Walton mayor quits – again – amid scrutiny. But the melee with city council isn't over yet

WALTON, Ky. – A months-long clash between a Northern Kentucky mayor and city council reached a milestone at a meeting Tuesday night with a scribbled two-sentence note on the back of an envelope.

"I quit. I'll turn my keys in when I clear out my office this week."

It was signed by Gabe Brown, the now-former mayor of Walton, a city of roughly 5,500 people in Boone County, about 20 miles southwest of Cincinnati.

More: 'This embarrasses me.' In a Northern Kentucky city, scandal dogs 3 mayors in a row

Attorney Bryce Rhoades, who council brought in as special counsel, said the note goes into effect immediately because it does not have a date on it. Now, the six-person city council will have to officially accept Brown's resignation at a meeting Thursday.

But the melee is far from over.

Will the mayor return?

Brown's resignation happened after city council members began investigating city expenditures over the past fiscal year, prompted by accusations that Brown may have been misusing public money.

Tuesday night, the city council was prepared to issue charges of "misconduct and/or willful neglect" against Brown, the first part of a process to remove him from office, the meeting agenda stated.

Brown would not have been eligible to fill the role again until 2026, which is when his term was slated to end.

His voluntary exit, however, means the door is still open for him to make a comeback in a special election to fill the seat this fall. That's a plan he alluded to during his three-minute resignation speech in March when he said, "Keep my seat warm and leave my drapes alone. To quote the great poet Wyclef Jean, 'I'll be gone till November, I'll be gone till November. Yo, tell my girl I'll be gone till November.' "

Here's a recap of what's been going on in Walton:

What is Gabe Brown accused of doing?

The council censured Brown in March for allegedly misusing a city plow and city vehicle.

His purchases with his city-issued credit card were also questioned. Council member Dan Martin said weeks ago council members determined Brown mistakenly spent about $100 for personal uses like parking and that money was repaid last fall.

But more has been uncovered during the city council's investigation. Martin told reporters Tuesday night that city council members had to "dig deeper than we ever thought we would need" and did a full financial audit of all charges over the past fiscal year.

Is there a criminal investigation?

Martin confirmed to reporters that a "mountain of documents" has been handed over to law enforcement agencies. But he said he doesn't know any more details, not even which agency is investigating exactly what.

He said the city and city council's attorney would be responsible for working with law enforcement about the details.

Martin also added the council's investigation turned up no wrongdoing from any other city employees.

Wait, didn't Brown already resign?

Yes and no.

Brown announced his resignation during a council meeting on March 27, where he said some members, “shouldn’t be allowed to vote, much less be in an elected office.”

On March 30, he rescinded his resignation at 11:50 p.m., 10 minutes before his resignation went into effect.

“It has become clear that the bullying won’t end with my resignation and it has become clear the council wants to sully my name and reputation, therefore declaring your desire to fight,” he wrote when he rescinded.

But there may be more to the story.

Brown was reportedly paid $4,000 in January for work he was slated to do as mayor through April. If his resignation had gone into effect March 31, as he intended, he would probably have had to pay that money back.

The city has since passed an ordinance eliminating advance payrolls.

What's next?

During a meeting on Thursday, the city council is expected to unanimously accept Brown's resignation. Martin said the rest of that meeting will likely consist of two hours of conversation on water and sewer issues in the city, two topics that were tabled during the special meeting Tuesday so more time could be devoted to the issues involving Brown.

A special meeting on May 14 could reveal more information.

Council members unanimously voted Tuesday for attorney Rhoades to prepare a report on the findings of their investigation into Brown.

"We've been investigating everything, every financial charge the city has issued in the past year. We've been digging. We've been doing a full financial audit," Martin said.

He added that while city council members can no longer remove Brown from office, they still want the public to be aware of the findings.

"So if Mayor Brown appears on the ballot again, they may understand, they may have the full record of his time in office," he said.

The city has 30 days to appoint an interim mayor.

In the meantime, the city also approved a resolution to enter into consulting services with Elishia Chamberlain to help the city with its investigation and other legal matters pertaining to the mayor.

Chamberlain was the city administrator in Ludlow before Ludlow's mayor at the time Josh Boone fired her.

According to previous reporting from The Enquirer, Boone also fired city attorney Fred Johnson days after taking office and the city laid off two public works employees in the first few months of 2019 to help address its more than $200,000 budget shortfall at the time.

What does Brown have to say?

Brown doesn't appear to have given many interviews, though, he's mentioned he's being bullied by members of the council who disagree with him.

But his three-minute resignation speech from March revealed his thoughts on his time in the "lonely, thankless job."

On Tuesday, he appeared at the meeting late driving a blue van. He declined to comment on the record to The Enquirer.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Walton mayor Gabe Brown resigns