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Thursday, September 2, 2010
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Boaz mayor to ‘heed threats’
Published December 5, 2009
The Boaz mayor is facing a possible fine by the Alabama Ethics Commission for a petty infraction and indicated his accusers are out to ruin him.
Tim Walker, serving his third term as mayor, could be fined up to $1,000 after acknowledging “a minor violation” of the state ethics law, said ethics commission general counsel Hugh Evans.
Evans said the mayor acknowledged the city paid $75 to Walker’s brother to cover expenses for judging an annual tractor show.
The ethics commission met Wednesday in Montgomery and meets again in February when a fine of $0 to $1,000 may be levied against Walker, Evans said.
Walker said a personal vendetta is behind the ethics complaint.
“I’ve never been paranoid, but I know I’ve got at least two individuals that say they want to ruin me, so obviously I need to be on my toes and make sure I do right,” the mayor said. “I’ve always thought that was instilled in me anyway.”
Walker said he attended the ethics commission meeting Wednesday.
“I was told that I would not have to be there because what I had done was equivalent to getting a parking ticket,” he said. “I did have to repay $75 for making the mistake of having my brother come up from Montevallo to judge the tractor and engine show.”
Walker said the Boaz Area Chamber of Commerce initially planned to pay the show’s judges.
“I was asked to find judges that were not from around here and to find someone who was mechanical minded,” he said. “So I called my brother who works for Alabama Power and asked him to find a buddy to judge the antique tractors, and we would pay them $75 to cover their expenses.
“As the time came for the show, the chamber was struggling financially, so the city paid the judges. I never thought anything about it, and I told the ethics commission that I would gladly pay the money back. There is no way I would ever want to do anything wrong in my job.”
Walker said he had the option to challenge the accusation.
“The gentleman with the ethics commission told me that if I wanted to pay it back, that it would be resolved administratively, and that there would be no charges, and the matter would be over,” he said. “Or I could challenge the accusations and go through a hearing before the ethics commission.
“I told him that if there was any question as to whether I was wrong that I wanted to pay it back. I did that and it was accepted by the commission, and I was told that it was over.”
Walker said he had the opportunity to face his accusers at the meeting Wednesday.
“The accusers are in-laws of a department head that I recommended be terminated and the parents of a daughter who worked for the Boaz Chamber of Commerce,” he said. The department head is former parks and recreation director Darrell Nicholson and Kim Nicholson is the former chamber employee. “The accusers are the same people who sent me a text message, or at least it came from their address, the night that we hired a new department head that said, ‘What goes around comes around. You reap what you sow.’
“OK. Maybe they feel good about making the trip to Montgomery and maybe they can some day get past the past and find a more productive way to live life other than revenge. I can assure them and everyone else that I will heed their continuous threats because I don’t plan to ever do wrong by the people of Boaz, because I love our town and I appreciate my job.
“I was told by one of the accusers, that showed up at the ethics commission bimonthly meeting, that ‘since they could not beat me in the election that they would get revenge through the ethics commission, and that once they were through with me, I would be ruined.’
“I will clarify every move that I make with the city council and with the city purchasing director to make sure that I do not make another mistake. The ethics commission considered this as a minor violation, and … the attorney said that it was equivalent of a parking ticket. But I take my job seriously and would never do anything intentional to betray the people of Boaz.”
Boaz resident Bobby Eaton said his family filed the ethics complaints and denied being motivated by vengeance.
“We did not send any text messages,” Eaton said. “One of our grandchildren did that without our knowledge. I don’t have a vendetta. I just want to make sure the city is run properly.”
Eaton said Walker faced other complaints, including using a city vehicle for personal benefit, but they were tossed out on technicalities. He said the mayor drove a city vehicle to attend Alabama football games, using retail recruitment as a cover.
Walker said he attended a game at the invitation of a major developer, and the ethics commission said it was not a violation.
Eaton said the most questionable use of taxpayer funds involved “using the chamber of commerce to filter money through.”
“There are a lot of questions yet to be answered,” he said. “Some things just don’t add up.”
Eaton said the debt has increased “drastically” during the Walker administration, adding “the people of Boaz are in for a rude awakening.”
“There are more things that could be coming out later on,” he said.
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