Louisville Metro Council forms charging committee on Piagentini ethics case

Louisville Metro Council President Markus Winkler has formally established a charging committee to investigate Councilman Anthony Piagentini at the request of five council members.

The move comes after an investigation by the Ethics Commission found Piagentini in violation of six ethics charges and recommended he be removed from office. The commission does not have the power to remove Piagentini, but the Metro Council does.

Piagentini, who was accused of using his office for financial gain, has railed against the verdict and said he plans to fight it with "every legal means" at his disposal.

There will not be a Republican on the five-member committee, a first in the council's 20-year history. Instead, it will be comprised of all Democrats: Cindi Fowler, Betsy Ruhe, Andrew Owen, Paula McCraney and Pat Mulvihill.

The committee will "review the evidence and determine whether formal removal charges should be filed against (Piagentini)," Winkler said.

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But Councilman Kevin Kramer, a Republican, said that when he was part of a past charging committee, it wasn't to investigate but to pursue punishment.

"The challenge of the charging committee is to look at the evidence and try to find a way to present that in a way that convinces the rest of the council," he said.

Fowler, who is also the chair of the Government Oversight/Audit and Appointments committee, said she asked for a Republican representative to step forward by noon on Halloween, but none did.

"I can't imagine why they would not want to be represented at the table," she said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. "So I am disappointed and dismayed that we find ourselves alone at the table with no cooperation from the minority caucus."

She said this indicates partisanship at play.

"There is no place for partisan politics ever, but especially when dealing with the seriousness of these allegations and recommendations," she said. "The bottom line is the Ethics Commission has handed down six unanimous verdicts and recommended removal of Councilman Piagentini from the council. To ignore those findings is to ignore process, something the minority caucus has always insisted upon."

However, Kramer said the lack of support from Republicans does not mean it is partisan, but that it indicates the evidence – or lack thereof, from his perspective – is weak.

"Every time there's been a charging committee, there's been conversation, and the feeling was that (the) issue was the ethics violation," he said. "That was the conversation. The conversation has never been about politics before. It's never been about party. It's always been about the topic at hand."

Fowler specifically called out "senior members" of the minority caucus who were present during previous removal proceedings and played a video clip of Kramer speaking at the Feb. 16 council meeting about a resolution asking the Ethics Commission to provide a formal opinion on the Piagentini case.

"I don't want anybody who's listening to think my signing on as a co-sponsor is because in any way, shape, or form, I think the Ethics Commission is going to find any kind of problem with what Councilman Piagentini did," he said in the recording. "I think the opposite is true. If, however, something is discovered and I'm wrong, then I will have to look into a camera somewhere and say that I didn't think there was anything there and clearly I was mistaken. I don't believe I am."

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Regardless of the commission's findings, Kramer said he did not feel comfortable joining the charging committee because "no one has presented me with any evidence to say here's why I think he's gonna be in violation of the ordinance" and he does not feel ready to "pass judgment on the matter."

Despite not being a part of the committee, he said he will "continue to review this with an open mind, and I will not be bullied into joining a group who’s interest and goals are not consistent with mine."

After Fowler's press conference Wednesday, Piagentini told The Courier Journal he heard Fowler had plans to form a charging committee months ago, prior to the Ethics Commission releasing its findings.

When contacted by The Courier Journal for a response, Fowler said: "God bless CM (Council member) Piagentini. This isn’t about me but about allegations of misconduct brought against him by a community member. Members of the charging committee came to me after the verdict from the Ethics Commission was released except for one as I was holding a spot for the minority caucus.

"I don’t enjoy this but as Government Accountability Chair it is my duty to form a committee. I will be praying for CM Piagentini as this process moves forward.”

The charging committee will meet next week to elect a chair and sub-chair and establish a schedule. All meetings will be open to the public. The exact date of the meeting next week has not been determined, Fowler said.

Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Anthony Piagentini ethics case: Metro Council forms charging committee