Friday, August 2, 2002
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Friday, August 2, 2002 |
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PTC Mayor: time to look for a new city attorney By JOHN
MUNFORD
Upset with the performance of current City Attorney Rick Lindsey, Peachtree City Mayor Steve Brown wants to hire a new person for the job. Brown would not reveal whether the idea has the support of other council members, calling it "volatile speculation." But as far as he's concerned, "I think it might be better if we looked for an external source." Brown is upset about a recent legal opinion from Lindsey that concluded the mayor did not have to face the ethics board over a minor issue in which the mayor turned himself in. Brown, however, wants to face the music partly to "promote" ethics in city government. Brown cited himself for allowing a city employee to take his daughter to golf practice because he could not do so due to a conflict in his mayoral schedule for a meeting on local sales tax issues. Brown has also offered to reimburse the city with a payment for the employee's time in performing that task. Brown said he feels a formal ethics board hearing would promote ethics in the city and as mayor he feels the need to be held accountable. He also added that in the current political climate, "I've got people gunning for me and waiting for me to do something they can slam me on. "I don't want people to come forward and say only certain people have to come before the ethics board and some don't," Brown said. "... I am very much in favor of an open process and making sure everybody gets heard." Lindsey indicated to Brown that a formal ethics board hearing is not necessary unless someone files a written ethics complaint against him. "I don't have any confidence in that opinion," Brown said. Brown also questioned several of Lindsey's recent actions in highlighting his reasons for considering a change in the city attorney position. "He is involved in a contractual dispute," Brown said, referring to the brouhaha over hotel-motel tax contracts that Lindsey negotiated on behalf of the city last year. Several council members have claimed that the contracts were changed significantly from the version council approved having Mayor Bob Lenox sign last year. Lenox contends the changes were provided to council members before they voted on the issue. Lindsey failed to show up to the resulting ethics hearing on a complaint against councilman Steve Rapson, Brown said. Lindsey was also not present when council voted to have an independent counsel review the contract dispute, Brown said. The mayor also alleged that Lindsey's legal opinion forbidding Rapson from voting on Development Authority matters because of his wife's lawsuit against the authority should not have applied in that situation. Kristi Rapson has sued the authority claiming she was unfairly paid compared to the compensation provided to former tennis center director Virgil Christian, who is now the executive director of the authority.
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