Councilwoman Calls For Removal of Ethics Board Executive Director

Councilwoman Marian Tasco just called for Shane Creamer to be removed from his position as executive director of the Board of Ethics, saying he is unfit to serve after admitting that he violated a confidentiality rule.

"How can we enforce ethics law when there is a two-tiered standard of ethics, one for the board and one for everyone else," Tasco asked during a City Council session.

Two weeks ago the Ethics Board announced that Creamer had been fined for violating a confidentiality rule. According to a press release, Creamer got a call from a reporter on May 7 asking if the Board of Ethics was about to fine Seth Williams, a candidate for district attorney in the Democratic primary election, $16,000. Creamer said no and then declined to comment further, but he decided to tell the reporter off the record that the board was negotiating a settlement with Williams' campaign that would be "nowhere near $16,000."

The board on May 12 announced that Williams, who beat four other D.A. candidates, had agreed to pay a $3,750 fine for campaign-finance-reporting errors.

Creamer disclosed his conversation with the reporter to the chairman of the Board of Ethics and to the Williams campaign on the day it happened. The board, after investigating, decided to fine Creamer $500.