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Updated: 8:08 PM Feb 3, 2012
Tallahassee Mayor John Marks Cleared After Ethics Complaint
Tallahassee Mayor John Marks went before the Florida Commission on Ethics on February 3rd. At the commission meeting, Marks was cleared of an undisclosed ethics complaint filed against him.
Posted: 1:50 PM Feb 3, 2012Reporter: Eyewitness News Email Address: news@wctv.tv LIVE: Tallahassee Mayor to Appear Before Ethics Commission 2-3 Noon Tallahassee Mayor John Marks Cleared After Ethics Complaint 2-3 5p Tallahassee Mayor John Marks Cleared After Ethics Complaint 2-3 5:30p Tallahassee Mayor John Marks Cleared After Ethics Complaint 2-3 6p |
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Tallahassee, FL -- Feb 3, 2012 -
Tallahassee's mayor has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an ethics complaint against him.
Today, Mayor John Marks appeared before the state ethics commission
As a matter of state law, the nature of a complaint like this one is not made public until the commission decides there's enough evidence to pursue the case. It's called probable cause.
Today, the commission determined there wasn't probable cause to pursue the ethics complaint against Mayor Marks.
Tallahassee Mayor John Marks walks into a closed door session of Florida's ethics commission. Within minutes, he came out again.
Ron Meyer, Mayor's attorney, says, "There's no ethics violation, mayor marks has been cleared."
Despite being cleared, Mayor Marks' attorney declined to waive confidentiality in the case, so the nature of it won't be made public until the commission issues a report next week.
"It's not much of a surprise"
However, Tim Haifley tells us he's the man who filed the original complaint. Specifically, he believes Gary Yordon and the mayor's campaign manager in 2010 Sean Pittman worked on the mayor's re-election in exchange for city business.
Haifley says, "Whatever they do with our money, with our time, with our office, the power that we give them, it's ours, they serve us, we don't serve them."
But Yordon tells us he has no work with the city. He says the claim is simply untrue and the commission's decision to drop the case speaks for itself.
We weren't able to reach Pittman by phone, but Yordon tells us while Pittman did have business with the city, there's a specific exemption under the law to allow him to do it.
"These spurious complaints that people just come in here and file just because they can have to stop. It's not good for government, it's certainly not good for the city of Tallahassee. The mayor has been cleared, write that down, the mayor has been cleared."
While today is certainly a victory for Mayor Marks, his legal troubles are not over. Local activist Erwin Jackson has his own complaint against the mayor. He claims Marks has improperly profited from three businesses with city contracts.
He expects his complaint will be addressed next month. Additionally Jackson tells us he's been talking to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the mayor for months. An FBI spokesman would neither confirm nor deny there's an active investigation of the mayor.
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Tallahassee, Florida - Feb. 3, 2012 -
Tallahassee Mayor John Marks went before the Florida Commission on Ethics on February 3rd. At the commission meeting, Marks was cleared of an undisclosed ethics complaint filed against him.
The details of the ethics complaints will not be released until next Wednesday. WCTV is working to get this information sooner.
Latest Comments
Another ethics complaint against the mayor is thrown out and yet the one who filed the complaint bears no responsibility. They should be forced to pay the costs of the commission to look at the case. How ironic that the tea party wants tort reform, but sees no problem with wasting $1,000's of taxpayer dollars on these frivilous cases. So called "community activists".....cough, cough, I mean permanent commission candidates like Irwin Jackson should be prevented from having us pay for their mud slinging, witch hunt tactics.
Those posting here should remember they represent the Tallahassee community. Please learn to spell and if it's not too much to ask, a little grammer lesson wouldn't hurt. Or: If you don't open your mouth no one will know you're stupid.
John MArks was formally accused of impersonating a mayor. He was not convicted because he had paid a participation fee of 1.2 million donated by citizens on the Southside that no longer need highspeed internet. They are watching MMA bouts at the FAMU Marching 100.
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