Attorney John B. Pound

Los Alamos County has contracted with Santa Fe trial and appellate attorney John B. Pound to conduct an investigation into an ethics complaint filed against County Councilors Susan O’Leary and James Chrobocinski. The complaint was filed by former resident Patrick Brenner in connection with the two Councilors involvement with a Political Action Committee during the recent Recreation Bond Election.

County officials said total compensation of the contract is not to exceed $12,000 and the term of the agreement ends Dec. 1, unless terminated sooner. Under the scope of the services, Pound will complete the investigation and provide written findings to the Council. There is no attorney-client relationship between Pound and the County and he will not be acting in conjunction with the County Attorney’s Office. His findings will be public record under the Inspection of Public Records Act.

Deputy County Manager Steve Lynne said Wednesday that the complaint was properly filed under the provisions of the Los Alamos Municipal Code and will be investigated. He said from time to time, different professionals have been hired by the County for different kinds of investigations.

Chrobocinski said on social media this week that he feels this is yet just another harassment of him from two particular individuals.

“They have put fake stories about me all over the Internet, they have used my picture in their Facebook page, and now they’ve created a fake Twitter about me. The person who filed this ethics complaint and his mother are constantly harassing me and my family. I work very hard to try to make this a better community. While not everyone may always agree with my opinion, I try to be respectful of those who disagree. I think there is no place for this type of vitriol and our small community,” he said.

Chrobocinski told the Los Alamos Daily Post Wednesday evening that he shared that fake Twitter account on the local Facebook page “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” because people need to see what he is having to deal with.

“It brings into question the motives behind the ethics complaint filed against me,” he said. “I feel very confident that the investigator will find I have done nothing wrong.”

Chrobocinski said the PAC was established with the full knowledge of the County Attorney.

“It was our way to make sure there was complete transparency,” he said. “I could have advocated for passage of the bond as an individual but setting up the PAC ensured we were doing everything out in the open.”