Ethics Complaint Filed Against Ward 8 Concord City Councilor

CONCORD, NH — A second ethics violation has been filed with the city clerk’s office against a sitting city councilor.

Dennis Soucy of Russell Street, a long-time resident of Ward 8 and a former city council candidate, called out Ali Sekou, who was elected in November 2023, for possible violations of rules and code of ethics policies. Sekou, during an April Concord City Council meeting, appeared to have violated the recusal provision by failing to announce why he was not voting on a 79E tax exemption extension for the First Church Holdings project. He also failed to recuse himself from the entire question being discussed at the beginning of the process and only did so during the vote.

Sekou is the president of the IQRA Islamic Society of Greater Concord, a mosque that abuts the property, and was involved in a lawsuit against the city of Concord due to the zoning board of appeals approving the project, a 30-unit apartment proposal, due to limited parking spaces.

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After being told he possibly violated the council’s recusal process and suggesting he should correct the failure from the April meeting at the council’s May meeting, Sekou refused to correct the problem.

“We don’t need this in Concord,” Soucy wrote in his letter to the board. “Many voters did not know (about the lawsuit) until after he was elected. It is time to answer questions in an open hearing with the mayor and city council and the public.”

Soucy filed the ethics complaint with the city clerk on Thursday.

Soucy said Sekou needed to “clear the air and tell the truth or step down.” He added, “Everybody is innocent until proven guilty. Here is your chance to do the right thing.”

A settlement is reportedly in the works. However, according to superior court records, the lawsuit remains active after a status conference hearing on May 16, in Hillsborough County Superior Court North.

This is the second ethics violation request this week.

A Ward 5 resident filed a complaint against Ward 5 City Councilor Stacey Brown for failing to recuse herself of conflicts, identifying herself as a councilor at meetings, and violating council rules, charter, and the state’s open meeting law.

Sekou did not return an email seeking comment on Friday.

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