BY TRACY LEE TATE
Special to the Times
The Florida Ethics Commission has found that two accusations against Union County Commissioner Mac Johns lack legal sufficiency.
According to the Ethics Commission’s description, “allegations do not form a sufficient basis for opening an investigation.”
The allegations originated through two complaints submitted to the ethics commission, one concerning John’s involvement with the Union County Recreation Board and the other his business dealings with the Suwannee River Economic Council Transportation Disadvantaged Program after becoming a county commissioner and acting as the board liaison to the agency.
The allegations concerning the recreation department were found legally insufficient based on the appearance that some of the occurrences listed in the complaint were alleged to have occurred more than five years before the date of the complaint – beyond the statute of limitations for such alleged offenses. There were also many points in the complaint that did not meet the legal definition of corruption according to Florida Statutes.
In the second complaint, the commission decided that the professional relationship between Johns’ business and the SREC did not violate any statutes since the business relationship did not begin until after he became a commissioner. Johns’ business provides automotive repairs and maintenance for the agency’s work vehicles. Since there was no ethical concern about the business relationship, Johns is free to continue the professional relationship he had in the past with the council.
In an interview after the complaints were dismissed, Johns said he was under no obligation to publicly inform his fellow commissioners that complaints were filed against him, but he felt it was the right thing to do, so he did so at the board’s February meeting.
In a recent interview, he said he knew that he had not done anything wrong and was not worried about it. He also said he felt that the complaints were a form of retaliation for some of the recent opinions and decisions he had made as a commissioner.
“I feel like I was standing up for what is right, and I think the complaints came from people who objected,” Johns said. “I have always tried to stand up for Union County citizens and to do what is right for the county. There are still things going on that I do not think are as they should be, but I am ready to move on and try to get back to normal. I will continue to work to create better communication between the board and the clerk’s office – that is a priority, and it needs to be addressed. I will always, before anything else, work to do what is best for the county and its residents.”
