Putnam County Attorney Jeff Jones found Mayor Randy Porter did not violate ethics after a complaint concering a recent King Of Kings Rally.
Jones said Porter was not the organizer or promoter of the event. Jones said the rally was planned by the Putnam County Young Republican group, and Porter’s involvement was limited to discussing neutral logistics such as traffic, noise, and the use of sidewalks. The complaint came from resident Trenton Strode.
“Consequently, it would seem that this failure to follow the rules would disqualify consideration of the complaint from the start,” Jones said. “While the complaint in question is fairly detailed, it is not signed.”
Reviewing the complaint without a signature anyway, Jones said the complaint did not allege any financial impropriety or personal interest violations as defined by the County’s Code of Ethics Policy.
“So accordingly, the Ethics Committee doesn’t have the authority to undertake the request by Mr. Strode in his complaint,” Jones said. “Furthermore, the complaint doesn’t involve any of the state ethical laws that are at the tail end of the CTAS model ethics policy that was adopted by the County Commission.”
Jones said his investigatJones said the area surrounding the courthouse is considered a traditional public forum where private religious expression is protected by the First Amendment. Jones said the government cannot discriminate against a group based on the religious nature of an event if the space is open to other political or civic rallies.
“The leader said that the sole purpose for the meeting with Mr. Porter was to discuss the area outside of the courthouse for the event,” Jones said. “He also told the leader that if any roads were to be shut down for the event, it would be necessary for the leader to contact the City of Cookeville for a permit regarding the same.”
Jones said he interviewed a staff member in the mayor’s office and the leader of the Young Republican group to verify the nature of the planning meetings. Jones said all parties confirmed the mayor’s interactions were the same as those he would have with any group wishing to use the courthouse grounds.
“The bottom line is that under Tennessee law, allowing a religious rally in a neutral public forum is not a preference for religion,” Jones said. “So based on my review of the procedural, factual, and legal components of this situation, I don’t believe that this complaint has any merit.”