In West Park, Florida, a city commissioner has taken the step to sue the town's own mayor and other officials, leveling allegations of corruption that if true, could reveal a local government in turmoil. Commissioner Katrina Touchstone has accused Mayor Felicia Brunson, along with City Clerk Alexandra Grant and City Manager W. Ajibola Balogun, of engaging in politcal obstruction, with the lawsuit describng incidents where the mayor seemingly cuts commission meetings short when discussions don't align with her viewpoint, Local 10 News reports.
Amid heated city commission meetings, the legal action stems from, among other issues, the claim that Touchstone is being prevented from introducing measures for an investigation into the city's financial dealings; the commissioner cites the need to dig into the "mismanagement of county, state and federal funds" although she concedes that solid evidence is yet elusive, according to Local 10 News.
This lawsuit has also led Touchstone's attorney, Michael Pizzi, to depict the city's administration with stark condemnation, claiming, "The mayor, the city clerk, the city manager have shut down democracy in the City of West Park," and equating the situation to living under a "mob" or "dictatorship." The tumult within the West Park government is even acknowledged by Vice Mayor Joy B. Smith who, in a brief interaction with 7News, agreed with the characterization of the governance as a dictatorship.
The crux of the lawsuit appears to be a lack of accountability where Touchstone asserts the mayor has repeatedly avoided calls for a roll by not instructing the clerk to do so, effectively dismissing any chance of a formal vote on the proposed investigation; further, the commissioner alleges that there were sufficient votes for the resolution to pass but the opportunity was deliberately quashed by the mayor packing up, a commissioner is heard commenting on the abrupt ending to a meeting as captured in video, according to a report obtained from 7News. Despite outreach for comments, Mayor Brunson, City Clerk Grant, and City Manager Balogun have not provided responses to the media, meanwhile, as the city braces for its next commission meeting in September, the hope from Commissioner Touchstone is for a judge to intervene beforehand.
