A Franklin alderman who’s drawn backlash for spreading misinformation about the Covenant School shooting will not be investigated by the city’s ethics committee.
Alderman Gabrielle Hanson faced 64 ethics complaints for disparaging a local LGBTQ group and making false claims about the shooting at Covenant in March.
A Covenant school parent went before the Franklin Board of Aldermen to ask for Hanson’s resignation or removal.
“Hansen publicly slandered the victims of the March 27 massacre at our school,” said James Rowlett. “She has caused further pain and anguish to the surviving staff and families. I can personally tell this board every detail she talked about publicly was false.”
Despite the pushback, the ethics committee voted Wednesday to dismiss the complaints against Hanson. Members agreed that Hanson’s behavior doesn’t violate city code, and that an investigation could violate Hanson’s First Amendment rights.
“We cannot usurp someone’s right to speak, whether we like what they say or not. We cannot usurp that,” committee member Jerry Sharber said.
The ruling cancels a meeting about Hanson’s behavior that had been scheduled for next month.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM