NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Metro Council members have voted to defer a resolution seeking to ask embattled Davidson County Clerk John Arriola to step down.
The resolution, proposed by Council member Robert Duvall, was created after a new report from the State Comptroller's office came out.
In the audit State auditors confirmed what NewsChannel 5 reported months ago – that Arriola pocketed more than $100,000 for weddings he performed while working for county taxpayers. They also found he put his former campaign manager on the county payroll and didn't require him to document the time he worked.
"For us to let a criminal investigation carry out, which could be months, and allow somebody to continue to operate their business as usual, which we know is wrong – it's time to ask John to step aside and do the honorable thing," said Duvall when he proposed the first resolution last summer.
Arriola has denied doing anything wrong and called the thousands of dollars of money he received a "modest" gratuity. During the meeting, Arriola's lawyer claimed that the $40 fee was allowed under the law.
The Metro Council Rules Committee voted unanimously, 10-1 to defer the resolution.
