City hops to it on ethics charge, but will it be a fair trial or another kangaroo court?

From left, Rochester school board members Karen Stokes, Sandy Keans and Steven Cusumano (Rochester school board screen captures)

Get ready for the City of Rochester shit show 2.0.
Following the announcement of an ethics complaint against two school board members on Friday, it moves to the City Hall Chambers conference room on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m..
Of course the inaugural shit show was three years ago this month when former City Councilor Chris Rice was removed from office after being found guilty of harassment against a former city councilor and retaliation against Mayor Paul Callaghan, who unbelievably, presided as de facto judge during the so-called "trial."
Just so you know, Merriam Webster defines shit show as "something (such as an event or a situation) that is chaotic, contentious, or unpleasant to an excessive or absurd degree."

I say truth over euphemism any day of the week.

Anyway, the current go-round involves school board members Karen Stokes and Sandy Keans, who had ethics complaints filed against them by fellow school board member Steven Cusumano.
The city's sufficiency review panel, composed of Callaghan, Police Chief Gary Boudreau and City Attorney Terrence O'Rourke, decided recently that the complaint filed by Cusumano met the criteria for a formal investigation.
Now prior to the City Council's trial of Rice on May 12, 2022, The Rochester Voice as well as multiple city councilors sought information about how the trial would be run, especially since there had never been one before. With utter disregard for transparency, former City Manager Blaine Cox refused to clarify and actually evaded giving out any details.
This time around Rice says he fears that again, there will no transparency and it will be an uphill climb for Stokes and Keans, who has been an elected official at the state or local level for some 40 years.
Keans has been accused in Cusumano's complaint of "violating the confidentiality of all written materials and verbal information provided to members that is confidential or privileged."

Stokes has been accused of "abusive conduct, personal charges or verbal attacks upon the character or motives of other members of Council, Boards, Committees and Commissions, the staff or public."
Rice believes that anyone accused of an ethics complaint by the city has a tough row to hoe, because the city of Rochester has plenty of taxpayer funds to promote their interests.
"They can come down on an individual," he said today. "They have unlimited funds. They can hire an attorney and pay them $10,000 to probe the individual or individuals. What individual charged can afford that kind of money to defend themselves?
"City staff should not be involved in any of this. They've created a society where you must prove your innocence, because the powers that be have already considered you guilty."

If the probe moves forward it goes to the board of ethics, which must be composed of members appointed by the chairpersons of City Council, School Board, and Police Commission. Members include Dan Fitzpatrick (City Council), Sarah Harrington (School Board), and John Larochelle (Police Commission).