Tagged: Ethics

Louisville Metro Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin has filed suit against Mayor Greg Fischer's office.

Shanklin, D-2, is seeking public records regarding an upholstery program for ex-offenders that her office funded, which is part of a recent ethics investigation against her.

In September 2012, Shanklin requested records related to Fischer's "involvement in the investigation," and what authority the mayor's office had to close the program.

The councilwoman alleges the mayor is violating the state's open records law and depriving her of evidence needed for her defense in the ethics case.

"Basically we asked for what authority or rule or policy the mayor relied on to terminate the upholstery program," says attorney Aubrey Williams, who is representing Shanklin.

Williams is requesting the ethics commission delay its ruling until this matter is settled.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Executive Branch Ethics Commission has charged a former government official with violating the state's ethics code by allegedly using his position to solicit campaign contributions for Gov. Steve Beshear's re-election campaign last year.

The Ethics Commission took the action against former Deputy Justice Secretary Charles Geveden in a meeting Monday. The charges stem from accusations that Geveden solicited subordinates to contribute to the Beshear campaign.

The ethics hearing for Louisville Metro Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin, D-2, is underway and prosecutors have laid out the road map for the next few days.

A few stumbles in the first few hours of the hearing--including delays by both prosecuting and defending representatives--could push the hearing into Friday. 

Shanklin has been accused of allocating discretionary spending (Neighborhood Development Funds) council members receive to programs that benefited her relatives.