LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville woman has filed an ethics complaint against Metro Councilmember Donna Purvis, accusing her of violating the rules of the council and requesting she be removed from office for her actions the night of the Sept. 5 council meeting.
Shirley Gwyn, a tenant at the Mt. Lebanon Senior Apartments, claims Purvis inappropriately confronted her both during and after the public comment portion of the meeting.
It eventually led to a shouting match later that night inside the apartment building itself.
Purvis' lawyer tells WHAS11 her client is aware of the ethics complaint and "will respond to the allegations made through the appropriate process. She remains primarily focused on her continuing work in District 5."
"It sounds like somebody is trying to create a political conspiracy and make it seem like I'm ignoring these people's concerns, and that is so far from the truth," Purvis told WHAS11 in a sit-down interview in October.
Purvis explained why tempers flared between her, Gwyn, and other members of the Louisville Tenants Union.
"I can't say I was angry. I was disappointed that I was being held accountable for something that I knew nothing about, and something that I had tried to reach out and get a resolution on. They wanted somebody to attack, and I just so happened to be that person available," Purvis told WHAS11.
Gwyn serves as the lead organizer for Mt. Lebanon's chapter of the LTU, speaking on behalf of the seniors who live in the complex. During the September public comment period, Gwyn called out Purvis for not writing a letter to Mt. Lebanon's ownership -- a developer called Allied Argenta -- demanding it address concerns over living conditions.
"We are asking for urgency because our building is infested with poisonous spiders, and it is getting worse," Gwyn said in September. "We have sent three emails to her office and called countless times and still no response. We have nothing but you’re silence.”
Within minutes, Purvis responded, interjecting over the microphone saying, "Ms. Gwyn, you don't have all the facts, and I'm going to provide you with the facts that you need this evening. When I was told about this situation, I was given no details. I'm not writing any letter, putting my name on anything without having all the details and the facts."
Gwyn, talking to WHAS11 in an interview days after the meeting, said, "[Donna Purvis] got agitated, and she cut me completely off from saying my speech. [I] did not get to finish."
In the ethics complaint, Gwyn accuses Purvis of violating the rules of the council, through a "series of inappropriate, harassing, and retaliatory behaviors toward District 5 senior citizens" both during and immediately following the meeting.
Gwyn also points to a moment outside city hall, where video taken by the LTU shows Purvis touch Gwyn's left arm.
"She grabbed my arm. Wait a minute -- don't do that," Gwyn told WHAS11.
Gwyn claims Purvis berated and harassed tenants inside the Mt. Lebanon Senior Apartments building.
Purvis explained her side to WHAS11 in an October interview.
"What people need to realize [is] this is not public housing. This is private housing. This is not a Dosker Manor [situation]," Purvis said. "So, there’s only so much that government can do. [This] is a management problem. [This] is not a government problem."
LMPD says it's reviewing a part of the allegations in the complaint.
Meanwhile, Metro Codes and Regulations confirmed an inspector's report of a brown recluse spider infestation back in July, citing the owner as responsible.
Allied Argenta is based in California. Back in 2021, the Metro Council tasked them to renovate Mt. Lebanon.
The company has not yet returned WHAS11's calls asking about these alleged issues inside.
A spokesperson with Codes and Regulations says the spider infestation has since been addressed. She says so far in 2024, they've 'initiated' 7 cases with Mt. Lebanon Senior Apartments to address other violations, including repairs needed for walls, windows and doors.
That spokesperson says these issues have been fixed.
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