Friday, July 12, 2002
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Friday, July 12, 2002 |
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PTC ethics board 'admonishes' Councilman Rapson In a grueling 4-hour long hearing Thursday night in Peachtree City, the city's ethics board voted 3-2 to "admonish" City Councilman Steve Rapson for technical violations of the city's ethics ordinance. The two charges had been filed by former Mayor Bob Lenox. "I believe that while Mr. Rapson violated the word of the ordinance, he did not violate the spirit of it," said ethics board Chairman Robert Williams. The split vote came after more than three hours of testimony and cross-examinations and about 45 minutes of intense discussion among the board members themselves. However, the unanimous vote to administer the lightest possible penalty was reached immediately. Rapson received no formal reprimand but instead an admonishment not to violate the ethics ordinance again. Lenox, mayor of Peachtree City until January of this year, charged that Rapson violated the ethics ordinance by voting on an issue involving the Development Authority while Rapson's wife has an equal-pay lawsuit pending against the authority. The issue Rapson voted on was a motion to hire a special attorney to investigate the legality of contracts between the city and the authority signed by Lenox last year.
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