Danville Ethics Board, in a split vote, decided Wednesday to send a letter of advisement to Mayor John W.D. Bowling that cautions him not to make decisions that could seem inappropriate.
Members Patty Overing and Ken Snowden voted for the decision, Paul Smiley against and Chairman Peter Bartuska abstained.
Bowling did not return phone calls by press time, although he has said he will release a statement.
Overing and Snowden said they felt Bowling created an appearance of impropriety when he voted not to move the entrance of Danville Manor Shopping Center because he has part ownership of the Arby's restaurant across the street.
The ethics group said it didn't believe Bowling had any thing to gain financially from the decision.
In its complaint to the ethics board, Danville Citizens for Good Government said it believed Bowling should have recused himself from the vote because as part owner of Arby's he had a financial interest at stake. The citizens group believed that Long John Silver's restaurant would have a competitive advantage over Arby's if it were easier to enter the shopping center. The entrance was supposed to go where Long John Silver's now sits.
