Tony Kennon Ethics Complaint: Orange Beach Council Members Allege Conflicts, Threats

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Three members of the Orange Beach City Council have filed a formal ethics complaint against Mayor Tony Kennon. The Tony Kennon ethics complaint alleges conflicts of interest, improper influence over council decisions, threats directed at elected officials, and failures of transparency and disclosure of information.

The complaint’s allegations have not been proven. A response from Kennon was not included in the information available about the filing.

Ethics Commission director faces separate litigation

The complaint comes as the Alabama Ethics Commission’s executive director, Tom Albritton, has faced litigation over his role as a trustee of the Mabel Amos Memorial Fund, a charitable trust that provides scholarships.

Albritton was removed as a trustee of the fund following court action. The Alabama Attorney General’s Office has publicly alleged that Albritton committed fraud and engaged in self-dealing involving the trust and has filed a lawsuit over the matter. Those allegations have not been proven in court. Allen Dodd was appointed a deputy Alabama attorney general in connection with the lawsuit.

Earlier complaints about the trust, including a petition for a writ of mandamus, an Alabama State Bar complaint, a complaint to the attorney general and a direct ethics complaint, were dismissed or not acted on.

Three members of the Ethics Commission, Greg Pappas, George Pierce and David “Chips” Pruet, said they had no idea Albritton had been involved in the litigation or had been accused of self-dealing.

Attorneys in the trust case

Several attorneys are involved in the Mabel Amos case. Tommy Gallion represents Megan Carmack, a relative connected to the trust. Byron Mathews represents a high school student from Evergreen who was a potential scholarship recipient but, according to the case, never had the opportunity to apply. Ashby Pate represents Albritton and Clifton.

“I hope this case is a cautionary tale to all lawyers and other individuals who create charitable trusts and nonprofit corporations with an eye toward self-enrichment and self-aggrandizement. I am sad to say this happens far too often,” Mathews said.

Albritton remains Ethics Commission director, a position that pays more than $100,000 a year.

Attorney general race

Katherine Robertson, chief counsel in the Attorney General’s Office, defeated Jay Mitchell in the runoff for the Republican nomination for attorney general. The Mabel Amos trust matter was not debated during the campaign.