Politics & Government
Resident: "Very Disappointed" in Canton Ethics Committee Ruling
Andy Potts, who filed the complaint against City Manager Glen Cummins, said he also wasn't notified that the hearing would be taking place on Tuesday.
The man whose ethics complaint against Canton City Manager Glen Cummins was dismissed Tuesday afternoon does not plan to go away quietly.
Andy Potts said he will consider his options in light of the committee, made up of City Council members Sandy McGrew and Jack Goodwin and City Attorney Bobby Dyer, declining to send the complaint to the city's full Ethics Board for consideration.
The committee ruled the complaint to be "moot," as Cummins is no longer a city council member. The committee reasoned that the city's ethics ordinance only applies to the city's governing body, meaning the mayor and council.
Potts said he was "very disappointed" in the ruling since he felt there was a "clear violation" of the city's ethics ordinance.
"You can get away anything, I guess, at the elected official level," he said, adding the council hould not have chosen Cummins as its city manager since there was an active complaint against him.
Potts also took issue with the city not properly advertising the meeting. He said he repeatedly asked city staff to notify him when the hearing would take place, but that never happened.
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"I definitely won’t let it go," he said. "I will see what other course of action that I can take at this point."
City Clerk Susan Stanton notified the press at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 15 of the meeting, which started at 4 p.m.
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The Act defines meeting as the "gathering of a quorum of the members of the governing body of an agency, any committee of the members of the governing body of an agency, or any committee created by such governing body."
Potts said he will also consider what he can do about the lack of proper notice provided to him and the media.
"I'm starting to lose faith in the city of Canton’s government," he added.
Cummins was tapped to serve as the city manager earlier this month, and resigned from his Ward 3 seat.
He was named the city's finalist for the position in June. He was the second finalist announced in the last three months for the position. In March, Mayor Gene Hobgood announced former Main Street Woodstock Director Billy Peppers was the city's sole finalist for the role.
However, Peppers' nomination did not have the backing of the majority of the council, and he withdrew his name from consideration. After Peppers withdrew is name as finalist, Cummins then submitted his name to be considered for the post.
Cummins was compensated no more than $10,000 per month while serving as the interim, the post he was named to after the resignation of Scott Wood.
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