The Parkville Board of Aldermen plans to schedule a special public meeting within the next week to discuss the recent findings of the city’s ethics commission, and the mayor’s reaction to those findings and local media coverage that followed.
At its Tuesday, March 15 meeting, the board agreed to delay discussions on the ethics commission report and mayor Nan Johnston’s reaction to a special meeting at a later date.
Earlier this month, the city’s ethics commission found Johnston in violation of the city’s ethics code for elected officials in eight instances over the past several years. The commission hearings were the result of a complaint filed against Johnston by resident Elaine Kellerman last year.
On March 11, Johnston responded to the findings of the ethics commission in a six-page letter. In that letter, Johnston agrees with some findings and apologizes for her actions – such as her DUI arrest in 2020 – and disagrees with others, such as the violations related to the Platte City-based Landmark newspaper.
Johnston also disagreed with the commission’s findings regarding allegations of destruction of records. Ethics commissioners said that because the matter was under investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Office, they did not have enough information to come to a conclusion.
She accused Kellerman and Jason Maki, who filed suit against the city claiming violations of the Missouri Sunshine Law, of deliberately misleading commissioners about the allegations against her.
“It’s misleading when you consider that a handful of people have been the drivers behind all negative actions, filings, reports, complaints, negative social media, and news media coverage,” Johnston wrote. “The loudest is not the majority in this case. Their goal is to destroy my reputation, but in doing so have damaged Parkville too, and that’s a sad outcome of their objective. Please consider the malicious intentions and the extensive punishment I have already taken and am currently undergoing, the toll these people have taken on my health, finances and relationships and I hope you conclude I’ve been punished enough.”
On Monday, March 14, Johnston sent a memo to the board citing additional concerns regarding the Landmark’s coverage, which she felt was targeting her.