steben delivered a prepared statement at the July 22 Avondale Estates meeting denying that he created, wrote for, ran or funded the independent Substack publication Avondale FYI. "I did not create Avondale FYI. I did not write its articles. I do not operate or manage the publication. I have never financially contribute to it in any way," he said, adding that a paid‑subscriber designation that appeared on his Substack account was applied by the platform and that he contacted Substack to investigate.

The statement came amid public calls for additional accountability following a June 23 incident. City attorney Steven summarized the city's ethics code and explained that sections 2‑94 and 2‑96 define who the ethics board oversees (members of the board and advisory commissions) while section 2‑104 sets out penalties the ethics board may impose for covered members. Steven told the board the ethics board does not have authority to discipline city employees (including the city manager) in the same way it can discipline commission members; employment actions ordinarily fall to the board or the city manager depending on status. Mayor read a statement saying the board met in executive session twice (June 24 and June 30), followed a legally prescribed process, and considered the matter closed; the mayor said the board will begin a discussion on a formal code of conduct during the work session that followed.

Several public commenters disagreed with the board's position and urged additional action. One resident called for resignation of the city manager; others said a civility pledge alone would be insufficient without enforceable consequences. The board directed staff to bring civility/code‑of‑conduct language back for further review at a future meeting.