Did Summerfield Town Manager Twig Rollins Violate “Code of Ethics?”
Public comments by multiple members of the Summerfield town council, if true, suggest behavior by their newly appointed town manager that would appear to violate the ethical standards of his professional association.
At the January 14, 2025 town council meeting, it was revealed that town manager Charles “Twig” Rollins had engaged the services of former state auditor Beth Wood to conduct an investigation into acts allegedly committed by former employees. This includes Scott Whitaker and Dee Hall, the former town manager and finance officer, respectively.
However, Mayor Tim Sessoms and Councilman John Doggett have both asserted that they were blindsided by the disclosure of this clandestine investigation. Additionally, a local news outlet, the Rhino Times, has publicly stated that they were tipped off to the investigation a week prior and that Wood would level accusations against staff.
However, it is unclear who tipped them off to this development.
If Rollins acted independent of the governing body and commenced the investigation on his own, why haven’t the council majority publicly stated that they too were not aware of the investigation? Moreover, if Rollins was acting independently, how did a local news media outlet get wind of the story a week prior to the council meeting?
What appears likely to have occurred is that Rollins and a majority of the members of the governing body worked in concert to conceal an investigation that was designed to damage the reputations of the former employees, including Whitaker.
ICMA Membership & Code of Ethics
Rollins is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) according to publicly available information.
Former town manager Scott Whitaker is not just a member of the ICMA, but he has the highest designation an individual in our profession can be awarded. He is a credentialed manager per the ICMA website.
Their “Code of Ethics” features twelve tenets. Without additional information and confirmation of some facts, I do not want to make a definitive statement that the Code has been violated. But it does not pass the smell test.
An ethics investigation by the ICMA would pull back the curtains and provide a definitive answer as to whether one or more of the following tenets were violated:
- Tenet 3
- Tenet 10
- Tenet 11
Tenet 3
The text of Tenet 3 reads as follows:
Demonstrate by word and action the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all public, professional, and personal relationships in order that the member may merit the trust and respect of the elected and appointed officials, employees, and the public.
The organization provides additional guidance for Tenet 3 with the following statement:
Public Confidence. Members should conduct themselves so as to maintain public confidence in their position and profession, the integrity of their local government, and in their responsibility to uphold the public trust.
Tenet 10
The text of Tenet 10 reads as follows:
Resist any encroachment on professional responsibilities, believing the member should be free to carry out official policies without interference, and handle each problem without discrimination on the basis of principle and justice.
The organization provides additional guidance for Tenet 10 with the following statement:
Information Sharing. The member should openly share information with the governing body while diligently carrying out the member’s responsibilities as set forth in the charter or enabling legislation.
Tenet 11
The text of Tenet 11 reads as follows:
Manage all personnel matters with fairness and impartiality.
It is inappropriate and unethical for a town manager to selectively share materially significant information with members of the governing body or to deliberately withhold information from members of the governing body.
A local government executive needs to treat all elected officials fairly. This is city management 101.
Sessom and Doggett both maintain that they were not informed of this investigation until the night of the council meeting. Yet, it is my understanding that the state Open Meetings law mandates a 48-hour notification period for the agenda.
There is no situation that I can think of where it would be appropriate for the town manager to conceal the intent and purpose of an agenda item as it appears in this situation. The agenda packet item description was ambiguous and appears to be phrased in such a way as to minimize the severity or scrutiny of the item before the meeting. Additionally, unlike other agenda items, this one had no backup documentation provided in the agenda packet as is customary.
This backup material is published with the agenda so that citizens and members of the governing body can research and prepare themselves for the upcoming meeting and make informed decisions.
It would be unethical for a town manager to leak information to the media that has not been disclosed to the governing body. And there is no question that public trust and confidence has been shaken as a result.
It is also deeply troubling that at no time was the previous town manager or former employees contacted by Rollins or Wood to get their side of the story and possibly provide reasonable explanations about questions they may have had so as to minimize reputational harm.
Moreover, it is my understanding that state law allows local governments to take personnel matters and investigations such as this into closed session. This half-ass investigation by Wood was not ready for primetime and the preliminary findings should have at a minimum been discussed in private to shield these individuals from being sullied.
Requesting an ICMA Ethics Investigation
The ICMA has a mechanism in place to review allegations of unethical misconduct and to punish those members that violate the Code of Ethics.
Anyone can file an ethics complaint against Rollins with the ICMA — including Mayor Sessom, Councilman Doggett, and/or resident(s) of Summerfield. These complaints can also be filed anonymously, if so desired.
The process is as simple as sending an email to Camilla Posthill. She is the ethics senior program manager and she can be emailed at: cposthill@icma.org.