An ethics complaint filed last fall against Red Bay Operations Director Mike Shewbart has been dismissed.
Mike Shewbart
Shewbart received notification on Monday from Thomas Albritton, of the Alabama Ethics Commission, that the commission had investigated the claims made against Shewbart and found that Shewbart had not violated the law.
“A complaint was filed against you alleging that you violated the provisions of the Alabama Ethics Law,” the letter to Shewbart stated. “The complaint has been investigated by Commission investigator Dustin Lansford. The results of that investigation were presented to the members of the Alabama Ethics Commission at their meeting held April 5, 2017. The Commission concluded, upon review of the evidence from the investigation, that there was not probable cause to believe that you violated the Alabama Ethics Law. Accordingly, the complain has been dismissed.”
The complaint was filed in November by Water and Gas Board member Judy Bullen, who contended Shewbart had been paid inappropriately while on leave from his job as city operations director to run for mayor. She specifically cited the use of paid sick days.
Shewbart contended from the start that he had done nothing wrong and didn’t understand why a complaint had been lodged at him. Now with a letter exonerating him, Shewbart is ready to move on.
“I’m glad this is behind us,” Shewbart said. “I felt this would be the outcome all along, but you never know until you go through the process. I hope we can move forward now and put Red Bay first.”
Former Mayor David Tiffin said he is pleased with the dismissal as well, since he said he and City Clerk Linda Holcomb had received information prior to authorizing the leave pay for Shewbart that there was no problem with handling Shewbart’s leave pay in that fashion.
More information on this story will be published in the April 12, 2017 edition of The Red Bay News.
