The Montgomery County inspector general has decided not to open an investigation in whether a County Council member violated county ethics laws.
Inspector General Edward Blansitt responded to a request from Gino Renne, president of the Montgomery County Government Employees Organization, to investigate whether Councilwoman Valerie Ervin, D-Silver Spring, violated ethics laws by pushing for a no-bid $1.3 million contract from a Montgomery County real estate investor to streamline the county's planning process.
Blansitt said no investigation was warranted and that he believes no ethics laws were broken.
"If Councilmember Ervin promoted the concept because she believed it to be a good idea, or because her constituent wanted her help in presenting the concept to council members," he wrote, "such usual and customary constituent services are not prohibited by the ethics law."
