DOVER, Del. (AP/WBOC)- A Dover councilman has been censured by the City Council for violating "the spirt and purpose" of the city's ethics code.
The City Council voted 6-3 Monday to censure Councilman Brian E. Lewis.
Lewis, who represents the city's 2nd District, told WBOC media partner Delaware State News that he believes his rights were violated.
“I really believe it’s a sad day,” Lewis said. “I wasn’t even given the opportunity to defend myself. There’s a process and the process is that an investigation is supposed to take place through the Ethics Commission and that was superseded.
City Council President Tim Slavin and Councilmen Fred Neil, Scott Cole, William “Bill” Hare, Tanner Polce and Matthew Lindell voted in favor of censuring Lewis.
The formal reprimand came in response to Lewis' public questioning of whether fellow Councilman Tanner Polce should have participated in a council vote involving his part-time employer, Wesley College. City Solicitor Nick Rodriguez had already issued his opinion that Polce did not violate any ethical rules when he participated in the vote.
