Denton ethics panel finds harassment but stops short of ruling discrimination

The Denton City Board of Ethics voted on Sept. 14 that it was "reasonably certain" Councilor Jordan Villarreal used his official position to harass a person based on sexual orientation, while separately finding it was not reasonably certain he discriminated on that protected basis.

A motion that the board "is reasonably certain that Council member Villarreal used his official position to harass a person based on their sexual orientation" was moved and seconded; discussion emphasized unwanted touching and repeated conduct as meeting the ethics standard. One board member said unwanted touching is within the definition of harassment and that the conduct was repeated across the evening. Another member noted the ordinance lacks an internal definition of harassment, which complicated the board’s deliberations.

Board members also debated whether the conduct should be framed legally as "discrimination" given the complainants and the respondent share sexual orientation; the board ultimately moved that it was not reasonably certain Villarreal used his position to discriminate on the listed protected categories. The board emphasized its role is ethical oversight rather than a criminal or civil court. "This is an ethical opinion until I understand it," a member said during deliberations.

The harassment finding is an ethics determination under Denton City code; the board will include that determination in its written opinion and use the finding to guide any recommended sanctions.