Loudon County resident, Michelle Fritz, had filed an ethics complaint against the chairman of the solid waste commission. In her complaint, Ms. Fritz took issue with the boards actions, memberships of the board and about anything else she could think of. Problem is, none of her complaints constituted any form of an ethics violation. Read Previous Story.

The five member board dismissed the complaint in a three to two vote. Two members abstained in the vote. Steve Cook, citing neighborhood friendship with Fritz and 2nd District Commissioner, William Jenkins, who gave no reason why he abstained, did not vote. Members, Billy Pickel, commissioners Bill Satterfield and Bill Geams voted to dismiss the complaint. The board was given a legal opinion on the matter from attorney, Kyle Baisley, noting the complaint was in fact not an ethics qualified complaint.

Click Here To Read Legal Memorandum

At the request of Ms. Fritz, Loudon County attorney, Bob Bowman, also recused himself requiring another attorney be hired to handle the matter costing tax payers more money to deal with the frivolous complaint. 

Oddly, at least two members of the Loudon County Democrat Party attended the meeting. Chairman of the Loudon County Democrat Party, Andrew Bennett and Beverly Sweeney attended. Bennett spoke to the ethics committee claiming the solid waste commission was doing a poor job. Bennett is also a member of the Loudon County Election Commission. Ms. Fritz is also a longstanding democrat.

So maybe this whole thing is just some kind of political stunt to pit republicans against democrats?

I suspect we've not heard the last from them.