Third MSD board member resigns

Under pressure from Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, a third member of the Metropolitan Sewer District board of directors has stepped down in the wake of reports that their companies benefited financially from no bid contracts.Board member Beverly Wheatley, a former MSD chair, submitted her resignation earlier today after the Courier-Journal reported that she received over $25,000 for roofing work earlier this month.Last week, former Chairman Audwin Helton voluntarily stepped down in the wake of reports that his company received over $600,000 from MSD contracts that were not competitively bid. Fischer quickly asked Wheatley and fellow board member Marty Hoehler to resign, citing a violation of the public trust. The mayor's office has said that Fischer plans to fill all three vacancies in the next two weeks.Since the shake up, the MSD board of directors have selected a new chairman and vice-chair in addition to adopting a new ethics policy. In response, Metro Council members say it doesn't go far enough and that MSD should abide by the city's ethics law.