Mayor targeted in ethics charges

Suspended fire chief accuses Anderson of violating borough code

MAT-SU — The Mat-Su Borough mayor is among four individuals charged last week with violating the borough's code of ethics.

Tom Hood, a Meadow Lakes fire chief who was suspended from duty following an altercation at the Mile 49 Cafe, filed a complaint April 18 with the Mat-Su Borough Board of Ethics. Hood, who owns the cafe, was charged after the incident with three counts of fourth-degree assault — including one domestic-violence offense, according to court documents.

One of the four charges in Hood's filing accuses Tim Anderson, borough mayor, of violating borough assembly member Kelly Lankford-Ladere's state constitutional rights and the rights of those who gathered to hear the outcome of a motion Ladere planned to make at the end of the April 3 assembly meeting, the charge said.

The remaining three charges are confidential, but Anderson, upon receiving the charge, waived his rights to confidentiality. He said he would like to deal with the situation in public, rather than behind closed doors.

"To me, it's just as well that we do it in public," Anderson said.

Hood declined to enter the public forum. When a Frontiersman reporter asked to speak with him about the issue, Hood's wife, Donna, said he would not discuss the matter.

"Legally, he can't discuss anything," she said.

At the April 3 meeting, more than 15 people spoke either in favor of Hood's reinstatement or asked that a replacement for his position be found within the ranks of the Meadow Lakes Fire Department. Two people spoke against his reinstatement, saying that it was "time for a change."

Many of those who spoke at the meeting stuck around until the longer-than-four-hour meeting drew to a close — something few meeting attendees do. During the period for assembly comments, Ladere moved to reinstate Hood as the Meadow Lakes fire chief.

"I think this is one of the most responsible things that I have to do," Ladere stated beforehand.

Anderson immediately objected, stating that Ladere's motion was out of order. He asked Michael Gatti, the borough attorney, whether he was correct in saying it was out of order and Gatti affirmed that the decision was a personnel matter, and personnel matters fall under the domain of the borough manager, not the assembly.

At the meeting, as well as after the ethics charge was filed, Anderson stood by his objection, stating it was not the place of the assembly to handle the day-to-day personnel matters of the borough.

"We would be micro-managing the manager, I think, if we did that," Anderson said Tuesday. "I don't want to get into micro-managing the staff."

Ladere said Tuesday she was not aware the ethics charge had been filed. While at Tuesday's special budget work session, Anderson announced the charge to the assembly. After the meeting, Ladere said she had heard rumors, but that it was the first time she had heard an ethics charge had actually been filed.

Ladere said she was neutral on the issue of the charge, and had made the original motion because she felt she was properly representing her constituents.

"What was important to me was to maintain structure within the community and let everyone have a say," Ladere said. "I did it because, no matter what, Meadow Lakes needs to trust the structure of government. It was important for that community to be heard and to have something that a significant portion had asked for, be followed through with."

Prior to the April 3 meeting, Ladere explained, she met with members of the community who requested she move to have Hood reinstated. Ladere said she felt she would not be properly representing her constituents if she did not attempt to follow through on their request.

According to Michelle McGehee, secretary to the borough clerk, the ethics charges are now being reviewed by Frank Muncy, the most recent board chairman. In the review process, McGehee said, the board may ask for more information about the charges before setting a date for a screening hearing.

The board has not met since its last hearing, in November 1999, and new board members have been elected since that time. McGehee said officers must be appointed from within the board before a hearing can be scheduled.

As of press time, the board had not set a time to meet for the appointments.

According to borough code, when the screening hearing is held, the board can agree, by formal motion, to accept or reject the complaint. The board can also refer allegations of violations of law outside the board's authority to the borough attorney or complaints alleging a violation of personnel rules or other matters to the borough manager if it decides the matter is outside the board's jurisdiction.

If a violation is found, the board may choose a number of remedies for resolving the matter. The most severe recourse in the case of someone serving on a board is to remove that person from the board. The board could also require restitution for the person filing the complaint, or it could prohibit the board member from voting on certain matters.

Anderson, speaking about the issue during Tuesday's budget work session, said he is not too worried about the matter, and feels the board will likely dismiss the charge. Ultimately, Anderson said, the issue is simply another way Hood is hoping to have his voice heard.

"I think that's what a lot of things like this seem to be," Anderson said. "They're just looking for a voice."