Council member urges investigation into former mayor's development dealings; council to schedule special meeting

A Fort Thomas council member on Tuesday asked the body to consider a formal inquiry into actions by former Mayor Eric Haas related to a 2019 development agreement, saying new paperwork suggests undisclosed personal and financial involvement.

The council member (identified in the transcript only by speaker number) said they had provided a multi-page letter and supporting documents to the city attorney and city administrator and urged the council to hold a hearing. "I believe the information that I have disclosed... overwhelmingly shows that [the former mayor] abused information he was privy to because of his position as mayor," the speaker said, adding, "He then used that information to become personally and financially involved in the one-time project."

Mayor Eric Haas and other members responded that attorneys had reviewed aspects of the matter previously. The mayor said counsel and past reviewing attorneys had not raised concerns at the time the put option was offered and that there are existing procedures if council wants to pursue the matter further. "If council or anyone wants to pursue this further, there are methods to do so," the mayor said and asked the city attorney to outline options.

Council members discussed standing up an ethics-board complaint, an executive-session review with legal counsel, or hiring independent investigators. The group agreed to schedule a special council meeting to review the materials, with options for an executive session to discuss personnel or disciplinary matters as allowed under state law. No formal ethics complaint or formal charges were filed at the meeting.

What happens next: The mayor said staff would coordinate dates for a special meeting and advertise it as required; council members asked staff to provide legal options and timelines for an ethics-board inquiry or other investigative steps.