The city of Savannah needs to fill two of three seats on the Savannah Ethics Committee after an alderman brought to light a prohibition against members participating in political activity.
Committee Chairman Matthew Southall Brown Sr. submitted a letter last week requesting that his application for re-appointment be withdrawn ahead of his four-year term’s expiration in late August. Brown said he had been unaware of the provision during his term and when he had applied to remain on the committee.
Brown, pastor emeritus of St. John Baptist Church, said he had endorsed the campaign of former Mayor Otis Johnson and possibly current members of the city council.
Brown said he had been considering resigning even before learning of the provision and was not disappointed that he could no longer chair the group.
“I have served this community for many years in several capacities,” he said.
Committee member Helen Downing said Wednesday she was not aware of the provision either and had donated to the campaigns of current city council members, including Mary Ellen Sprague, Tom Bordeaux and Mayor Edna Jackson.
Downing said she had been considering applying to be reappointed before learning of the prohibition.
“It’s not a big deal,” she said. “I just felt like it was a service to the community that I wanted to do.”
Jackson said the previous administration, of which she was a part, had appointed the committee members and didn’t know about the provision of the new ordinance.
“Those are people who have provided impeccable leadership and guidance,” Jackson said.
The committee’s third member, Wanda Andrews, is a Georgia Legal Services Program attorney who was prohibited by her employer from participating in political activity and will be allowed to remain on the committee, Jackson said.
Andrews said Wednesday she was not prepared to discuss the matter.
Alderman John Hall questioned the need for the prohibition during a workshop on June 27. In light of there being “no teeth” in the ethics ordinance, Hall said he saw nothing wrong with a person on the committee contributing to a campaign.
Hall said Wednesday he believed the members would abstain from any vote concerning a member they may have supported politically.
“I feel like that (provision) should be dropped out of it,” he said. “It’s hard enough getting people to run.”
Jackson said the council may amend the ordinance but has to abide by the provision until then.
“As it stands now, that is the law and we don’t want to do anything that is against the law,” she said.
City Clerk Dyanne Reese said that the city’s ethics ordinance was based on a model created by the Georgia Municipal Association.
“It was created to be named one of the (association’s) ethical cities,” Reese said.
Amy Henderson, GMA spokesman, said that the political activity prohibition is apparently a local addition, however. Henderson did not know how common such provisions are, but she said it is not unusual for cities to adapt model ordinances to fit their communities.
Only two ethics complaints were submitted since the committee formed in 2009. The most recent complaint came from local activist and radio show host Chester Dunham, who alleged Alderman Tony Thomas had shouted obscenities at him during Savannah-Chatham day at the state Capitol. The complaint was dismissed by the committee on May 10.
Thomas said he had brought the prohibition to the mayor’s attention due to concerns he had with how the committee handled complaints, specifically one submitted by James Dewberry in 2011.
Dewberry, who made a failed bid for mayor that year, claimed a $50,000 city payment to Alderman Mary Osborne for a flood damage claim was an abuse of taxpayer funds.
The committee never filed a report on its findings, even though the city charter requires such reports to be submitted to the mayor and city council within 60 days after the complaint. The committee never considered the complaint because Dewberry dropped it, Brown said. The city and Osborne had defended the legality of the payment.
Savannah Ethics Committee provision:
“Board members shall be prohibited from engaging in city election, political activities and from making campaign contributions to candidates in city elections during their terms as board members.”