The Starke County Council held a discussion on code of conduct during their joint session with commissioners last week.
Starke County Council President Dave Pearman stated he emailed council members a resolution on the code of conduct for their review. He stated this discussion was a continuation of a discussion held during their previous council meeting on May 10. He went on to say there were several individuals that were wanting to submit evidence to the council and asked those individuals who may be present to bring those forward so that the council could take any grievances under advisement.
Co-Owner of the Pit Stop in Knox, Tiffany Balaszek, presented council members with what she alleges is a code of conduct violation by council member Cassandra Hine. She stated the Pit Stop had allegedly been the victim of slander and defamation by council member Hine on Facebook. She added a certain page on the social media site titled Stand Up Starke County was where the alleged defamation occurred. She presented pictures to the council for their review and stated if action is not taken by the council, she would seek legal counsel against council member Hine.
Discussions were held on what the council should do. Starke County Attorney Justin Schramm stated he didn’t have a clear answer for the alleged information coming forward. He stated he would look into what the council can or cannot do if they are wanting to do something at all.
In a follow up interview, Schramm told WKVI News there is a procedure in place to take all public complaints and hold discussions. Schramm stated as of now, it is up to the council on what they will do moving forward.
