During a recent government meeting, discussions centered around the roles and responsibilities of the Birmingham Museum Board and the Friends of the Birmingham Museum, as well as an ethics complaint involving the museum's director, Leslie Pylock.

A board member, who has served on the Birmingham Museum Board for three years and on the Friends of the Birmingham Museum board for approximately five years, outlined the primary functions of these organizations. The Friends of the Birmingham Museum focus on fundraising and supporting museum operations, while the museum board is tasked with guiding the museum's direction and strategic planning to ensure its relevance in the community.

The board member emphasized the advisory nature of the museum board, stating that their role is to provide guidance based on their expertise, such as in gardening and strategic planning. This involvement was highlighted as a means to enhance the museum's operations and community engagement.

However, the meeting took a serious turn when the board member raised an ethics complaint against museum director Leslie Pylock. The complaint alleges retaliatory actions and character attacks following the board member's attempts to clarify the public record regarding former board member Caroline Ashley. The board member contended that Pylock made unfounded allegations of conflict of interest against Ashley, who is involved in a class action lawsuit related to flooding issues affecting her neighborhood.

The board member called for accountability, questioning whether similar actions were taken against other individuals involved in the lawsuit who also serve on city boards. This complaint underscores the importance of ethical conduct within city governance and the need for transparency in handling conflicts of interest. The meeting concluded with a commitment to uphold the city's ethics code and address the concerns raised.