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Concerned Taxpayer said:
( November 5th, 2023 @ 7:44 am )
Gary, there is some point at which you can file a lawsuit to get that information. That lawsuit needs to be filed. This stonewalling by government officials is unconscionable. They are wasting our tax money and should not be allowed to cover that up.
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Since the publishing of the article, it is now 107 days that the Housing Authority has not complied with the mandatory Freedom of Information Act request.
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I'll tell everyone one thing ... if elected I'm going to insist on a public hearing on how they have spent the money the city gave them and how they are using public funds. Also going to insist on a vote on my anti-nepotism ordinance to forbid the appointment of kin to boards by while family members are serving as elected officials. The public ethical lapses here are staggering and the cover-up of not releasing the receipts and where the money is spent is obscene. If there's no wrong-doing ... COMPLY with the mandatory request.
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To reiterate one more time, this FOIA request should be honored as soon as possible to remove this claimed cloud against the City of Washington government.
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The money that the Sadler camp put into this project represents $60 for every man, woman, and child in Washington, or $300 for a family of 5. No wonder the Sadlerites hit us with a 12% tax increase to pay for corrupt boondoggles like this one.
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Kary: (Not Knowing the Situation) Still that one is pretty simple. If you know that the money came from the public, then you have to be very careful in entering into a future transaction that could be considered a benefit to the politician.
Because of certain limitations to Beaufort County, as a small county, there is a small county exemption due to certain conditions for conflicts of interest, allowing people in business /government to do business with their government. It is not complicated; however, it is proved to be complicated for certain parties in Beaufort County that I will not mention at this time ... still, once again, the general statutes are clear, and the issue is NOT complicated. Begging for recusal by a politician, who could be perceived to benefit, is a big part of what keeps this issue a simple one. |
The very purpose of the city "loaning" (there appear to be no documents that one would normally expect on a real loan) that money to the Housing authority was to buy those two substandard lots from Brooks and build houses on them. That is Conflict of interest with a capital "C".
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What should he have recused himself for? At the point the motion was made to loan the money, he hadn't sold the property to anyone. He was just a Council Member who owned property.
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Exactly, John Steed, in your second paragraph, which is almost exactly what I experienced, and yes, exactly, it is ultimately the responsibility of the politician enriched, and to a lesser extent, the other board members and staff are not completely absolved of some liability in any matter of this kind, depending on their position in the issue.
In these issues, being stupid is NOT a defense. In fact, I would argue that the Stupid Defense does not work for any of the parties in a conflict of interest issue. Once again, I would like to reiterate: This is why all public dealings, where the public's issues are dealt with must be done in public, preferably recorded for posterity by camera. In government: "Sunshine is the greatest disinfectant." |
When a public official recognizes they have a conflict of interest, they have a responsibility to recuse themselves whether anyone else demands it or not. A Hyde County commissioner found that out the hard way when he was prosecuted for not recusing himself. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that if the government body you serve on is appropriating money to buy property from someone one that body that consitutes a conflict of interest for the public official involved. I keep hearing that Brooks can barely read or write but that is no excuse for this conflict of interest. Yes, he should at minimum give the money he received back.
Stan, I think your point is that if an elected official asks the board to recuse him, and they fail to do that, then even if they abstain, it will be counted as a yes vote. However, almost always when a public official states a conflict of interest, public bodies will allow them to stand aside on that vote. The failure of the public official to note his conflict of interest is an unethical act. |
There always has to be a request for recusal, not necessarily a recusal.
If it was me, and it has been me on occasion, I have always requested a recusal, actually I have argued for it when I did not feel comfortable. And in every case, there was a huge public need that no one else could provide, nowhere in this region, not just Beaufort County, and that is proved. Maybe this why, I have to believe that red flag discussions must have been held in public. There has to be minutes to that effect; video is always better. |
Nailed it Stan. Should have been a recusal.
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