Ethics Complaints Against School Board Officials Dismissed
Ethics complaints against the Board of Education’s president and vice president have been dismissed by a state Administrative Law judge.
The complaints were filed by former board member Robert Trautmann, who alleged that board president Julia Presley and vice president Eva Nagy violated state ethics regulations when they voted earlier this year to accept a buyout contract with former schools Superintendent Edward Seto.
As part of the agreement, Seto agreed to withdraw ethics charges he had filed against Presley and Nagy.
Trautmann contended that Presley and Nagy could not vote on that contract because its passage conferred a benefit to them.
In a January memo to board members, board attorney Robert Tosti said that Nagy and Presley could vote on the contract because it did not confer any “advantage” or “profit” to them.
Nagy said she knew from the beginning that Trautmann’s charges had no merit.
“As one who tries to follow policy and law, and being a certified board leader, I do know what the law is,” Nagy said after the Nov. 13 meeting. “I would not blatantly disregard something. I always do my research before I act.”
Presley was not at the meeting. Trautmann did not respond to a request for comment.
It was not immediately known if there are any other outstanding complaints from the township before the ethics commission.