Alderman Walters escaped censure by his fellow Aldermen by one vote. The final vote was 7 to censure, 2 against censure, and one abstention. The ethics rules require 8 of the 10 aldermen to vote to censure. 

Voting for censure of Alderman Walters:
Alderman Frank Hunt
Alderman Jason Greene
Alderman Jim Aziere
Alderman Janet Emerson
Alderman Ryan Myers
Alderman Mary Jane Van Buskirk
Alderman Bonnaye Mims

Voting against censure of Alderman Walters:
Alderman Derek Ward
Alderman Greg Walters

Abstaining from voting:
Alderman Bill Van Buskirk

R-3373-21: A RESOLUTION CENSURING ALDERMAN GREG WALTERS AS
APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF RAYTOWN, MISSOURI.
Point of Contact: Mayor Michael McDonough and Mayor Pro Tem Ryan Myers.

To the best of my knowledge Alderman Walters is the first to have a censure resolution directed at him. The full list of charges and evidence is part of the web packet on the city website. Skip to page 322 after you download the packet by clicking HERE. 

Included are the 5 pages of the resolution, but without the over 100 pages of supporting evidence. Please forgive the loss of formatting of this document. 

RESOLUTION NO: R-3373-21
Page 1 of 5
A RESOLUTION CENSURING ALDERMAN GREG WALTERS AS APPROVED BY THE BOARD
OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF RAYTOWN, MISSOURI

WHEREAS, the City of Raytown (herein “City”) has a Code of Ethics and Conduct For
Elected and Appointed Officials (herein “Code of Ethics and Conduct”) that governs the conduct of
City Officials, to include the members of the Raytown Board of Aldermen (herein “Board”); and

WHEREAS, the Board members are bound to review this document, inform themselves of
its contents and to abide by its provisions in all interactions and communication with and about
other Board Members, City Staff, Mayor, and members of the public, including conduct during
Board of Aldermen meetings; and

WHEREAS, excellence in performance by Board members, City employees, and other
appointed board members, is the best way to achieve our common goal of ensuring quality of life in
Raytown. To be most effective, the efforts of all must be integrated. A special obligation of the
Board is to set a leadership example to promote cooperation. The public expects the best
communication, planning, and decision-making possible from its representatives and employees.
The Board must strive for high standards of behavior and performance to benefit all City residents.
Adherence to the City’s Code of Ethics and Conduct will ensure effective guidance and operation
of this Board of Aldermen and will accentuate a positive, open, and productive environment for all;
and

WHEREAS, each Alderman is required to keep an open and receptive mind toward the
views and opinions of others, raising concerns in private on a one-to-one basis before making
public comment; and

WHEREAS, each Alderman is expected to practice civility and decorum in discussions and
debate, be respectful of diverse opinions, honor the role of the Mayor, voice objections to the
Mayor or Chair’s actions politely and with reason, following parliamentary procedure, stay focused
and act efficiently during public meetings, refrain from politicizing procedural or ministerial actions,
and be courteous and respectful to City Staff; and

WHEREAS, governance of a City relies on the cooperative efforts of elected officials, who
set policy; and City Staff members, who analyze problems and issues, make recommendations,
and implement and/or administer the Board’s policies. Every effort should be made to cooperate
with and show mutual respect for the contributions made by individual City Staff members for the
good of the community; and

WHEREAS, a member’s responsibility does not entitle any Board member to monopolize
the City’s resources, usurp the judgment of the City Administrator or interfere with a City Staff
member carrying out his or her duties; and

WHEREAS, Board members should treat all City Staff members as professionals, channel
communications and concerns through the City Administrator, never publicly criticize individual
Staff or officers—instead, directing such concerns to the City Administrator—avoid involvement in
administrative functions, be cautious about communicating the City’s position on policy issues, and
rely upon City Staff to respond to citizen complaints and concerns; and,

WHEREAS, each Board member is accountable to the full Board for his or her actions; and

RESOLUTION NO: R-3373-21
Page 2 of 5

WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the Board that Alderman Greg Walters has
engaged in a pattern of conduct that is or may be in violation of the Code of Ethics and Conduct
provisions set out above, among others, as it regards his interactions, in public and private, with
City Staff, fellow Aldermen, and others; and

WHEREAS, such conduct or pattern thereof is inappropriate; and

WHEREAS, the Board wishes to express its condemnation of the conduct and make clear
that all City Officials are bound by the Code of Ethics and Conduct.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY
OF RAYTOWN, MISSOURI, AS FOLLOWS:

