DA: No charges against Wichita mayor in water-treatment plant controversy

In a 20-page review concerning allegations against Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell and the contract reward for a new water-treatment plant, Sedgwick County Marc Bennett concludes the mayor needs to fix some paperwork, but will not face any charges.

Accusations from a story in The Wichita Eagle.

claimed Longwell steered the city's multi-million dollar water plant contract to his friends.

Longwell

responded to the accusations

saying the Eagle report was "unfair and inaccurate."

In an email to Eyewitness News early this month, the DA's office says it received multiple emails, all from one person, and

those messages laid out concerns related to The Wichita Eagle's report and the mayor.

With the paperwork concern stemming from the issue, Bennett says "the mayor filed his Substantial Interest Form in 2017 for goods or services received in 2016 but incorrectly submitted it to the Kansas Secretary of State."

Bennett says "the failure to accurately report a substantial interest form may be charged as a class B misdemeanor," but the Kansas Ethics Commission usually requests the office holder file a corrected form."

With this, Bennett explains the grounds for not charging Longwell.