What Inspired The Amendments?
Both charter amendments are in response to three council members indicted on corruption charges last year - more specifically, in response to the arrests of Jeff Pastor and P.G. Sittenfeld.
Pastor is charged with honest services wire fraud, bribery, attempted extortion by a government official and money laundering. Sittenfeld is charged with honest services wire fraud, bribery and attempted extortion by a government official. Both are accused of accepting money in exchange for favorable votes on development projects.
Currently, there are two ways for a council member to be suspended:
First, through the state attorney general. Pastor and Sittenfeld agreed to a voluntary suspension from the attorney general, but if they had not agreed the process for suspension could have taken weeks or months.