Carlson, Deaver Accuse Chiles of RoadBlocks

CITY COUNCIL SCUFFLE OVER SQUARE

Deaver Requests Legal Opinion on Chiles' "Thinly Veiled Threats"

Chiles: "I haven't undermined anything."

Springfield Mayor Tom Carlson and and councilman Gary Deaver are accusing fellow councilman Dan Chiles of undermining the city's plan to renovate the downtown square.

In an e-mail exchange between council members sent to the KY3 Political Notebook Thursday, Dan Chiles responded to the complaints by Deaver.

"I haven't undermined anything. The staff has, in my opinion, blundered through this process and I suppose they need to blame someone," said Chiles in a chilly response to Deaver.

"I hope the public doesn't think I'm getting all this pressure because I'm asking questions about the possible waste of public money," Chiles added.

Deaver had sent an e-mail regarding his concerns with Chiles. "Like Mayor Carlson, I have serious concerns regarding your apparent continued attempts to undermine the Council supported renovation of the square and the accompanying renewal of the Heers building. You and I have had pointed conversations on this matter so you are well aware of my positions," Deaver wrote.

"Since we have been seen Dan carbon copied (cc) as Councilman Chiles on several e-mails from organizations looking to delay our efforts. It appears Dan is acting as a Councilman in contacting these organizations. Additionally in a newspaper story Dan wrote, he offered very thinly veiled threats to obstruct the Council approved renovation. The byline of the story was Councilman Dan Chiles. I'd like a legal opinion as to the appropriateness of these activities which are directly opposed to Council action," Deaver added.

To that, Chiles fired back, "Nosing around my private e-mails won't fix their problems. You get what you pay for. I write lots of e-mails and they are on my own time, on my own computers and using my personal e-mail service. Do what I did: contact Betsy Merritt and Charles Birnbaum. They are excellent people who work to preserve historic places. Their advice is grounded in the law and they have practical experience regarding federal funds."

Deaver appears to have concerns about the financial fallout if the square project is delayed or blocked. "If Dan's efforts to delay the Council approved renovation of the square jeopardizes our timeline commitment to McGowan, what is the financial downside for the City? Assuming we lose our contract with McGowan and are required to buy back the building," Deaver asked.

Before moving forward, Chiles wants information on the city's spending on design fees, the anticipated spending on total fees. He also wants to know if the city paid for a research trip to the Halprin archives in Pennsylvania.

"Maybe Bob can find the time to answer the questions I asked almost a week ago," Chiles said.
"Meanwhile, I think you are doing an excellent job with the new City Manager search," he added.