THAT, the Board finds that Alderman Greg Walters has engaged in acts that violate the
obligations of the Code of Ethics and Conduct in his interactions with the Board, City Staff, and
others over a period of months, as set out in Exhibit “A”; and

FURTHER THAT, Alderman Greg Walters is hereby censured for his conduct in violation of
the provisions of the Code of Ethics and Conduct as set out herein; and

FURTHER THAT, based on input from Aldermen, City Staff, and personal observations, the
assembled board finds the conduct of Alderman Greg Walters, as it regards fellow Aldermen, the
Mayor, the City Administrator, City Staff, and Citizens, to have violated the Code of Ethics and
Conduct as follows:

Recently, a complaint from a City employee was filed with the Mayor and City
Administrator in regard to your recent behavior toward them. The complaint indicates
that you have had communication with the Jackson County Board of Election
Commissioners regarding an incident that occurred in the City Administration office while
a candidate was filing for office. It is my understanding that you were not in the room at
the time of the incident. To send such a complaint, in such a manner, is in direct violation
of the City of Raytown Code of Ethics and Conduct, passed by the Board on November
19, 2019 as Resolution R-3254-19. Your actions violate Section B, Conduct Guidelines,
3. Elected and Appointed Officials’ Conduct with City Staff, Subsection C, “Never
publicly criticize an individual employee” (See Exhibit “B” and “C”).

To Wit: Alderman Walters communicated his complaint to the Jackson County Board of Election
Commissioners, instead of addressing the issue through the chain of command, through private
correspondence, to the Mayor or City Administrator Damon Hodges. This is unacceptable.

FURTHER THAT, in addition to the above violation, since joining the Board, Alderman
Walters has regularly violated other items from the Code of Ethics and Conduct as referenced
above. The Mayor has sent numerous memos/emails to Alderman Walters about how City
business is to be run. The Board has one City employee that answers to the Board: the City
Administrator. The City Administrator was hired by the Board of Aldermen to run the day-to-day
operations of the City. The Mayor has, on numerous occasions, written to Alderman Walters via
email of the need to follow the Board’s procedure for good governance (See Exhibit “D”). It is a
standard that is recognized by Fourth-Class cities with a City Administrator form of government
(See Exhibit “E”). The continuation of this behavior is unacceptable.
RESOLUTION NO: R-3373-21
Page 3 of 5

FURTHER THAT, since being elected, Alderman Walters has chosen to call City
Department Heads directly to ask questions. Even after multiple warnings, Alderman Walters has
ignored this request (See Exhibit “F”). The City Administrator has informed Department Heads, and
Department Heads are instructed, to contact the City Administrator and the Mayor should
Alderman Walters breach the chain of command in the future. The continuation of this behavior is
not acceptable.

FURTHER THAT, Alderman Walters has a propensity to show a pattern of behavior that
violates multiple sections of the Code of Ethics and Conduct document referenced both in letter
and spirit of the code. Below is a summary of each item within the Code of Ethics and Conduct
concerning Alderman Walter’s behavior to aid in ease of edification.

A. ETHICS
• Comply with both the letter and spirit of the laws and policies affecting the operations of
government; and
• Are independent, impartial, and fair in their judgement and actions; and
• Use their public office for the public good, not for personal gain; and
• Conduct public deliberations and processes openly, unless required by law to be
confidential, in an atmosphere of respect and civility.
“Therefore, the Mayor, members of the City’s Board of Aldermen, City Collector, and City Judge
and of all boards, committees and commissions shall conduct themselves in accordance with the
following ethical standards. For ease of reference the term “member” refers to any member of the
Raytown Board of Aldermen, Mayor, City Collector, Municipal Judge or city boards, committees
and commissions established by city ordinance or Mayor and Board of Aldermen policy.”

1. Act in the Public Interest.
• Recognizing the stewardship of the public interest must be their primary concern, members
will work for the common good of the people of Raytown and not for claims and
transactions coming before them (See Exhibit “G”).
Allowing accusations and misinformation to be posted on your blog about the parks
being unsafe or how employees do not do their jobs is not being a good steward of
the public interest.

2. Comply with both the spirit and the letter of the Law and City Policy
• Members shall comply with the laws of the nation, the State of Missouri, and the City of
Raytown in the performance of their public duties.

