Charles Wysong
Charles Wysong, a leading opponent of passage of domestic partners benefits by the city of Chattanooga, said leading proponent Chris Anderson cannot vote due to ethics rules.
He said District 7 Councilman Anderson's domestic partner would benefit under the proposed new policy.
Mr. Wysong filed complaints with the city ethics board against Councilman Anderson as well as City Attorney Wade Hinton. He said Attorney Hinton should have advised Councilman Anderson that he was precluded from voting due to ethical considerations.
The City Council is due to vote tonight on the controversial issue. A 5-4 vote is expected.
The Wysong ethics complaint against Councilman Anderson says he "is in violation of numerous sections of the adopted ethics code of the city of Chattanooga. He has acted as the sponsor and a co-editor of the proposed ordinance, and is the impetus behind this issue. He stands to profit or potentially profit financially from its enactment.
"It is clear that the amount of remuneration for which he would gain eligibility is considerable, measuring in thousands of dollars per year. The financial gain is not insignificant, and it is a central thesis of the ordinance."
Mr. Wysong said an assertion by Councilman Anderson that he would not personally use the benefits was an acknowledgement that he was in violation of the code of ethics and did not circumvent the alleged ethics violation.