Ethics committee not likely to take up complaints about two Watertown City Council members

Jun. 9—WATERTOWN — A member of the city's ethics committee doesn't think complaints against two council members will be investigated.

Ethics committee member Stephen A. Jennings doesn't think that the complaints against City Council members Cliff G. Olney III and Councilwoman Sarah V. Compo Pierce come under the purview of the committee.

The five-member ethics committee only looks into complaints brought by city officials or city employees, Mr. Jennings said.

"I don't think it comes under our purview, but I'm not an attorney," he said.

Four complaints were filed by people who made allegations related to Councilman Olney's involvement in finding a place to live for Tammy Higby, a formerly homeless woman.

The complainants accuse Councilman Olney of requiring her to attend council meetings to talk about homelessness in the city in exchange for getting free rent.

Businessman P.J. Simao filed a complaint against Councilwoman Compo Pierce for comments she made about a recent deal to purchase the former Watertown Golf Club for $3.4 million.

Mr. Jennings, a former City Council member, said he hasn't been contacted by the city about any of the complaints and doesn't know the status of them.

Residents have other ways that they can express their ethics concerns for behavior of council members, he said.

The complaints against the two council members have been turned over to the interim city attorney to determine whether the allegations fall under the purview of the ethics committee, City Manager Kenneth A. Mix said.

Citing the state's General Municipal Law, the ethics committee can only render advisory opinions and make recommendations about complaints from city officers and employees.

However, the City Council on Monday appointed two new members to the committee — Suzanne C. Renzi-Falge and Nolan D. Pitkin — to make sure the committee is at its full membership in preparation for potentially being called on to investigate the complaints.

"We're still sorting all of this out," Mr. Mix said.

Also in preparation, the two new members and the three who have been serving will go through an orientation session to explain what the ethics committee does and what it's required to do, Mr. Mix said.

Yvonne Reff, Cary Parker and Mr. Jennings make up the remainder of the committee.

Both Councilwoman Compo Pierce and Councilman Olney deny any wrongdoing.

Since the complaints were filed against the councilman, Trina Kuan, a Texas resident who still owns property in Watertown, has provided the ethics committee with information that shows Councilman Olney had little to do with finding a home for Ms. Higby, she said.

It proves that the allegations are not true, Ms. Kuan said.

She learned about the woman's situation from a Facebook Live video in which Councilman Olney was interviewing the homeless woman about her story.

It was Ms. Kuan and a group of friends who found her a home, an apartment owned by Brian Watson, a local contractor, she said.

A small group of landlords, including her boyfriend, William M. Bonner, and contractors had been attending council meetings to talk about landlord rights.

She also provided The Watertown Daily Times with a series of text messages that indicate she and the others in the group urged Ms. Higby to attend council meetings about being homeless in exchange for not having to pay rent for the apartment.

Ms. Kuan agreed to pay the rent for six months as long as Ms. Higby made strides in becoming more independent, Ms. Kuan explained.

Councilman Olney wasn't involved in that arrangement, Ms. Kuan said.

Mr. Simao submitted his complaint against Councilwoman Compo Pierce regarding comments she made during the May 1 council meeting in which she described Councilman Olney's involvement with the city's $3.4 million purchase of the former golf club as a form of "extortion."

That night, Councilman Olney told the interim city attorney that he partly supported the acquisition as a way to keep himself and the city from litigation over issues involving the golf club.

In an email to Mr. Mix, Mr. Simao called for the ethics committee to investigate the councilwoman's comments as "serious, irresponsible, false and defamatory."

In responding to the complaint to the ethics committee about her last month, the councilwoman wrote, in a prepared statement, that it was an attempt by Mr. Simao to "bully" her.

She also criticized the golf club deal in which Mr. Simao received an $850,000 payment in exchange for operating only nine holes of Ives Hill Country Club that he owns on Flower Avenue West.