Councilwoman Calls for Attorney and Ethics Board to Walk Away from Complaint

Councilwoman Adrian Bonser is asking the city's newly hired independent legal counsel and members of the city's ethics board to recuse themselves in a case alleging that she leaked confidential city information. 

The four-page letter - written by an attorney representing Bonser - says that outside attorney Richard Carothers was hired to protect the members of the city council who made the ethics complaint against Bonser.

The complaint, signed by every member of the city council except Bonser, alleges she talked outside of executive session about "Project Renaissance," a land redevelopment deal in Georgetown.

The letter also claims that the Carothers hire was tainted by the involvement of City Manager Warren Hutmacher, who Bonser filed a separate ethics complaint against last month.

"Before the Wilson report and ethics complaint were filed, the new Mayor asked Dr. Bonser to leave office, and that is all the Wilson report and ethics complaint is all about: trying to get rid of the first woman City Councilmember, who has seniority over the Mayor, strong public support, and is a watchdog over the City Manager's spending and other activities," says Bonser's letter. 

What do you think about Bonser's accusations? Let us know in the comments below

Also, read the attached PDF of Bosner's letter. Here are selected excerpts from the letter written by her attorney: 

To Carothers:

• "Dr. Bonser calls on you to step down as the purportedly "independent" counsel for the Board of Ethics. Also, I raise the option that the members of the Board of Ethics, individually or as a group, can recuse themselves from this matter which at this point is an overly political matter which cannot be handled in compliance with traditional notions of due process."
  
  "The expensive, but moot, "whodunit" case about who disclosed what should have always been the public discussion of the disposition of city land, has been fatally tainted and contaminated with the appearance, and/or existence, of influence and bias by the Dunwoody Mayor, Council and/or City Manager Warren Hutmacher, who now have dueling ethics complaints against Dr. Bonser."
  
  "The Board of Ethics is being misused by the complainants as a political tool against Dr. Bonser. (The complaint) is simply not the right matter for the Board of Ethics to take it's maiden voyage."
  
  "The process has been an unfair railroading job thus fair, and the nature of the complaint is essentially political rather than ethical."
  
  "Dr. Bonser objects to (Carother's) purported "independent" representation of the Board of Ethics after having been interviewed and "vetted" by the City Manager, Warren Hutmacher. Mr. Hutmacher is mad at Dr. Bonser because he knows that she objects to his high pay and his inclination to be a "big spender." He is a witness in the "sale of land" issue pertaining to the pending ethics complaint, and is likely to know about disclosures outside of the Executive Session about this matter prior to the Ludsten (sic) blog; presumably, he is the city representative who talked to John Wieland Homes about the PVC Farm prior to the Executive Session."
  
  "Dr. Bonser also objects to your representation of the Board of Ethics because you were recommended for this position by the Mayor, Council and City Attorney for this position in order to, as stated by the City attorney in the media, "protect the complainants." The complainants who expect you to protect them are paying you. This presents serious … implications which in this instance justify declining this representation due to recommendation, interview, vetting, and payment by the complainants or their employee Mr. Hutmacher (who has a vendetta against Dr. Bonser)."
  
  "Secondly, I raise the option that the members of the Board of Ethics, individually or as a group, can recuse themselves from considering the ethics complaint filed against Dr. Bonser. This would end an expensive early chapter in the City of Dunwoody's history. By filing a recusal with the City Clerk on or by July 11, 2012, members of the Board of Ethics could decline to participate in what clearly is not a proper municipal ethics matter at this juncture."
  
  "If the (Ethics) Board Members have not already heard alleged facts about this matter, they are some of the few people in Dunwoody who have not heard about it. That is ground for recusal."
  
  "Political contributions to or against, or other political support for or opposition to, the complainants is ground for recusal."
  
  "Before the Wilson report and ethics complaint were filed, the new Mayor asked Dr. Bonser to leave office, and that is what the Wilson report and ethics complaint is all about: trying to get rid of the first woman City Councilmember, who has seniority over the Mayor, strong public support, and is a watchdog over the City Manager's spending and other activities."    
  
  "Mr. Wilson did not even interview all the participants in the executive session at issue. He did not report who people such as Mr. Hutmacher spoke to about the PVC Farm before the executive sessions."
  
  "Bob Wilson spent over three months, 28 pages and nearly $50,000 and all he found were alleged leaks about the sale of land, which should have been public all along."
  
  "Mr. Wilson also never identified or interviewed the person whom Mr. Lunsten (sic) … claimed that Dr. Bonser discussed the PVC Farm sale with. In addition to the confrontation/cross-examination problem this causes, it begs the question of whether this heretofore mystery person exists at all, or is someone who has a motive to lie about Dr. Bonser for political or other purposes. One of Mr. Lundsten's friends may want Dr. Bonser out of office or may want her job."
  
  "By your and the Ethics Board's stepping out of this matter on or by July 11, 2012, you can end the waste of time and money on this matter. Closing the books on this matter without further time and expense would truly promote ethics in Dunwoody government."