JONESBORO — Jonesboro Mayor Donya Sartor is facing several ethics complaints that were filed in June by the majority of the City Council.
According to the June 12 complaint filed by council members Tracey Messick (who is also mayor pro tem), Don Dixon, Bobby Lester, Billy Powell and Ed Wise, Sartor is accused of behavior unbecoming an elected official, abuse of authority, and misuse of city personnel and resources.
Alfred Dixon was the lone council member who didn’t sign the complaint.
“They’re unfounded,” Sartor said of the ethics complaints in an Aug. 16 interview.
Even though the complaint has been signed and filed, it can’t move forward because the city of Jonesboro currently doesn’t have an ethics committee.
At its Aug. 7 work session and Aug. 14 regular meeting, the council discussed appointing ethics committee members.
It’s a three-member committee with one appointed by the council and one appointed by the mayor. The third member is appointed by those two members. The third member has to be an attorney who either lives in or has a practice in Jonesboro.
The City Council plans to discuss the ethics committee again in September.
According to documents obtained by The Clayton News via an Open Records Act request, the ethics complaints stem from a May 25 incident at LDM Automotive Garage, a shop on North Avenue in Jonesboro that does repairs and maintenance on city vehicles.
According to the complaint, Sartor visited the shop and was greeted by owner Luis Tavera-Sanchez. Sartor requested to see the owner and was asked why.
Sartor allegedly yelled at him, used obscenities, and said “Don’t you know who I am?” and, according to the complaint, expressed “displeasure with Mr. Tavera-Sanchez because he did not recognize her and continued her verbal abuse for several minutes.”
The complaint states that Sartor ultimately…
Read the full article here
