Councilman Scott September || Screen Shot/Facebook
By Cecilia Chan || East Valley Tribune
The Town Attorney is recommending no action on an ethics violation complaint against Gilbert Councilman Scott September over allegations he tampered with opponents’ campaign signs during the August Primary election.
Town Attorney Chris Payne explained that an independent probe was not needed because the police case is making its way through the courts and that now it’s up for Council to decide whether it should take any separate action.
“I believe the police report contains sufficient information for Town Council to be able to adequately consider whether a Code of Ethics violation occurred,” Payne said.
According to the report, September’s attorney stated his client would not speak with police until Payne determined “the validity of the sign as a political sign.”
The signs in question were negative ads against September, Bill Spence and Koprowski, who were among the nine candidates running for four seats in the Primary.
Koprowski won her seat in August while Spence is headed for a run-off in November with Bobbi Buchli. September didn’t make the cut, coming in at 7th place.
Police has forwarded a recommendation for a class 2 misdemeanor charge of tempering with political signs to the Gilbert Prosecutor Office, which declined to take the case on grounds of a conflict of interest.
Instead, the prosecutor referred the case to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review.
