LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville Metro Councilmember, and top local Republican, is one day closer to learning his fate in a trial centered on an accusation of ethics code violations.
Councilmember Anthony Piagentini, who represents parts of eastern Jefferson County, testified in his own defense for a second straight day in front of the city's Ethics Commission, maintaining he's done nothing wrong. Piagentini's attorney, as well as prosecutors, each made their closing arguments on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of a decision that could decide whether the councilman will continue in his role.
Piagentini faces seven counts of ethics code violations for allegedly leveraging his influence as a local lawmaker to get a job with a local nonprofit.
The Ethics Commission said it'll spend Thursday in executive session, privately discussing the evidence and testimony before reaching a verdict. It's unclear how long that could take or whether they'll even make a decision by week's end.
The complaint stems from $40 million in American Rescue Plan funds that Metro Council allocated to the Healthcare Workforce Innovation Coalition in Dec. 2022, when the full council approved the proposal.
That day, Piagentini, then co-sponsor of the ordinance, abstained from a vote -- noting a "potential conflict of interest." The very next day, records show Piagentini took a consulting job with the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council, the nonprofit group that formed the coalition receiving millions in funding.
Prosecutors argued the job prospect influenced the decision for Piagentini to push for the grant up until the final vote. They believed Piagentini knew future employment was on the table back in November, when he received a non-disclosure agreement from his now-employer.
It was the same day the ordinance was discussed in committee, with Piagentini participating in that conversation.
"I mean yeah, I would [have been] crazy if I didn't say, 'Wow, I wonder if this is related to a job.' When you see something like that, there is something that's coming -- at that point it was unclear to me 100 percent what it could have been," Piagentini said.
On Wednesday, he said the moment he was aware of a job offer from the nonprofit, he stopped advocating for the major influx of dollars toward their initiative.
WHAS11 News also heard from Kevin Fields Sr., the president of a nonprofit that didn't get the funding -- and the man who first filed the complaint to the Ethics Commission.
"He got a job at the end of it, [and] she got the grant, so that network was successful in prevailing based on their respective interests," Fields said, also referencing the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council's president.
Fellow Republican Councilmember Kevin Kramer testified that the Metro Council still would have voted yes, regardless.
"I believe the outcome would have been the same," he said.
But Council President Markus Winkler, a Democrat, told prosecutors that Piagentini should have kept the Council in the loop from the start.
"I think [this is all] a terrible look," he said.
If the Ethics Commission finds Piagentini did in fact violate Louisville's ethics code, the Metro Council would have the power to remove him from his position as councilmember.
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