On Wednesday the City Commission voted to fill a vacancy on the City Independent Ethics Board with Bill Hollimon -the husband of Florida State Representative Lorrane Ausley. Mr. Hollimon is the owner of Hollimon, P.A.
Lorrane Ausley’s father, Dubose Ausley, is listed as the Director of the Ausley & McMullen law firm. The Ausley & McMullen law firm is a City of Tallahassee vendor.
Over the last two years the City of Tallahassee has paid the Ausley law firm approximately $200,000.
Also, Gerald Curington, an Ausley & McMullen lawyer, currently serves as the General Counsel for the Ethics Board.
The vacancy arose when the City Commission’s appointee to the Independent Ethics Board, Ms. Carol “Sunny” Phillips, provided notice she would resign effective December 30, 2017.
Her resignation coincides with the expiration of the term for Seat 1, therefore, the new appointee will serve a three-year term beginning January 1, 2018, and will be eligible to serve a second term.
City Ethics Board Gets Another Ausley Connection added by Staff on
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The ethics board is no more than a disgusting joke! Do the commissioners think we are all so stupid that we don’t know this new member is just another one of their own?!! This a stagnant swamp that needs to be totally drained!
The problem is that there are gatekeepers that limit access to committees and boards. If you dont have the correct party affiliation, or recommendations, or a good resume, or pedigree, you dont get in.
We also really should consider limiting elected officials participation on other boards and committee as this results in the consolidation of power and influence.
Maybe pick them like we pick the jury pool. Jurors are average people and we entrust them with huge responsibility.
I think maybe the fairest and best way to pick people for committees and boards is to just randomly pick from the phone book. At least you will get a diverse group of average citizens with different perspectives on issues. One does not need to be an attorney to know right from wrong.
How do I say this, folks: You live in a small town. There is maybe a handful or two families that have an extensive history and deep roots. Mr. Hollimon’s appointment is probably not what some people had in mind when they were thinking “independent” but the seat to which he was appointed is the city commission’s seat. One would expect the commission to appoint someone in whom they have confidence and an extensive history and deep roots in the community.
Too bad City Commissioners:
You just blew your one and only get out of jail free card.
Snidely and the FBI were prepared to pack up shop, bug outta town – drop all pending indictments, and associated criminal charges if you had just selected Dr. Jackson from the list of the 11 applicants.
Too late now you missed your one and only chance to avoid the Federal Penitentiary.
The FBI should be investigating the Ausley Law Firm.
Tallahassee has had ample opportunity to vote this corruption out of office, but instead they just keep winning term after term. This is our doing Tallahassee. Time to buy a clue and start voting for good honest people. But first, we need them to run. At this point I would vote my dog in before I voted for a single seated commissioner.
The COT Circle of Corruption just seems to get tighter instead of unraveling in front of this FBI investigation. Very discouraging news – the relatives of City Official X are on the City Board of Y, and also are city vendors/contractors for City Business Z. It’s such an incestuous, CYA arrangement of insiders it makes any honest person sick.
I’ve already told my wife that if this FBI investigation fizzles out or produces only a slap on the wrist for those found guilty, we are leaving Tallahassee for good. Hate to say that, but if this City’s system-wide corruption can’t be fixed, at least I won’t have to live with it.
Another insider with connection. Sad
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty certain “The Firm” has also been chief legal counsel to the Tallahassee Democrat for at least three decades. Talk about a conflict of interest!
Yes, and the School Board’s as well. For this reason, the superintendent is scared to cross them. The Board attorney has free reign over legal decisions and this is not a good thing. One example is a bus accident where LCS took the case to a jury trial despite a weak position (and lost a few hundred thousand $ between fees and payments). Yet they settled a case at the early stages for an accident at Lincoln where the student was a friend of the SB attorney’s daughter (100K+). Ausley thinks they run this town and can use their position to help their friends and themselves. And they are brazen enough to make that clear to people who challenge them.
Who represented Gil Ziffer’s wife when she had her accident on a city sidewalk and COT paid $100K in settlement?
No record of a lawsuit ever being filed, appears to be a pre-suit settlement as well.
The Ethics board is a joke. They should disban, make new rules and start iver. Keep them completely independent.