Bartlett Cleared In Ethics Complaint, Roemerman Investigation Recommended
City auditor clears Bartlett of complaint, suggests person who filed complaint be investigated
BY ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer
Friday, June 07, 2013
The City Auditor’s Office is recommending that a city committee member who accused Mayor Dewey Bartlett of using public funds for campaign purposes be investigated for the same offense.
In a report released Friday, the Auditor’s Office clears Bartlett of a recent ethics complaint and suggests that Steven Roemerman, a member of the city’s Sales Tax Overview Committee who has volunteered for mayoral candidate Bill Christiansen, might have used “city resources” to file the complaint in an attempt to hurt Bartlett’s re-election chances.
The report recommends that “the appropriate appointing authority should consider investigation of this matter.” In this case, Bartlett is that authority because the mayor appoints members of Roemerman’s committee, city spokeswoman Michelle Allen said.
Roemerman filed the complaint May 23 accusing Bartlett of violating the city’s ethics ordinance over a letter that was mailed to 1,800 residents with a city-funded survey. He alleged that the letter constituted campaign material because residents received it too soon before Tuesday’s primary mayoral election.