It was on the consent agenda available online and in the county center for any citizen to observe, but if it weren’t for Dover activist George Niemann, it’s doubtful that Hillsborough County attorney Chip Fletcher would have to explain why the county is paying two private attorneys at a fee of $300 per hour, with an up-front cap of $20,000, or $40,000 in total, at today’s Board of County Commission meeting.
Niemann has recently filed an ethics complaint against Commissioners Sandy Murman and Ken Hagan, alleging that they violated the state’s Sunshine laws in not releasing private emails related to the Go Hillsborough effort and public relations consultant Beth Leytham.
Niemann was objecting to the fact that the board was poised to hire the attorneys – Mark Levine for Hagan, and Mark Herron for Murman, before the Ethics Commission in Tallahassee has determined that there has actually been a violation.
“You have to be charged,” Niemann maintained when addressing the Commissioners on Wednesday. “Have these two commissioners already hired attorneys? Are they spending our tax dollars when they haven’t even been charged yet. They’re not entitled to. So I object. I say it’s premature. it’s irresponsible to approve the spending of money…”
Riemann went on to say the county was breaking the rules in hiring the attorneys (the board passed the item along with the rest of the consent agenda without any public discussion), just like the two commissioners were in resisting the release of the emails.
County attorney Chip Fletcher disagreed with Niemann.
“Complaints have been filed, and that’s what triggers our policy to provide representation to the board members,” he said.
