Council moves toward creation of ethics board that could call for officials' removal

City Councilor Jeremy Hutchinson, top right, speak on the need of an ethics commission on Tuesday night. (Screen capture)

ROCHESTER - The City Council took its first steps toward the potential creation of an ethics commission that would oversee complaints from the public about city officials.

The motion to create such a commission was made by Councilor Jeremy Hutchinson, but never seconded.

Hutchinson prefaced his motion with a detailed overview of how such an ethics commission would function including its five basic tenets that it would

provide a forum to hear complaints

require elected members to act in best interest of city

require they disclose financial interests that might lead to conflicts of interest

prohibit officials and those in volunteer positions to act in their official capacity to obtain personal gain

requires officials promote the integrity of city government

While Hutchinson's motion was never seconded it provoked a long and serious discussion on the potential need for such a body, which Somersworth, Dover and Portsmouth have all installed to work on a limited or ad hoc basis.

Councilors Donald Hamann, Doug Lachance, Dave Walker, Pete Lachapelle and Chris Rice all voiced general support for such a board, but Rice disagreed with a proposal by Hutchinson that "past indiscretions" would be fair game for such a board to investigate.

"For this to be an avenue for a citizen to go down and bring light on something that was in my past, for example or the mayor, or yours (Hutchinson), I don't think this body needs to hear about it if its in the past," Rice said. "Someone's name shouldn't be dragged through the mud by someone who has an ax to grind."

Hutchinson also said under his proposal any complaint, which could be filed anonymously, would then be investigated before nonbinding recommendations would be brought to City Council.

Walker noted under the current city charter, City Council doesn't have the right to remove a city official, adding city charter language would have to be modified, a long process.

No councilor spoke directly in opposition to such a board, however, prompting a general consensus that it be discussed further. With that in mind, City Mayor Caroline McCarley urged the city's legal team take a look at Hutchinson's proposal as well as the operation of other such board on the Seacoast to determine the legal logistics on how it might function.