Longtime Athens City Council member Dick Pelley will face ouster proceedings following a 4-1 vote during a short meeting at city hall Tuesday on allegations regarding his conduct as an elected official.
Pelley, a member of the city council since 2002, was the lone no vote on whether to bring an ouster lawsuit. He is accused in an internal investigation of starting a municipal flag project at the city’s veteran’s park without discussion or coordination with city staff or fellow council members, according to a report by city attorney Chris Caldwell.
Caldwell reported his findings to the council on June 18, saying Pelley’s alleged overreach exposed the city and other parties involved to liabilities because the project was uninsured, unapproved and unofficial. Caldwell told the panel Pelley’s actions violate a state law applying to anyone holding an office of trust or profit who commits “any act constituting a violation of any penal statute involving moral turpitude.”
Pelley told fellow council members he wanted to have the hearing immediately on Tuesday.