Bassett Violates Town’s Nepotism Ordinance (appoints first cousin)
One of Edgewood’s earliest ordinances as a newly incorporated municipality was the Nepotism Ordinance, signed August 1999. It was very important to 
the community that the town’s business be fairly and equitably handled, and as such, they sought to, “avoid the practice or appearance of nepotism in employment.” Edgewood Nepotism Ordinance
The Nepotism Ordinance states, “no person shall be hired in any capacity or appointed in any capacity as a volunteer if the person is a relative of the Mayor, the Councilors, or the Municipal Judge.”
Despite the ordinance, upon taking office in 2016, Mayor Bassett appointed his first cousin (Cheryl Huppertz*) to the town’s Planning & Zoning Commission. He re-appointed her two years later, in 2018, to another term on P&Z. Both appointments violated the town’s Nepotism ordinance.
Although he himself served many years as chair of P&Z and should have been well-versed in the requirements and limitations of appointees, Bassett has publicly claimed that he was unaware of the ordinance. He has also publicly stated that their were items in the P&Z pipeline when he took office that he felt should not be delayed, so he made appointments quickly. However, that does not explain allowing Ms, Huppertz to remain on the commission or her re-appointment to an additional term.
The mayor’s actions have left the town open to having to defend any decisions made by P&Z during Ms. Huppertz serve while Mayor Bassett was mayor. The mayor’s frequent attendance at P&Z meetings and his desire to “train them” further added to the potential for undue influence by the mayor over P&Z, which should operate independently and then bring their conclusions and/or planning documents to the council for consideration.
The mayor’s actions are clear grounds for dismissal under the Nepotism Ordinance, “…any employee or volunteer who willfully violates this Section is guilty of malfeasance of office or position and shall be subject to dismissal or removal.”
*NOTE: For the record, Huppertz had previously been appointed to and served on P&Z under Mayor Brad Hill. She has a history of service to the community and CORE is not making any statement regarding her her capability to serve, only that as the mayor’s first cousin, she was ineligible to be appointed by Mayor Bassett. The Nepotism violation is the Mayor’s responsibility. Huppertz voluntarily resigned her position when the conflict came to light.
