Metro Nashville legal team recommends dismissal of ethics complaint filed against Councilman Rollin Horton
The Voices of District 20, a group formed to recall Councilmember Rollin Horton, accused him of harassment, stalking, doxing and civil rights intimidation.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Metro Nashville’s legal team said it reviewed an ethics complaint filed against a local councilman and found no evidence of ethical violations.
The Voices of District 20, a group formed to recall Councilmember Rollin Horton, filed a complaint with the Metro Board of Ethical Conduct on November 20.
In it, the group accuses Horton of harassment, stalking, doxing and civil rights intimidation.
According to the group, several residents and business owners in the district are accusing Horton of misusing his office. They also accuse him of calling the police on petitioners and “injecting fear into the community to shield himself.”
The Metro Nashville Department of Law recommended that the Board of Ethical Conduct dismiss the ethics complaint filed against Councilmember Horton.
Department of Law’s Findings on Disclosure of Personal Information
In a recommendation dated December 12, Metro Director of Law Wally Dietz addressed the group’s doxing claims and concluded that, “The name and address of the initiator of a recall petition are not confidential under the Tennessee Public Records Act.12 Similarly, the names of individuals who provide comments during meetings of the Metropolitan Council are public information.”
Department of Law’s Findings on Allegations of Directing Police Calls on Petitioners
As far as claims made by the group that Horton called police on petitions gathered at parks, the Department of Law responded, “The factual allegations in the complaint concerning directing police calls to the petitioners for their activities on parks property do not meet the definition of the offense of official oppression as set forth in section 39-16-403 of the Tennessee Code Annotated.”
The Department of Law concluded that the complaint does not meet the threshold of a Standards of Conduct violation and recommended that the Board of Ethical Conduct dismiss the complaint against Horton in its entirety.
Previous Coverage
Horton initially responded to the group’s allegations in a statement to WSMV.
“This complaint is another baseless attempt by the same individuals to disparage me. First these individuals tried to stop the Nations Neighborhood plan, a plan that allows for middle income housing and requires more trees to be planted. Then, they tried to recall me over the same plan — unsuccessfully," he wrote. “Rather than accept the outcome of the democratic processes, this small group of individuals continues to try and thwart it. I remain humbled and grateful for the support of the people of District 20. I look forward to putting this distraction behind us, and continuing to address the issues our community faces.”
Read more:
- Residents of The Nations to file ethics complaint against Metro Council member for alleged intimidation, abuse of office
- Ethics complaint filed against Metro Nashville Councilman
- Residents of The Nations call for removal of Metro Council member over rezoning plan
Reaction from Voices of District 20
The group has released a reaction to the news that the review found no evidence of ethical violations against Horton.
In the response, members said they’re disappointed but not surprised.
“This matter is bigger than one councilmember. It concerns whether residents can safely exercise their constitutional rights—speech, assembly, and petition—without fear that an elected official will use the machinery of government or the weight of their office to silence them," spokesperson Rachel Gladstone said.
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