VALDOSTA – Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson is facing an ethics complaint calling for his ouster. 

The complaint alleges the mayor has violated six provisions in the city’s Code of Ethics.

Matheson told The Valdosta Daily Times Thursday the complaint hasn’t been officially filed because the representatives of the four groups must sign the complaint under oath, according to the city’s ethics rules. He said he will comment further on the complaint once it has been properly filed. 

Valdosta’s city manager told The Times the complaint is under legal review. 

The complaint was filed Feb. 9 and is supported by a coalition of four organizations – The Mary Turner Project, Concerned Clergies of Valdosta, NAACP Lowndes Chapter and Valdosta/Lowndes Community Alliance.

According to the complaint, the coalition claims Matheson “demonstrated that he is incapable of, and/or uninterested in, representing all citizens of Valdosta equally.”

The complaint stems from things said during the mayor’s weekday morning radio show on Talk 92.1, a station owned by Matheson, which “combines and conflates his roles as the Mayor of Valdosta and Conservative political pundit.”

The complaint claims the mayor’s show “regularly disseminates inaccurate, divisive, and inflammatory claims that often demonize local citizens and political viewpoints that differ from his own.”

A prime example, the complaint states, is a Jan. 12 show, when Matheson said, “One day, it’s illegal to pay somebody to vote, but on the next day, being election day, it’s legal to pay someone to canvass even though they don’t canvass – even though they don’t go to a house. They hop on a bus, they go down, they vote, they come back and they cash a $75 check.”

Jack Morris, Matheson’s radio cohost, then said, “A lot of what that is is they pay $75 to find five friends to take to the polls.” Matheson refers to these checks as being cashed at the same liquor store.

The complaint states the broadcasts specifically violate city ethics codes that include:

– Failing to give the public “the appearance of being independent, impartial, and responsible to the people,” and failing to address “divisive” comments that reflect against the former.

– Failing to conduct himself “so as to not create any question or concern as to the appropriateness, legality or sincerity of any actions or conduct as a member of the governing authority.”

– Creating doubt in the ability to “provide the public with confidence in the integrity of its government.”

– Failing to use the “power of (his) position” for the “wellbeing of constituents.”

– Utilizing rhetoric that fails to “create an environment of honesty, openness, and integrity.”

Matheson did not comment on the case but said he’ll be releasing a statement later today.

Mark Patrick George, Mary Turner Project coordinator, said he has tried talking to Matheson for two months.

“We’ve reached out to the mayor a total of, I think, five times trying to have a conversation with him about claims he had made about local canvassers,” George said. “He simply wouldn’t talk with us, so we were forced to go down a different road with the ethics complaint.”

Failure to contact Matheson initially led George’s organization to record his show and post the clips online for community comment. It’s what garnered the attention of the other organizations.

And though it’s what brought on the coalition, some of the organizations claim they have tried conversing with Matheson for far longer. Case in point, the Concerned Clergies of Valdosta.

The coalition has had similar interactions with Matheson for the past year, specifically regarding a case of police using excessive force last February when a Black man was misidentified as a suspect in a crime and a white officer threw him to the ground. Members claim Matheson was dismissive and less than willing to talk about the city’s position on the matter.

Dr. Ronnie Mathis said the coalition has been struggling with a lack of communication.

“When we went to (Valdosta) City Council and made our appeal to get some type of address to the situation, they kept telling us we’re waiting on the (Department of Justice),” Dr. Bruce Francis, CCV president, said. “Basically, they stonewalled us. We never got any response or action from City Council, the mayor or city manager.”

The ethics complaint calls for Matheson’s removal as mayor.

City Manager Mark Barber said the complaint is still under the review by the city attorney. The review should ensure the complaint meets the city ordinance. Barber said it’s all about delivering the complaint in the proper form.

“Our city clerk has seven days to deliver the complaint in the appropriate form to mayor and council,” Barber said. “I believe Mr. George has already emailed all the council, I want to (make) an official delivery to the mayor and council.”

Once brought to the mayor and council and if complaint evidence is substantiated, they will appoint a three-member committee to study the complaint and evidence.

Committee members consist of two members chosen by the mayor and City Council respectively, both citizen appointments. The final member is chosen for their legal background by the two prior appointees.

“When you mention the word ‘investigate,’ that’s when that type of process – due process – will begin,” Barber said. “It’s still early to say when any of that will happen.”

Though the ethics complaint is against the mayor, Matheson is still able to choose his representative on the committee under the Code of Ethics ordinance, section VI (a).