City attorney: Councilman Anderson didn't break ethics rules

Chris Anderson
Chris Anderson

City attorney Wade Hinton said Councilman Chris Anderson didn't break ethics rules when he failed to disclose the representative of a developer seeking a hotly contested zoning change was a host of a campaign fundraiser.

On Tuesday, Hinton told the City Council his staff reviewed the city's ethics code as well as codes from other cities and concluded a campaign contribution did not constitute a "financial interest" for Anderson, and therefore, his failure to disclose the relationship was not unethical.

"This council and our research determined many councils across this country do not consider political contributions as personal," Hinton said.

But the council, at Anderson's request, authorized Hinton to hire an outside attorney to investigate the issue further.

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"The only thing that determines my actions is my decision as to the well-being of my district," Anderson said. "I am gratified to hear from the city attorney that I have done nothing wrong."

But there are enough concerns about his actions, Anderson added, that he wanted an independent investigation to clear his name.

Local activist Helen Burns Sharp filed a conflict-of-interest complaint last week, alleging that Anderson should have disclosed that the representative of the developer seeking a zoning change in order to build a seven-story apartment complex on Cowart Street downtown was also a host for a campaign fundraiser for the councilman.

The representative, local engineer Mike Price, argued before the council at last Tuesday's meeting on behalf of the project, and also is listed as one of 16 hosts for a fundraiser for Anderson.

Council members Chip Henderson and Ken Smith praised Anderson for seeking further investigation of his actions. But fellow council members Yusuf Hakeem, Russell Gilbert and Moses Freeman questioned whether additional research is needed.

Council member Larry Grohn, however, took Anderson to task, noting the ethics code standard is that a "reasonable person" would conclude a conflict of interest exists and Anderson's actions in promoting the zoning change and listing Price as a host of a fundraiser met that standard.

Contact staff writer Steve Johnson at sjohnson@timesfreepress.com, 423-757-6673, on Twitter @stevejohnsonTFP and on Facebook, stevejohnsonTFP.

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