Tulsa World: Target assails ethics complaint

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Target assails ethics complaint

By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Published: 8/21/2008 2:17 AM
Last Modified: 8/21/2008 2:44 AM

A Tulsa Development Authority member said Wednesday that an ethics complaint filed against him by a local developer is "frivolous and malicious."

The member, John Clayman, and another authority member, George Shahadi, are accused of ethics violations by Will Wilkins, the owner of Novus Homes LLC.

Wilkins charges that the two men violated the city's ethics law by participating in the cancellation of a negotiation period with Novus on land near a proposed site for a downtown ballpark.

Clayman claims that the ethics complaints were filed solely to advance the monetary interest of Wilkins, his mother and their undisclosed investors.

Wilkins filed separate complaints against Clayman and Shahadi. He alleges that both had conflicts of interest and should have recused themselves from participating in ending the negotiations.

Clayman said that, at Wilkins' request, he recused himself from an Aug. 7 meeting until he seconded a motion for a vote. He did not participate in that vote, however.

Shahadi refused to recuse himself and voted.

Shahadi said Wednesday that he did not think it was appropriate to comment on the ethics complaint.

Wilkins charges that the two members have conflicts because their employers are involved with the ballpark project or a public trust that will oversee the stadium and the redevelopment of surrounding land.

Clayman said the conflict claim "is equally absurd." He said his actions are consistent with how other elected officials have dealt with the ballpark master plan.

Clayman works for Fredrick Dorwart, a lawyer who is donating his services to the ballpark project. Dorwart drafted a public trust document for the creation of the Tulsa Stadium Trust to oversee the baseball stadium and redevelopment of surrounding land.

In a five-page letter to Mayor Kathy Taylor defending Clayman, Dorwart said, "Mr. Wilkins' insinuation that someone is profiting from this effort is insidious and you (Taylor) should immediately and unequivocally reject it."

Dorwart also states that the city is not his client as Wilkins claims.

Shahadi works for Williams Cos., which is a donor to the project. Its CEO, Steven Malcolm, is slated to be a member of the proposed trust, the creation of which is subject to council approval.

Wilkins also charged that Clayman participated in discussions regarding Novus' negotiations at a July 8 meeting, but Clayman did not attend that meeting.

Another authority member — Paula Bryant-Ellis, a Bank of Oklahoma employee — recused herself from the discussion and vote, also at Wilkins' request. He did not file a complaint against her.

Wilkins had entered into negotiations with the authority in January to redevelop a parcel of downtown property before it was declared in May to be part of the new site for the proposed ballpark.

Authority members have said they ended the negotiations in order to re-evaluate the changed situation, not to stop Novus from participating in the redevelopment of the area.

P.J. Lassek 581-8382
pj.lassek@tulsaworld.com

Ethics ordinance

No city official should have any interest, financial, personal, or organizational, direct or indirect.

Financial interest exists when an action may result directly or indirectly in a financial gain or loss to the official and/or the official’s immediate family to a greater extent than could reasonably be expected to accrue to the general public.

Organizational interest exists when a city official is a director or a member of a board that establishes policy and/or budgetary decisions for the entity.

Personal interest exists if a direct or indirect relationship, interest or relationship not shared by the general public could be reasonably expected to impair the city official’s objectivity or independence of judgment.

City officials shall not participate in action in which they have a related financial, organizational or personal interest. The possibility, not the actuality, of a conflict shall govern.

Intentional violation shall be grounds for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal or removal from office.

A seven-member Ethics Advisory Committee was created in 2005 to issue recommendations to the city on ethical issues.

By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment olddude, (8/21/2008 7:10:50 AM) this commitee and mayor have no ethics.
	Report Comment matt w, Tulsa (8/21/2008 8:27:13 AM) if you read the ethics ordinance, they are in direct violation of it. "City officials shall not participate in action in which they have a related financial, organizational or personal interest. The possibility, not the actuality, of a conflict shall govern." They both have related financial and organizational interest in the ballpark, so they are in breach of the ethics ordinance.
	Report Comment DowntownNow, (8/21/2008 10:39:45 AM) "Clayman said that, at Wilkins' request, he recused himself from an Aug. 7 meeting until he seconded a motion for a vote. He did not participate in that vote, however." Funny, I didn't know that an official gets to jump in and out of a recussal. First he recuses then he jumps back in to second the vote but then recuses again so he doesnt vote? Also, a blog thread said that he recused himself for the same reason during an April meeting of the TDA but now he seems no reasont o recuse?! Am I missing something here?
	Report Comment matt w, Tulsa (8/21/2008 11:53:09 AM) No you are not missing anything. He is a FLIP-FLOPPER!!
	Report Comment tfromtulsa, Tulsa (8/21/2008 1:12:25 PM) "Intentional violation shall be grounds for disciplinary action up to and including dismissal or removal from office." Do Clayman and Shahadi intend to get around the "intentional violation" by feigning ignorance?
	Report Comment matt w, Tulsa (8/21/2008 1:26:10 PM) They will try and since it is a city official that is doing the ethics investigation, they will get away with it too.
	Report Comment bearway, (8/21/2008 4:35:08 PM) Dirty Politics like these two practiced make Tulsa Government look like a third world oligarchy, oh wait MY mistake, they are just that. Time to clean house, elect some folks who actually live here into government and have Citizens serve a while, then return to private life and work for a living.

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