Walton mayor resigns amid accusations of 'corrupt behavior'

WALTON – Mayor Gabe Brown resigned from office and was censured by Walton City Council members Wednesday night after being accused of misusing public property.

"It goes against every bit of my soul to step aside, but I reluctantly do so in an attempt to spare the city I love from becoming a sideshow as fodder for the media and town gossips," Brown said after the meeting started.

In his three-minute resignation speech, he said the part-time, nonpartisan mayoral job is a "lonely thankless job with snakes around every corner."

"I wish I could say I enjoyed working with you, but I would be lying," he told city council members.

Then, he put on his baseball hat and left the meeting.

What are the allegations?

The six-person city council unanimously voted to censure the mayor over two things: misusing a city plow for personal gain and improperly using a city vehicle.

In the first instance, city council said in the censure that on Jan. 20, Brown used a city plow to clear a parking lot at a private business outside the city. In return, he is accused of receiving monetary payment and goods.

City Councilman Dan Martin said in an interview after the meeting that around the same time, city streets were not being plowed.

The second accusation is that Brown used a city vehicle the week of March 18 to attend an event in Bowling Green and did not promptly return it.

The censure said the "use of city property for personal gain is an abuse of power."

After the city meeting, Martin said Brown was also accused of misusing funds – of about $100 – for personal uses like parking. But that was done by mistake and Brown repaid the money to the city last fall.

"I don't believe there was larger wrongdoing on those. I think stuff happens. You lose a receipt. We're all human, we all make mistakes," he said.

At the meeting, the city council also passed two ordinances to more tightly regulate the use of city vehicles and create a procedure for soliciting, obtaining and approving bids worth more than $20,000.

The city council called a special meeting Monday at 7:15 p.m. to possibly announce an interim mayor.

A public records request tipped off the city

The city was tipped off about possible misuse of public funds by the mayor last year, Martin said.

Attorney Steve Megerle filed a lawsuit on behalf of his client requesting unredacted credit card statements from Brown's city-issued card. His client Kelly Fulmer said he suspected the mayor was inappropriately using city money.

"But for our litigation, I think that this would have kind of stayed under the rug because the mayor is the boss of Walton," Megerle said. "The mayor engaged in inappropriate, most likely illegal, corrupt behavior and it's unfortunate that there was no check and balance."

What's next?

The city of Walton does not have a city manager. It instead relies on the part-time mayor to lead city business. But one former mayor said Wednesday night that a city manager could have prevented Brown's actions.

Mark Carnahan said he advocated for the creation of a city manager position when he was mayor because Walton has outgrown its small-town "Mayberry" feel.

He said a city manager could keep an eye on the books and build relationships with other cities, counties, and state officials.

Carnahan resigned as mayor amid scrutiny, too, after he asked city workers to remove a tree stump from his yard, according to previous 2018 reporting from The Enquirer.

"I would just like for the city council to seriously consider hiring a city manager and hopefully avoiding these situations in the future and dragging the city's name through the mud again," he said.

It's something Councilman Martin said the city council could consider when making the budget either year or next.

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