On October 14, 2013, the lobbyist for the Mckibbon Hotel Group (MHG), Gary Yordon, responded favorably to a request by City Manager Anita Favors to donate money to charitable organization she was representing.
Just one week later, October 22, 2013, Mr.Yordon, received a personal notification via email at the direction of the City Manager Anita Favors Thompson.The email, listed below, notified Mr. Yordon about an agenda item affecting his client, MHG, which was added late to the agenda for the City Commission meeting on October 23, 2013. The email was sent, 5:01 pm, the day before the City Commission meeting.
The issue involved the development of a piece of property at the corner of Tennessee Street and Monroe Street and a request by MHG to further delay the time table due to pending litigation.
TM Street, LLC, the development company challenging the MHG project, was not notified by the City Manager about the meeting that took place less than 24 hours after being added to the agenda.
David Theriaque, the lawyer representing TM Street, LLC, told Tallahassee Reports “we were not notified about the meeting” and indicated he was not aware of the meeting until after it took place.
Did the City Manager violate any rules or laws?
Chapter 112.313 section (6) of the Florida Statutes that regulates standards of conduct for public officers, and employees of agencies reads:
“No public officer, employee of an agency, or local government attorney shall corruptly use or attempt to use his or her official position or any property or resource which may be within his or her trust, or perform his or her official duties, to secure a special privilege, benefit, or exemption for himself, herself, or others.”
Was the email Mr. Yordon received at the direction of the City Manager a benefit? Why weren’t other interested parties notified?
Tallahassee Reports has submitted additional data requests on this subject. Check back for more information.
One Developer Gets Message from Tallahassee City Manager, One Does Not added by Staff on
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Hey Gary, what time is it. Heh, heh.
Whether or not this is an ethical breach should be determined by a city ethics officer, not us or the media. Sadly, the commission has manufactured enough reasons to avoid a substantive vote on the ethics officer issue.
Some cities have the mafia, mobs, and others have gangs, but we have the Usual Suspects. A long-standing pocket of corruption that thrives due to news stations and news editors looking the other way, promoting, and even hiring them. Public officials give them contracts, special treatment, and favors (no pun intended).
When this cesspool of corruption is cleansed from our midst then we will shine once again.