Ethics

A second member of the Danville Ethics Board has stepped down in less than a week, but Paul Smiley said his departure is not directly related to fellow member Jeff Trueblood's resignation over the body's lack of diversity. Smiley, who is running for a seat on the City Commission, tendered his letter of resignation Tuesday to City Clerk Donna Peek. The end of Smiley's term in November coincides with the election, but he thinks it would be inappropriate for him to sit in judgment over the next several months of anyone he may be running against or employees he may be asked to work with if he is elected.

Dear Editor, I read with interest the recent article in the Advocate about the re-activated Garrard County Ethics Commission. However, I found there were some gaps in the story told by County Attorney Moss about my long battle to get an ethics commission appointed. I initially tried to resolve this problem by addressing the Garrard judge-executive and the magistrates at a regular Fiscal Court meeting. I told them that the terms of all the appointees to the ethics commission had expired.

Danville City Commissioners appointed Jim Sullivan and Jeff Trueblood to the Ethics Board. A complaint has been filed with the board about Commissioner Jamey Gay's allegedly pressuring Police Chief Jeff Peek to make changes to the Military Appreciation Parade. Both Gay and Peek call the complaint unfounded. The board has not yet formally acknowledged receipt of the complaint.

Dear Editor, I just read up on some letters to the editor that I had missed here of late. And to be frank, I was struck by the opinion I read concerning morals and ethics in schools on March 8. I say I was struck, but puzzled as well. Morals and ethics in school ... what a great idea. Better yet, morals and ethics at home. It still boggles my mind that some people want to throw all the responsibility on teaching morals and ethics at the schools. While it is true that some of our students lack that guidance at home, it is still and should always be the primary responsibility of the family, whether that family consists of a dad, mom and siblings, or of legal guardians and foster siblings, or grandmomma, auntie and cousin.

Norman Bartleson, a local developer and president of the local NAACP chapter, was named Monday to the Danville Ethics Committee in a split vote. The member he replaced, Ken Snowden, had said he would serve again. Mayor John W.D. Bowling nominated Bartleson, and City Commissioners Chester Kavanaugh and Ryan Owens voted for the appointment. Commissioners Jamey Gay and Terry Crowley did not, saying that they thought because Snowden was already on the committee that he should have been given another term.

The Danville Board of Ethics could be summoned soon to review charges filed against the mayor earlier this week by city commissioners. Although a date has not yet been set, the ethics board could meet as soon as next week, City Clerk Donna Peek said. If the charges against Mayor Hugh Coomer are found to "allege a minimal factual basis to constitute a violation" of ethics, it could add up to a city hall trial of sorts involving testimony, evidence exhibits and representation of legal counsel.

Dear Editor: At the national level, our economy, our environment, and our peace have been crippled by unethical decisions. Possible chasms between politics and ethics pose local conundrums that others have addressed in this forum more eloquently than I ever could. On the positive side, I would like to invite readers to celebrate the high ethical standards of local businesses by submitting nominations for the Chamber of Commerce Business Ethics Award. This award will recognize one of our many businesses that look beyond profit maximization to do the right thing for their workers, the environment, and the community.

The Danville Board of Ethics issued its final report Wednesday on the 10 ethics charges brought against Mayor Hugh Coomer by City Commissioners Terry Crowley, Kevin Caudill and Janet Hamner, publicly reprimanding the mayor for the three allegations that were substantiated. However, the report also expressed concern about the number of charges that were filed against Coomer and said city officials should try harder to work together for the betterment of Danville. Three of the 10 charges were dismissed by the board at a July 2 preliminary hearing, but the remaining seven were examined in extensive detail during two full days of testimony in late July and August.

LANCASTER - After being raked over the coals about not enforcing its ethics code, Garrard Fiscal Court appointed five new members Monday. The court recently was challenged by Dick Brunson, a judge-executive candidate, for not having enforced the code, a violation of the county's ethics ordinance. Another judge-executive candidate, David Wilson, also has been a longtime advocate for enforcing the ordinance, openly criticizing the court during meetings about the defunct commission.