DRAPER — Amid a feud between Councilwoman Michele Weeks and other Draper leaders, an independent attorney the city hired to investigate allegations against Weeks found "some potential ethical concerns" but "no intentional misuse of her office."
That's according to a report the attorney, Dennis Ferguson, provided to the City Council last month, concluding that any ethical issues over her emails are "most appropriately dealt with through education and an emphasis on observing clear lines of demarcation between government business and personal or political endeavors."
Weeks — who is running against Mayor Troy Walker in November — said in an interview this week that the findings "clear her" of allegations.
"I'm just excited it's over," she said. "I've been constantly on the defense because of these attacks. It seemed like every month I was being attacked by something the City Council dreamed up."
But at least one of her fellow council members, Jeff Stenquist, disagrees.
"I'm not exactly sure this really gives a clear resolution," Stenquist said, noting that the City Council as a body hasn't had a chance to review the report and decide what to do with it. "(The attorney) seems to give her the benefit of the doubt and say she was naive and she didn't know what she was doing ... but other people might look at it and say, 'Well she violated the law and it doesn't matter if she knew what she was doing or not.'"
Stenquist said it's not up to the City Council to decide if Weeks did anything against the law.
"That's really only a call for a district attorney to determine,' he said.
But Weeks, who has dismissed the allegations as "bullying," "political" and "petty," pointed out that the Utah Political Subdivisions Ethics Review Commission in July dismissed the complaint filed against her.
"Really, when does the bullying and harassment and intimidation stop?" she said. "A prosecutor is more than welcome to take a look, but why would a prosecutor waste his time on this when I've already been cleared twice?"
Weeks' council colleagues earlier this year requested the review following allegations that Weeks misused public funds by using city resources for personal gain, including asking an on-the-clock city staffer to proofread letters she wrote to solicit donations for "LipoLaser" cosmetic procedures when she was contemplating running for Ms. Utah last year.
They also accused her of using city resources to advertise her Facebook page — What's Draper Up To? — in a recent edition of the city-funded newsletter, among other issues.
Earlier this spring, Weeks hired former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff as an attorney to defend her from what she called a "witch hunt" and a "constant" barrage of personal attacks from elected colleagues.
In his report to the council, the independent attorney said Weeks' use of her city email for donation solicitations and use of city staff to edit her personal emails were "inappropriate," but the issues appear to be addressed through educating Weeks.
Weeks said she was a "very new council member" and she was bound to "make mistakes," especially since "I haven't been supported by my council or mayor."
She said if someone "combed through" other council members' emails with the same intensity, "I'm sure they would find equal or more than just a handful of personal emails."
But Stenquist said many of the issues that concerned him and other council members are "common sense," and he noted that elected officials receive training on ethics ordinances and statutes.
He also said Weeks may call the allegations against her "bullying," but "I think we all have a responsibility as elected officials to be transparent" about concerns in their city government.
"It's easy to say transparency is important until it's their own dirty laundry being aired," he said.
Weeks noted that the cost of the investigation has not yet been disclosed to her or other council members, questioning if her colleague's "pettiness is costing the taxpayer's money."
Draper spokeswoman Meridene Alexander confirmed Thursday that city officials have not yet received an invoice for the review.
No budget was set for the review, Stenquist said, noting that outside counsel reviews are "pretty routine."
Walker — who has also expressed concern about Weeks in the past — did not return a request for comment Thursday.