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Like most of you, I have been very concerned by Councilman Johnson's misconduct. When the allegations against him were first reported to me, I initiated a fair, thorough Democratic Caucus investigation and led the successful push to expel Councilman Johnson from the Caucus for his actions. He has not been a member of the Caucus or had any support from the Caucus since July 13.
However, in part because of recent changes by the General Assembly in Frankfort, the removal process at the full Council level is much more difficult. For example, because of changes hastily made in Frankfort this year, there were three plausible interpretations of how many votes it would take to remove. The County Attorney advised the Council that any vote to remove Councilman Johnson would be appealed, and that a judge would likely grant an injunction allowing him to continue to serve during an appeal.
Given the likelihood that extensive litigation would follow, a vote to remove Councilman Johnson would have likely allowed him to serve through the end of his term without any restrictions on his activities in City Hall or his interactions with Councilmembers or staff. That was unacceptable to me.
To ensure that Councilman Johnson’s misconduct could never be repeated, I supported an order that harshly censured Councilman Johnson for his past misconduct and imposed strict limits on his ability to visit City Hall or participate in external activities to prevent future misconduct. It also includes Councilman Johnson's immediate removal with no right to appeal if he violates its terms.
Reasonable people can disagree about this vote, but I am confident that this order was the best solution to send a strong signal that misconduct will not be tolerated, while setting up stringent restrictions on Councilman Johnson's future behavior which would actually have some meaning during the remainder of his term.
(This special eNews is from a press release jointly issued with Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton and Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith.)
To contact me about this or any issue, do not reply to this email, as I have no access to those emails. You may contact me at bill.hollander@louisvilleky.gov.
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