Politics & Government
Ethics Board Finds Probable Cause for Hearing on Beck's Sandy Hook Comment
Probable cause hearing on third complaint continued until after Christmas.
After consulting with their attorney, David Atkins, the Board of Ethics released the complaint filed against newly elected Board of Education member Greg Beck, in which the Ethics Board found probable cause to move to a hearing.
The complaint — made public once probable cause is determined — was filed by resident Sherri Keefe on Dec. 6 in reference to a comment Beck posted on a Facebook link to an article asking for 26 days of kindness leading up to the anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.
In the comment, Beck wrote that he would "buy my friends who are gun enthusiasts a box of ammunition on days 1-26."
The comment was removed shortly after it was posted, however there has been a steady stream of calls for Beck to resign, including the ethics complaint.
In Keefe’s ethics complaint, she cites sections 3 and 11 of the town charter, which call for elected officials to be held to “the highest ethical standards.”
“To be so insensitive to our Newtown neighbors and to think there was nothing wrong with that comment he made disgust me,” she wrote in the complaint, asking that Beck be removed from office.
Beck issued an apology to the Newtown and Brookfield communities after the comment was made, however he has reiterated on several occasions that he does not intend to step down.
“His presence will be a distraction to the board and they will not be able to accomplish what needs to get done,” Keefe wrote. “I have no confidence in him.”
Though Beck made the comment while a candidate-elect for the Board of Education (elected but not sworn in), the Ethics Board is considering the complaint as a potential violation of Beck’s position as an emergency dispatcher — a town employee.
(Atkins declined to comment on whether a candidate-elect is considered an elected official under the law and charter.)
According to reports, Beck made the post from his phone while on duty in the emergency dispatch center.
With probable cause determined, the Board of Ethics has scheduled a tentative hearing date for Jan. 9. The hearing will be open to the public.
Third Probable Cause Hearing Tabled
The Board of Ethics also held a probable cause hearing on a third complaint Friday morning. After almost an hour and a half of deliberation, they were unable to reach a decision and continued the discussion to Dec. 30 at 10 a.m.
The first of three complaints filed in the wake of November’s Municipal Elections was dismissed for insufficient cause Thursday.
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