Councilwoman Could Face Ethics Board

Dunwoody city council members have signed a formal complaint against Councilwoman Adrian Bonser, asking that a city board that deals with ethical violations look at allegations she leaked confidential information. 

The letter, dated May 29, says that Bonser violated a city ordinance and a city charter provision that prohibits disclosing privileged information "to advance the financial" or "other private interest" from the city's executive sessions.

The documents appeared Thursday on the blog "I'm Just Sayin - Dunwoody" - published by Kerry de Vallette, a former candidate for the district 2 seat on city council. Councilman Terry Nall confirmed that the documents were the ones he signed.

The documents bear the signatures of Mayor Mike Davis and the five council members besides Bonser.

The complaint says, "the facts to substantiate this complaint are contained in a report provided to the Mayor and Council by Bob Wilson," a report which was released May 22 by the council.

"Specifically, this complaint alleges that Councilwoman Bonser disclosed confidential information discussed in a valid executive session of the Mayor and Council regarding the purchase of land," reads the complaint. "The information was released to an unknown citizen, who then provided the information to a local blogger Bob Lundsten. Mr. Lundsten posted this information on his website."

Former City Attorney Brian Anderson resigned under pressure Tuesday over the same allegations. Wilson, a former DeKalb district attorney, says in his report that concluded a months-long investigation that Anderson and Bonser leaked confidential information from the "Project Renaissance" land deal in Georgetown that they opposed. 

The council was poised Tuesday to fire Anderson before he resigned. A resolution on the agenda called for his firing, which the council dropped after Anderson and council members agreed to his resignation.

Bonser, as an elected council member, will travel a different path. It's not clear exactly what power the ethics board would wield, since it has never heard a case.

The city's rules seem broad on the matter. The ethics board, a seven-member body appointed by the city council, could rule for anything from a public admonition, to suspension, to removal from office for an elected official, according to city documents. 

Bonser has denied in a statement that she leaked information.