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Home My WebLink About04-15-24 Public Comment - A. Kociolek - Concerns about Community Development Director and Board Member (General public comment)From:Angela Kociolek To:Bozeman Public Comment Subject:[EXTERNAL]Concerns about Community Development Director and Board Member (General public comment) Date:Monday, April 15, 2024 9:24:12 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. April 15, 2024 Dear Mayor Cunningham; Deputy Mayor Morrison; Commissioners Coburn, Fischer, and Madgic; Acting City Manager Winn; and Mr. Sullivan, Recent events, 1) the leaked video, 2) no follow up as it pertains to a participating staff member in the leaked video, 3) a Bozeman Daily Chronicle guest column by a citizen advisory board member, and 4) a consent item on your upcoming agenda, have me concerned about ethics, standards of conduct, and the appearance of conflict of interest in our city government, namely a member of the Community Development Department and a member of the Advisory Board. Concerns #1 and 2 pertain to Community Development Director Anna Bentley and #3 and 4 pertain to Community Development Board member Mark Egge. I anticipate the City will have its legal and ethical rationale for not following through on the above concerns. But in the spirit of open communication and re-building trust, I will share with you my concerns in a bit more detail. From where I sit as an engaged citizen, the video captured Director Bentley not conforming to the moral standard of conduct one expects from a civil servant, especially one in such a high and influential position. The disdain Ms. Bentley showed for commissioners and the public calls into question her past work and future ability to function in her position in an unbiased manner. I have seen nothing reported about any investigation or disciplinary action and find it unsettling. I understand this matter falls within the purview of the City Manager (Acting, in this case) and request some public disclosure on this matter in the near future. To merely ignore the video contents as if Director Bentley did not play role is unacceptable. Similarly, I believe the Commission and/or Commission Liaison should pay closer attention to Mark Egge, advisory board member, when he presents and comments publicly on issues falling squarely within the purview of the Community Development Board on which he serves. His April 12, 2024, guest column in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle is just one example where he discloses his affiliation but does not make it clear on whose behalf he is speaking. He also specifically names a controversial community development project, The Guthrie, in this same column. To me, this is in poor taste and lacks discretion given that as a Community Development Board member he has statutorily required duties related to growth policies, zoning, subdivision review, impact fees, and design review. Additionally, I believe there is a stark appearance of conflict of interest in his bid for a City project related to bicycle and pedestrian gap analysis. While the subject matter may fall within other boards’ purview, there is overlap with his role on the Community Development Board. This is evidenced by the agenda’s memorandum from Candace Mastel and Nick Ross which references “Strategic Plan 4.5 Housing and Transportation Choices: Vigorously encourage, through a wide variety of actions, the development of sustainable and lasting housing options for underserved individuals and families and improve mobility options that accommodate all travel modes.” I imagine there are other local and qualified consultants who can carry out such a gap analysis who don’t have the same appearance of conflict of interest. I encourage you, at the very least, to remove this item from Tue, Apr 16 Consent Item F.4 and move it to the Tue, Apr 16, Action Item Agenda to allow for discussion. In my view, the best outcome would be for Mr. Egge to choose in what clear manner he’d like to be of service to the community. The current practice of blurring the lines is not helping to re-build the City’s public trust. To support my impressions above, I’ll refer you to the City’s Ethics Handbook, updated April 2013. These are excerpts pertaining to standards of conduct and conflict of interest, in my opinion, appear to relate to the cases of Ms. Bentley and/or Mr. Egge. Standards of conduct: - Act morally and honestly in discharging their responsibilities - Not use their position to secure any financial interest or personal interest, improperly influence any other official or employee in the performance of official duties, or act in a private capacity on matters they are directly responsible for (2.03.520.) Conflict of interest: - It is better to avoid conflicts of interest than determine how to manage one if it arises (2.03.520). Thank you for hearing my concerns and considering my requests. Sincerely, Angie Kociolek 620 N. Tracy Avenue Bozeman, MT 59715