Ethics Commission supports lack-of-jurisdiction finding in complaint against Gary Bledsoe

At its meeting last week, the Ethics Review Commission affirmed chair Michael Lovins’ earlier determination that the commission lacks jurisdiction over a complaint filed in December by Jeb Boyt against recent City Council candidate Gary Bledsoe. The December complaint alleged violations of Chapters 392 and 393 of the Texas Transportation Code, Section 39.02 of the Texas Penal Code and Section 4 of the city charter. Lovins decided that the alleged violations did not fall within the commission’s jurisdiction, which is limited to specific sections of the city code and charter. During public comments at the start of the meeting, Boyt said Bledsoe had accepted $61,000 in city funds as part of the Austin Fair Campaign Chapter and had used the money to print oversized signs that were placed in public right-of-way areas. The commission was required to review the decision and voted unanimously to uphold, emphasizing that the complainant bears the responsibility to identify specific violations that fall within the commission’s jurisdiction. Commissioners noted that the dismissal does not prevent Boyt from refiling a more specific complaint in the future.