Trial on ethics complaints against 2 Rochester school board members set for July 22

From left, school board members Karen Stokes, Sandy Keans and Steven Cusumano (Courtesy photos)

ROCHESTER - The much-anticipated public meeting during which a city attorney will present his findings in connection with alleged ethics violations against two school board members is set for 5 p.m. on July 22.

While the hearing will be open to the public, no public comment will be accepted.

The scheduling was determined during a Board of Ethics meeting on Tuesday after Assistant Rochester city attorney Andrew Kroeckel turned over his report to the ethics board.

While the report was turned over, none of Kroeckel's findings were discussed during the two-minute meeting held in City Council chambers.

After Kroeckel's presents his findings on July 22 accused school board members Karen Stokes and Sandy Keans will have the opportunity to respond to the accusations.

It will be the first such hearing since the Board of Ethics was established in December of 2023.
The ethics complaints against Stokes and Keans were both filed by fellow school board member Steven Cusumano, who accuses Stokes of "abusive conduct or verbal attacks upon the character or motives of other board members; not practicing civility and decorum in discussions and debate; and demeaning or personally attacking an employee regarding the employee's job performance in public."
The complaint against Keans accuses her of disseminating privileged information.

A Rochester city official said the meeting and full interaction between the accused and the ethics board will all be discussed in public. .

While Kroeckel led the investigation, Rochester City Manager Katie Ambrose said it would be with the cooperation and full assistance and support of all city personnel.
The Board of Ethics comprises Dan Fitzpatrick from City Council, Sarah Harrington from the school board and John Larochelle from the police commission.
At the end of the July 22 hearing the ethics board will determine in open session whether a violation of the City's Code of Ethics has occurred. If a violation is found, the board will issue a formal finding and may recommend additional actions, including possible sanctions.

Any findings and recommendations will be referred to the full school board for further action.