1 of 2 ethics complaints against mayor tossed
Stewart says claims made by local resident are false.
LANTANA — The Florida Commission on Ethics has dismissed one of two complaints filed by a Lantana resident against Mayor David Stewart.
Resident Catherine Padilla filed a complaint against Stewart on March 27 that, according to the Ethics Commission, accuses him of using sexual innuendo in a conversation with Town Manager Debbie Manzo during a banquet.
The commission voted to dismiss the complaint citing lack of legal sufficiency. The only provision of the Code of Ethics that could have applied in this situation was Misuse of Public Position. But the commission said the allegation does not show in a “factual, specific manner” the alleged conduct was for the purpose of “securing a special private capacity benefit for the respondent or anyone else,” according to documents filed Wednesday.
Therefore, the complaint was dismissed without investigation, said Kerrie Stillman, director of operations and communications for the commission.
Padilla said she was “disgusted,” but still has hope that “something good comes from this.”
This is the second complaint Padilla has filed against Stewart this year.
The first one, filed Jan. 2, claimed Stewart said if Padilla had sex with him he would make sure her neighborhood would receive speed bumps — a safety measure she had asked the town to install. There has been no public update to that case.
Padilla is now calling for the mayor to step down, and the same for anyone who has supported his alleged behavior. Stewart has declined to comment.
The Palm Beach Post reached out to Manzo for a comment but she is out of the office.
Padilla’s March complaint came out of an Oct. 24 Kiwanis Club banquet at the Whistle Stop Lounge in Lantana, according to doc- uments. Padilla said she heard Manzo say she wasn’t happy with her entree and the mayor said, “Well you haven’t tried my meat yet.”
Regarding the January complaint, the state commission notified Stewart of the complaint, as is protocol. And on Jan. 11, Stewart went to Padilla’s home to talk about the complaint, according to the statement he gave to Lantana Police. Padilla did not let him inside. Police described the visit as a “suspicious incident.”
Stewart told The Post that Padilla’s claims are false.