I don't think people are dismissing it, no one questions it as an ethincs violation, in fact its a point of law and indisputable. What is questionable is the removal of the mayor by fiat as a penalty.
The rules of the MCIA allow exceptions for cases where: "...conflict was an inadvertent error, or the sum of money involved was so trivial as that no conflict would be created...." You could argue that both of those exceptions apply. I don't see the penalty surviving an appeal.
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