DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – It took the Dawsonville Board of Ethics less than an hour Wednesday  (Feb. 19) to unanimously reject the City’s complaint that Post 4 Councilman Mark French violated the City’s Code of Ethics.

In a complaint signed by former City Councilman Jason Power, Councilman Jacob Phillips and Councilman Stephen Tolson last November, the City charged French with nine violations of the Code of Ethics. Three of the complaints were dismissed during the Ethics Board’s first hearing in January. The rest were tossed Wednesday.

“First I want to thank the Board for its willingness to serve in this capacity,” French said. “I know it’s not easy. So I want to express my appreciation for their diligence in looking through all of the facts and coming to the true and correct conclusion.”

The complaint followed a series of emails between French, Dawsonville City Manager Bob Bolz, and Steve Sanvi, a private citizen and resident of Dawsonville. The City claimed French abused his power by directing Bolz to consult with City Attorney Dana Miles to provide a legal opinion to Sanvi’s question.

French maintained from the beginning he did nothing wrong. “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,” he said upon learning of the complaint.

Board Chairwoman Sheley Martin explained the Board’s decision by saying, “Based on the emails we reviewed and the complaint, it was clear to us that legal had already been consulted prior to him asking for that. We just didn’t feel like the complaint met the criteria to go forward.”

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