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PROVO — The Provo City councilman in the middle of an ethics investigation has resigned.
Originally, Steve Turley said in a statement he was going to be at the Provo City Council meeting Tuesday night to fight for his position on the city council. Instead, he decided hand in a letter of resignation and not come to the meeting.
For the past 11 months, Turley, 43, has been the focus of criminal and ethical investigations into his business dealings — allegations the councilman has denied throughout the process. He denied any wrongdoing again in his letter of resignation.
I hoped to have the opportunity to address the council and the public - to demonstrate the reasons why I strongly feel that I have not violated any ethics standards or statues. I regret not being able to do so.
–Steve Turley's letter to the Provo City Council
"I hoped to have the opportunity to address the council and the public … to demonstrate the reasons why I strongly feel that I have not violated any ethics standards or statues," the letter reads. "I regret not being able to do so."
All along, Turley said he was innocent and was not abusing his role as city councilman. However, the Utah County Attorney's Office came back with 10 second-degree felonies against him, saying he engaged in a course of conduct to defraud others, or "to obtain money, property, or other items by false means."
Council members could have voted to dismiss Turley, suspend him, or censure him. Provo City Council Chairman Rick Healey said the council was unanimous, and they would have voted to suspend him.
"(The City Council) was unified in being prepared tonight to find that violations of the (Utah Public Officers' and Employees' Ethics Act) were committed by council member Turley and that dismissal was the appropriate action to be taken," he said.
Because of Turley's letter, that decision was taken out of the council's hands.
"We have reached a decision to accept Mr. Turley's resignation," Healey said in a statement signed by the six members of the council, as well as Mayor Curtis. "This has been a difficult period for Provo city, and the council can now get back to focusing on the needs of the city."
KSL News also spoke to some of Turley's supporters, who said they still don't believe everything the investigation found. They also said they don't blame Turley for not coming to the meeting because they feel it was already stacked against him.
At this point, the City Council considers this matter closed is is looking forward to moving ahead.
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Written with contributions from Alex Cabrero and Jared Page.