3. Conduct of Members.
• The professional and personal conduct of members while exercising their office must be
above reproach and avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Members shall refrain from
abusive conduct, personal charges or verbal attacks upon the character or motives of other
members of the Board of Aldermen, Mayor, Boards, committees and commissions, the staff
or public (See Exhibit “H”).

RESOLUTION NO: R-3373-21
Page 4 of 5

4. Respect for Process

• Members shall perform their duties in accordance with the processes and rules of order
established by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen (See Exhibit “I”).

11.Use of Public Resources
• Members shall not use public resources which are not available to the public in general (e.g.,
city staff time, equipment, supplies, or facilities) for private gain or for personal purposes not
otherwise authorized by law. All request for legal opinions shall be remitted to the City
Administrator, who will determine if matter should be forwarded to Legal Counsel. The
Mayor and Board of Aldermen, not individual members, shall give staff direction
regarding the allocation of city resources for substantial projects and modification to
City code (See Exhibit “J”).

14. Policy Role of Members
• Members shall respect and adhere to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen-City Administrator
structure of Raytown City government as outlined in the Raytown City Code. In this structure,
the Board of Aldermen determines the policies of the city with the advice, information and
analysis provided by city staff, boards, committees and commissions, and the public. Except
as provided by the City Code, members shall not interfere with the administrative
functions of the city, the professional duties of city staff or consultants to the city; nor
shall they impair the ability of staff to implement Board of Aldermen policy decisions
(See Exhibit “K”).

15. Independence of Boards, Committees and Commissions
• Because of the value of the independent advice of Boards, Committees, and Commissions to
the public decision-making process, the Mayor and members of the Board of Aldermen shall
refrain from using their position to unduly influence the deliberations or outcomes of
Board, Committee and Commission proceedings (See Exhibit “L”).
16. Positive Workplace Environment
• Members shall support the maintenance of a positive and constructive workplace environment
for city employees and for citizens and businesses dealing with the city. Members shall
recognize their special role in dealings with city employees to in no way create the
perception of inappropriate direction to staff.

B. CONDUCT GUIDELINES
1. Elected and Appointed Officials’ Conduct with Each Other in Public Meetings

(a) Honor the role of the chair in maintaining order
Elected and Appointed Officials’ Conduct with City Staff
(a) Treat all staff as professionals
• Clear, honest communication that respects the abilities, experience, and dignity of each
individual is expected. Poor behavior towards staff is not acceptable.

RESOLUTION NO: R-3373-21
Page 5 of 5
(b) Do not disrupt city staff from their jobs.
• Elected and appointed officials should not disrupt city staff while they are in meetings, on
the phone, or engrossed in performing their job functions in order to have their individual
needs met. Do not attend City staff meetings unless requested by staff – even if the elected
or appointed official does not say anything, his or her presence shows partiality, may
intimidate staff, and hampers staff’s ability to do their job objectively.
(c) Never publicly criticize an individual employee
• Elected and appointed officials should never express concerns about the performance of a
City employee in public, to the employee directly, or to the employee’s manager. Comments
about staff performance should only be made to the City Administrator through private
correspondence or conversation. Appointed officials should make their comments regarding
staff to the City Administrator or the Mayor (See Exhibit “C”).
Allowing/Encouraging blog responses criticizing employees is a violation of the
adopted Code of Ethics and Conduct.
(d). Do not get involved in administrative functions.
• Elected and appointed officials acting in their individual capacity must not attempt to
influence city staff on the making of appointments, awarding of contracts, selecting of
consultants, processing of development applications, or granting of city licenses and
permits.

FURTHER THAT, the Board is expressing its condemnation of conduct of Alderman Greg
Walters and the said violations to the Code of Ethics and Conducts for Elected and Appointed
Officials adopted pursuant to Resolution R-3254-19 on November 19, 2019; and

FURTHER THAT, the Board calls on Alderman Greg Walters to refrain from such behavior
brought forward in this Resolution in the future and to act in a manner which is in accordance with
the Code of Ethics and Conduct and uphold the dignity of his office.

FURTHER THAT this resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after the date of its
passage and approval.

PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of Aldermen and APPROVED by the Mayor of the
City of Raytown, Missouri, the 13th day of April, 2021.
________________________________
Michael McDonough, Mayor
ATTEST: Approved as to Form:
____________________________ ________________________________
Teresa M. Henry, City Clerk Jennifer M. Baird, City Attorney