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Paul “Andy” Stewart
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have an issue with someone else's animal utilizing their yard," he said. The issue will be
discussed April 24 during a public hearing.
Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL)
February 9, 2012
Florida Ethics Commission Clears Dundee Mayor of Allegations
Author: DONNA KELLY
After nearly 10 months of investigation, the State Commission on Ethics has cleared Mayor
Linda Riner-Mizell of allegations that she misused a town credit card to book a 2010 trip to
Colorado. "The complaint was dismissed with a finding of no probable cause," the commission
stated in a news release issued Wednesday.
Riner-Mizell said Thursday she is relieved to have the issue laid to rest although she is not
surprised by the commission's ruling. "I didn't have any doubts as to what the ruling would be,"
she said. But she's not sure whether she will run for reelection this April. She has until noon
today to decide.
And although she doesn't plan on trying to have Andy Stewart removed as town manager, she
does have concerns about the way he handled the situation.
"I've not had the opportunity to sit down with him one on one and see where he stands on being
able to say, ‘I can be a manager that this town needs to have,'?" Riner-Mizell said. "I stand by
what I said in his evaluation. He is immature, as in lack of experience, and having things occur
and not knowing how to handle it."
The ethics complaint against the mayor was filed March 7 by former Dundee Mayor Kevin Kitto.
He said Riner-Mizell wasn't forthcoming with answers about her actions surrounding her use of
the town credit card to book a trip to the National League of Cities Congress of Cities and
Exposition from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, 2010, in Denver.
Riner-Mizell went to represent the Ridge League of Cities as its president. Some council
members questioned Riner-Mizell's honesty because her explanation about who authorized the
trip and who was responsible for paying the $2,073 cost apparently changed several times.
She has repeatedly said Stewart authorized her to speak with then-Finance Director Martin
Munger about booking the trip. Stewart maintains he didn't.
Riner-Mizell ultimately repaid the town, saying she took out a personal loan to do it. The
commission's ruling was made about five months after the State Attorney's Office cleared Riner-
Mizell of criminal wrongdoing. Kitto said he was notified last week of the Ethics Commission's
ruling. While he accepts the decision, he doesn't agree with it. "I think she misused the credit
card. The biggest issue I had is that she misinformed the public as well as the commission she
works for," Kitto said Wednesday. "I think she told them a lie. There was no talk of the League
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