MATTHEWS, N.C. — An internal investigation in the town of Matthews is suggesting that the board of commissioners made changes to how they conduct closed session meetings.
This came after information from one of their closed sessions was potentially leaked illegally.
The investigation started after Matthews Mayor John Higdon said someone approached him asking about information from a closed session in April that the person should not have known.
Higdon asked where the person heard that information; however, they allegedly refused to answer.
The meeting was about the town’s legal strategy in an ongoing lawsuit against a local media outlet concerning alleged police mistreatment of a person in custody.
The conclusion of the investigation names current Town Commissioner Mark Tofano and Mayor Pro Tem Gina Hoover as the most likely sources of the leak.
The investigation recommends that the board remind each member about the rules surrounding the release of closed session information at the start of each session, discuss what is allowed to be discussed outside the room, and amend the board’s codes of ethics to prohibit breaches in closed sessions.
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