City officials confirm this afternoon's ethics board meeting will be on video

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

ROCHESTER - The first-ever meeting of the city's Board of Ethics, which is looking into complaints against two school board members, will convene for the first time on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. in City Council chambers.
On Friday the city released a statement saying that the meeting would be held in the Council Chambers conference room, which is very small, according to Pubic Information Officer Matt Wyatt, so they have moved it to Council Chambers, so more residents would be able to view the proceeding.

Rochester City Manager Katie Ambrose had said on Monday that it might not be livestreamed due to staffing issues, but that been rectified, Wyatt said today.

According to the city, the Board of Ethics will comprise city councilor Dan Fitzpatrick, school board member Sarah Harrington and Police Commissioner John Larochelle.
It is expected that today they would vote for a chair, Wyatt said.
Under the city's Board of Ethics policy the investigation into complaints accusing school board members Sandy Keans and Karen Stokes will be undertaken by an Ethics Investigation Officer, to be appointed by Ambrose.
The complaints against Stokes accuse her 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."

Keans' complaint cites dissemination of privileged information.

The newly formed ethics policy was enacted following the City Council trial of former councilman Chris Rice which many residents and council members saw as a travesty of justice fraught with inequities, lack of transparency and due process.