After a complaint was lodged with the City of Annapolis Ethics Commission, Annapolis Mayor Buckley was reprimanded for his failure to recognize a conflict of interest as the legislation was shepherded through the City Council to allow his personal boat to be deputized allowing him to retain docking rights at a dingy dock that restricted boats to a certain length.
The Commission stated that Buckley should have recused himself from the deliberations and voted since there was a personal benefit to the mayor. They also noted that the council should have mentioned the conflict, yet all remained silent.
The Resolution clearly provided personal benefit, through his official use, in using his 17 foot rigid inflatable boat for Government use. An example of such benefit includes the avoidance of dockage fees of over $1,000 per year. Such a benefit represents a conflict of interest for Mayor Buckley who presided over the City Council proceedings without mentioning a possible conflict of interest which were, in the opinion of the Commission, obvious to the meeting participants though no one made any comment.
The reprimand issued is the “least onerous” sanction available and was issued to remind City officials about the importance of avoiding conflicts of interests.
The full letter from the Ethics Commission can be found below and here:
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