Early Tuesday evening, Louisville’s Metro Council voted unanimously to remove Democrat Dr. Judith Green from her position as First District Councilwoman.  The vote of the council was 20-0 in favor of removal; based upon two findings that Green violated city ethics rules regarding money paid for the "Green Clean Team" youth program and money illegally laundered through the 100 Black Men group.

The council deliberated in private, before announcing its decision, after two days of public hearings.  Despite being subpoenaed to appear, Green did not show up for any of the hearings, and her attorney walked out in protest shortly after the hearing began yesterday.

Green resigned her position last Thursday, but council rules make the resignation official at the council's next regularly scheduled meeting on September 22.  The council's decision mean Green cannot run for the First District seat in a special election.

Yesterday, at the commencement of the removal hearing, Green’s attorney, Derwin Webb, asked the council to dismiss the removal charges and not hold the hearing.  When the council unanimously overruled his motion, Webb excused himself from serving further as Green's attorney, and walked out of the council chambers.

Attorney Gregg Hovious, acting prosecutor in the case against Green, then gave his opening statement to the council:  "I am going to prove to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dr. Green is guilty of this conduct."  He outlined Green’s violations of Metro ethics rules, starting with her self-dealing and mismanagement of her summer jobs program, stating, "I don't see how you can say you're a role model when you pay your own child $385 for five days work and some child that has been working for 15 or 20 days gets $180."

Hovious called several witnesses to prove his case against Green:

• Former Green aide Melody Hill testified that she told the councilwoman that “what she was doing was wrong.”  She testified that Green asked the treasurer of the group 100 Black Men to ask for more money than the non-profit needed so she could redirect funds to other groups.
• Hovious showed documents revealing Green had endorsed checks made out to her own children to participate in the program, and additionally, her son Joshua, who had a full-time job with Metro Parks, was also being paid by the program.
• Eddie Woods, of the non-profit Life Institute, testified that Green and her husband actually ran the summer jobs program—the Green Clean Team—despite the fact that Green told people that Woods and his Life Institute were in charge.  "It ruined us as an organization," Woods said. "We've had two years of fighting as a result."

WDRB-41 film of Monday’s removal hearing

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