Ethics Commission reports Minor, Brown violated Open Meetings Act

The Clarion Ledger reported that Friday

Ethics Commission Director Tom Hood recommends the commission find that Southern District Commissioner Wayne Brown and Northern District Commissioner Bill Minor "knowingly and willingly" violated open-meetings laws by discussing the Reunion Parkway interchange with Madison County Supervisor Tim Johnson, county engineer Rudy Warnock and former county attorney Ed Brunini Jr. at a dinner in August at a Jackson restaurant - without public notification or access.

We've mentioned this Open Meetings violation previously here and here.

Wayne Brown and Bill Minor are both Democrats. The complaint was filed by Republican Dick Hall, MDOT Commissioner for the Central District.

Wayne Brown said of the report, "I don't understand this. We only conduct business in the (commission) conference room."

It isn't hard, Mr. Brown. With a three member commission, you only have to count to "two". When two of the members of MDOT plan to be together and they discuss MDOT business, it is a violation. That is not complicated.

The funny part is, Bill Minor's response to the Commission helped prove the case. The Madison County Journal reported:

The report cited a response by Minor that denied any wrongdoing, but in fact confirmed the violation by giving a detailed account of the meeting and stating that the group did in fact discuss funding for Reunion Interchange.

The report went on to read, "they assembled a quorum of the Mississippi Transportation Commission and discussed a matter over which the Mississippi Transportation Commission has jurisdiction without providing public access, providing notice or recording minutes."

Read the Ethics Commission report on the matter here.