Trakas said Read has “no evidence that I was in any way inappropriate with her. I’m straightforward and blunt, but in terms of inappropriate behavior, (there was) zero.”

Orwick on Tuesday asked the council to let her office hire outside lawyers “for the provision of investigation, recommendation and representation in personnel matters that involve asserted violations of the law ….” At a work session before the meeting, council members asked her what it was about and she said they had to trust her that the lawyers were needed.

The council later voted 7-0 to bypass its normal two-week process for passing legislation to approve the request.

Orwick said in an email on Wednesday she could not comment on whether someone had filed a complaint against Trakas, but that any such records would be confidential.

Trakas was elected to the council in 2016. In May 2017, he fired aide Carmen Wilkerson, previously the mayor of the former city of St. George. Wilkerson helped run a recall effort against Trakas in the 6th District that collected signatures but ultimately violated a state campaign finance law and stalled.