Julie Meadows-Keefe, the city's independent ethics officer, is demanding that Mayor John Dailey publicly apologize to her and the city write her a $450,000 check in return for her to step down from her post by the end of the year.

Her attorney, Marie Mattox of Tallahassee, fired off an extraordinary email Sunday to City Attorney Cassandra Jackson, laying out nine separate demands to the city.

Meadows-Keefe, who has served as ethics officer for the past five years, announced in July she planned to step down in February 2020, a move that came after mounting criticism over a personal relationship she had with an appointed city official and other matters.

Dailey grilled her during a City Commission meeting last month and later wrote a My Turn article in the Tallahassee Democrat, accusing her of "unethical behavior." He later told the Democrat he supports her immediate departure as ethics officer.

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"First, John Dailey has shamed, berated, humiliated and embarrassed Ms. Keefe," Mattox wrote. "That bell cannot be unrung. Her reputation has been destroyed publicly and without a public and written apology from Mr. Dailey, the issues between Ms. Keefe and the city cannot be effectively and privately resolved."

Dailey, reached this morning for comment, referred questions to the city attorney. He suggested, however, that an apology to Meadows-Keefe may be unlikely.

“I believe all elected and appointed officials are not above public criticism," Dailey said. "And I believe that here in Tallahassee, I have an obligation and a responsibility to express my concerns when appropriate.”

Mattox accused Dailey of misusing his position in numerous ways, including "overstepping his boundaries" in trying to get Ms. Keefe fired.

"He has pushed publicly and privately for her termination in a malicious and calculated way," Mattox said. "This is wrong, however you cut it. This may actually be a separate ethics issue that should be reported to the State Ethics Commission, in and of itself."

Mattox's email, which was also sent to Ethics Board attorney John Reid, says Meadows-Keefe will agree to resign after the Independent Ethics Board's meeting in December if her terms are met.

The demands include that Dailey and Ethics Board Chairman Richard Herring "govern themselves accordingly," with no retaliation against Meadows-Keefe, and that a letter of recommendation be given to her "to assist in locating alternative employment."

Mattox also asked that Meadows-Keefe's family health insurance be paid for a full year or until she secures new coverage and that she be paid $1,200 to cover memberships to the Capital Tiger Bay Club that she purchased with Ethics Board funds but was later asked to repay out of her own pocket.

The letter also asked for an item to be placed on the Ethics Board agenda about city officials lobbying its members for Meadows-Keefe's ouster.

The email also demanded that Herring publicly acknowledge "everything she has accomplished" over the past five years and all of the hard work she has done for the board."

Mattox, who said the email was a possible precursor to a lawsuit, told the Tallahassee Democrat today that it is "unfortunate" that the letter became public because Meadows-Keefe was hoping for "a private resolution."

"Everything that was said in that letter was true," Mattox said. "And the mayor has publicly berated her enough. We will hope for this matter to be amicably resolved. We're hoping the city will step up and do the right thing and recognize how she has been hurt by the mayor."

The demand email hit City Hall's door step at the same time Meadows-Keefe's critics have turned up the volume on their calls for her to resign. Earlier this month, a group of business people, lobbyists and politicians, some aligned with Dailey, called on Meadows-Keefe to step down immediately.

Back story:Citizens group calls for ouster of Independent Ethics Board officer and attorney

A member of Citizens for Ethics Reform, the group that backed a voter referendum in 2014 that created the Ethics Board and the officer position, also called for her resignation last week, barring a public hearing on the relationship controversy.

The drama comes mere days before city commissioners, the Ethics Board and Meadows-Keefe are set to discuss stringent new ethics code proposals. A commission workshop on the ethics code revisions is set for Monday at City Hall.

Meadows-Keefe, who earns $96,000 a year, was hired just before the referendum by Lew Shelley, then city attorney, and Bert Fletcher, then city auditor.

Members of the citizens group and others have long seen her as too close to city officials, a criticism that only intensified after news of the relationship surfaced. The identity of the appointed official has never been publicly revealed.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.