Mayor Craig Greenberg defends wife's role, files motion to dismiss ethics complaint

Defending his wife's role in his administration and the hiring of interns from influential families connected to him, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg filed a motion to dismiss an ethics complaint against him.

Calling the complaint "frivolous," he told reporters Thursday evening Rachel Greenberg's involvement in city government is as a volunteer. And of the internships awarded through Summerworks − a program meant to prioritize disadvantaged youths − he said "every eligible applicant who applied ... was accepted and no one was excluded."

Greenberg spokesman Kevin Trager confirmed later Thursday that the motion had been filed with the Metro Ethics Commission.

The complaint was filed in October by Malcomb Haming, a former executive director of the Jefferson County Republican Party, and was based on Courier Journal reporting.

"Haming's complaint does not allege any firsthand knowledge of wrongdoing by the Mayor," a release from his office says. "The complaint contains hearsay allegations based on newspaper stories which do not accurately state the facts with respect to either the summer internship program or Rachel's volunteer activities."

The mayor's administration has never contacted The Courier Journal about any inaccuracies in the stories in the more than three months since they were published.

In August, The Courier Journal reported that Metro Hall interns with ties to Greenberg had been hired through the SummerWorks program, which the administration said “prioritized” youth “who face barriers and come from disadvantaged backgrounds” in the job matching process.

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Haming has alleged the hiring of interns with connections to Greenberg violated a section of Louisville’s ethics code that states: “No Metro Officer shall use or attempt to use his or her official position to secure unwarranted privileges or advantages for himself or herself, members of his or her family or other persons.”

Greenberg defended the internships, saying the candidates in question met the age and location criteria, which were the only requirements.

In the complaint, Haming also asked for a "thorough investigation" into the role of and city resources used by Rachel Greenberg within his administration.

In September, The Courier Journal reported she had a Metro Hall office, a city-issued @louisvilleky.gov email address and gives orders to Metro Hall staffers.

Ethics experts told The Courier Journal then that arrangement might violate the nepotism clause of the city’s ethics code, which prohibits “a family member of the Mayor” from being “employed or appointed to a position with such elected official’s office.”

After The Courier Journal story on her role in the administration, an internal memo sent by Greenberg’s chief of staff, David Kaplan, showed she also had a city-issued iPhone and computer.

In that same memo, Kaplan said Rachel Greenberg was “an unpaid volunteer” and that the anti-nepotism clause of the ethics code “only applies to employment and appointed positions in the Mayor’s Office.”

Greenberg reiterated the same sentiment Thursday, saying her role as first lady is a volunteer position. He confirmed she has a laptop and a Louisvilleky.gov email address "to ensure compliance with open records laws."

He added that his wife does not supervise any government staff. One SummerWorks intern had her Linkedin title as "special assistant to the First Lady," which Greenberg said she did in "youthful zeal" and it was not her title.

Haming wrote he believed, based on Courier Journal reporting, that Greenberg violated three provisions of the ethics ordinance by giving his wife a position in the administration.

But Greenberg believes his decision to file was in "bad faith" after Haming told The Courier Journal he was motivated to file the complaint by a distaste for favoritism that started in Little League baseball seeing a coach's son get preferential treatment.

Greenberg said one of the coaches on the team was Michael Gritton, the director of KentuckianaWorks — the agency that runs the SummerWorks program — and another was Haming's father. Greenberg believes this complaint was filed based on a "childhood grudge."

In the weeks since the ethics complaint was filed, Haming has not responded to additional requests for comment from The Courier Journal.

More: Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg faces ethics complaint over wife's role, intern hiring practices

Josh Wood contributed to this reporting.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Craig Greenberg ethics complaint: Louisville mayor files for dismissal