On Monday August 11, 2025 just prior to the city of Washington council meeting, Larry Hill, councilman representing District 1, stated he was walking into the Pope Center and was stopped by mayor Bruce Bailey. He said Bailey told him an ethics complaint had been filed against him and that he wouldn’t be able to attend the city council meeting. It is worth noting that District 1 is already at a disadvantage with the seat left open by Maceo Mahoney, still vacant. If Hill had not attended the meeting, Councilman Nathaniel Cullars Sr. would have been the only representative of District 1 able to vote. Hill said he asked who filed the ethics complaint and Bailey told him he “didn’t know.” Hill said Bailey had papers in his hand as he was talking to him.
Hill told Bailey he wanted to discuss the matter with city attorney Adam Nelson who was also at the Pope Center for the meeting. Nelson told Hill and Bailey that he didn’t know the details of the complaint and until the complaint was researched, Hill should be able to attend the meeting.
The city has a very specific protocol for handling ethics complaints. The complaint is received and if made against a council member, the mayor must appoint a three person committee made up of current councilmen, to investigate the complaint. The investigative committee can decide to dismiss the complaint or move on to have a hearing in which the person who made the complaint can share evidence and the person who the complaint is made against, has an opportunity to refute allegations.
No place in the city code does it state any one person can decide if a complaint is valid or to be dismissed. No place does it state a council member should not attend meetings while a complaint is being investigated. There have been many instances of ethics complaints being filed against council members and they continued to attend meetings and fully represent their constituents.
Hill asked for a copy of the complaint to be provided to him and he said he did receive a copy of the complaint which you can see below this article.
The complaint was made by Lisa Fisher. Fisher was appointed by Bailey to be a commissioner of the Housing Authority Board and she is the wife of current District 2 councilman, David Fisher. The complaint has a handwritten date of 8/11/25, and was filed approximately three hours prior to the city council meeting, 2:30 PM. It is unknown who wrote this on the document or who received the complaint. The City of Washington municipal code states any ethics complaint made of a council member is to be made to the mayor. Fisher alleges in the complaint “Conflict of Interest-Councilman Larry Hill has personal ties to Four E Youth organization and she shares quotes from interviews with Roxeann Cobb, founder of the organization and things Hill has said in support of the organization. She references state codes but none of the codes listed in the City of Washington Municipal charter, which the city is governed by. She also mentions that Hill has encouraged the city to donate money to Four E Youth to help with costs of educational trips and summer programming. It is unknown at this time who wrote CASE CLOSED across one of the documents, as per the city code, no one person can decide the outcome of an ethics violation report.
It is not a violation for a council member to show their support for civic organizations or their opinions on where city funds should be spent. That is one of the duties of the elected members of council. The mayor himself and other members of council have often publicly supported Armor of God Boxing organization as well as Four E Youth Organization and other businesses in Washington. City employee drug testing is even conducted at MedNow, where the mayor is employed.
Hill said he has no financial interest in Four E Youth and does not sit on their board. He said he has not received gifts from Four E Youth Organization in exchange for his support. Roxeann Cobb confirmed this. Fisher hasn't provided any evidence to support her allegations, in the complaint.
Hill said “I am a representative of my district where the majority of the youth in Four E live, it is my job to support organizations that help people I serve. He went on to say he supports organizations such as Wilkes County Community Partnerships, the fire department and other organizations that bring value to the people he represents.
Hill said city attorney, Adam Nelson told him there was no evidence in the complaint to support Fisher’s allegations and that he didn’t think it would “go anywhere.”
Fisher being a commissioner on the Housing Authority Board is significant in that many of the children who attend Four E, live in housing authority housing and the board makes decisions regarding resources and support for that community. It is also a federal board that is funded by HUD. Fisher has made public comments during a Washington city council meeting stating her opinion that the city should not give any money to non-profit entities. The city has for many years given funds to the animal shelter, WCCP and other non-profits.
This story is developing.
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