VALDOSTA — A formal complaint filed by Anetra Riley, the Valdosta Neighborhood Development and Community Protections Manager, accuses city council Councilwoman Vivian Miller-Cody of unethical behavior.
An ethics board was assembled on Tuesday and heard evidence in the case but did not render a decision.
City Clerk Teresa Bolden called the ethics board meeting to order. Attorney Roy Copeland was selected as the chairman of the board. After reviewing the complaint, the board decided to hear evidence from both Riley and Miller-Cody.
Malcolm J. Warren of The Warren Law Firm represented Riley, while Miller-Cody attended the meeting without counsel due to a miscommunication. Despite this, the ethics complaint board proceeded with the hearing.
Riley described multiple encounters with Miller-Cody dating back to 2021 that Riley perceived as threatening, breaking of protocol, and unjust assumptions of fund misappropriation. Riley and her attorney presented several pieces of evidence, including email conversations, calendar invites, data, and other materials to support her claim.
In her defense, Miller-Cody attributed much of the evidence to miscommunication, stating that matters could have been handled differently. She emphasized that she was merely following up on concerns raised by citizens and had no personal grievances against Riley.
“For us to have this misunderstanding that I do not like her — that is not true. I do not have anything against Ms. Riley,” Miller-Cody stated.
The complaint board and both parties questioned two witnesses about Riley’s accusations. One witness addressed the alleged misconduct of protocol, and the other was questioned about the allegations of misappropriation of funds.
The public hearing was adjourned, and the board stated, “We do find that the complaint is not frivolous in its entirety and that there are matters that we must give due and further consideration.”
The board announced that it would hold another meeting within seven days of the public hearing to finalize its thoughts on the matter and provide suggestions on what to do.