Politics & Government

Poll: Did Frazier Violate the Ethics Ordinance?

A local political organization has filed a formal complaint with the county ethics commission over a commissioner's use of county resources to invite county employees to pray with her.

The Carroll County Democratic Central Committee (CCDCC) has filed a formal complaint with the Carroll County Ethics Board, charging that Commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier and County Clerk Shawn Reese violated the county ethics ordinance.

In early May, Reese sent an email on Frazier's behalf inviting county employees to pray with her at 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays in the county office building.

The organization is asking the Ethics Board to request that Frazier postpone the first scheduled "prayer time" on June 7 until the "issue is resolved."

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Commissioner Doug Howard initially voiced reservations about Frazier's use of the county email system for non-business communications. Then last week Howard said that disciplining Frazier is not "within the board's purview."

On May 17 the Board of Commissioners allowing county employees to use the county office building for personal reasons on their own time such as during lunch or after business hours.

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The complaint, submitted to the Ethics Commission on May 22, cited three instances in which the CCDCC said Frazier violated the county employee ethics ordinance and business communications policy.

It cited Frazier's use of the county email system to send the prayer invitation, her action directing a county employee to violate the business communications policy and her alleged misuse of elective office to impose her personal beliefs on her employees.

The complaint reads, "We believe that Commissioner Robin Frazier has violated The County Ethics Ordinance by misusing her elective office to promote her personal beliefs upon the very county employees whose paychecks she signs; potentially influencing the careers of many employees by placing them at risk depending on whether they choose to show favor to Commissioner Frazier by appearing at her slated prayer sessions."

Commissioner Richard Rothschild about the prayer issue.

"Internal policies of gov't are created at the pleasure of the Commissioners, and are subject to reasonable interpretation & enforcement by the Board. To that end, they are created by us, for our employees," he wrote.

He said the board's decision was legally and ethically correct.

Did Frazier overstep her bounds in using a county employee and county resources to invite county employees to pray with her? Tell us what you think in the comments below.


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