Walton council releases report on investigation into mayor who resigned

Chancellor Win
·2 min read

Walton City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to publicly release an investigative report into the former mayor, Gabe Brown.

The city’s attorney prepared the 79-page report that stated the former mayor:

  • Appears to have used or allowed a city-issued gas card to be used for personal reasons

  • Kept a city-owned vehicle in his possession for an additional week after returning from city business and abandoned the vehicle outside of a council member’s residence

  • Used a city plow truck and received payment in cash and goods to clear the parking lot of a private business outside of city limits

  • Authorized payments in excess of the agreed contract price with a contractor and failed to submit two change orders to City Council for approval

  • Authorized payment to the same contractor prior to the city receiving an invoice for the work performed

  • Authorized payment to the same contractor personally through a cashier check from the city’s general fund

  • Authorized payment of $200,611.90 to a second contractor for work performed on the Owens Park Lake Project without first making a newspaper advertisement for bids.

Most of the report - 70 pages - shows copies of receipts, emails and other exhibits.

The City Council released this statement: “With former Mayor Brown’s resignation, the City Council is focused on appointing a new Mayor as soon as possible. Council hopes to work closely with the new Mayor to quickly implement its consultant’s recommendations for improvements to internal procedures and processes. The City Council thanks the citizens of the City of Walton and the larger public for its patience as it thoroughly investigated these matters.”

Brown resigned twice in less than two months, most recently on May 7.

“You never think all the rumors might be true,” said Councilman Dan Martin.

The snow plow truck is the first incident “that got the ball rolling” on the investigation, according to Martin.

A consultant has recommended the city form a finance committee and require third-party approval for purchases to avoid future misuse of public money.

Enquirer media partner Fox19 provided this report

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Walton releases investigation report on former mayor Gabe Brown