Dawsonville Councilman Mark French responds to ethics complaint: “I will fight it with every fiber of my being”

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Dawsonville City Councilman Mark French said Tuesday he has obtained legal counsel to defend against a complaint that he violated the city’s Ethics Ordinance.

“I believe this is completely frivolous and I will fight it with every fiber of my being,” French said Tuesday in a phone interview with Fetch Your News. “I did not ask for anything improper. I asked the city manager to coordinate with the county attorney to draft a proper response to a citizen’s inquiry.”

The inquiry French referred to was an email sent from Steve Sanvi to City Manager Bob Bolz on Nov. 7 that asked, “How is residency (of an elected official) determined? If you own a home in the district elected and another outside the district, how is the primary residence determined?”

In a Nov. 7 email response to Sanvi, Bolz wrote, “I believe those are legal questions that are outside my expertise.”

Also, on Nov. 7, French emailed Bolz to request that he consult with legal to provide a response to Sanvi’s questions.

Sanvi, a resident of the City of Dawsonville, who – the city council points out in its complaint — is also French’s boss. He was attempting to determine if Councilman Jason Power lived outside the district he was elected to represent. Eleven days after Sanvi raised that question, Power announced his resignation, saying he is building a home outside his district that would be ready for occupancy soon.

The ethics complaint, which was signed by Councilmen Power, Stephen Tolson and Jacob Phillips was filed Nov. 25. It lists nine provisions of the Ethics Code French is alleged to have violated. Every alleged violation is stems from French’s attempt to have city government answer a citizen’s question.

The Ethics Board is empowered to dismiss the complaint if it is found to be unjust, frivolous, patently unfounded or fails to state facts sufficient to invoke the disciplinary jurisdiction of the city council.

Fetch Your News reached out to Dawsonville Mayor Mike Eason for comment Wednesday, but declined our request.

 

 

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