Ethics Advisory Board says Wichita mayor violated policy

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita Ethics Advisory Board found that Mayor Brandon Whipple violated City Council policy in an incident with a Wichita police officer at a neighborhood association cleanup.

In September of 2022, Whipple attempted to take a load of trash to a pick-up location in south Wichita, where he had a rental home.

Body camera video showed Whipple arguing with the officer who asked him to use a different entrance. Then, the video shows Whipple calling the city manager to say he’d make a complaint about the officer.

The mayor said he was embarrassed by the video but was surprised the body camera did not capture the entire incident.

In its findings, the Ethics Advisory Board says, “The combination of the mayor going in the wrong entrance, refusing to turn around to get in line or leave, contacting the manager during the encounter with the police officer, stating multiple times that the officer ‘didn’t know who I was’ constitutes seeking favor or private gain. The result was the mayor dumped his trash without waiting in line and used the privilege of direct access to the city manager.”

The board said Whipple violated the portion of the policy which says the council should “seek no favors, nor use the prestige of the office for private gain,” but also said it was not a serious violation.

The board said ethics training is required if the complaint is ruled a violation.

The mayor and the person who filed the complaint have seven days to dispute the board’s findings, or the findings become final.