By Jon Gillooly
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
MARIETTA - City Attorney Doug Haynie may have found himself between the proverbial rock and hard place, caught in the middle of Councilman Philip Goldstein and Mayor Bill Dunaway.
Goldstein asked Haynie in a Tuesday letter for an advisory opinion on whether Goldstein may vote, along with the rest of the City Council, to keep or dump the 10 members on the city's Historic Board of Review.
Dunaway has urged the City Council to replace the 10 board members with the seven members on the Historic Preservation Commission. Dunaway maintains the Historic Board of Review members are largely controlled by Goldstein, who is one of the largest property owners on the Marietta Square.
On whether Goldstein's request made him uncomfortable, Haynie said, "I won't answer that."
Haynie denied being caught between anyone, although he did say his job was to represent the City Council, and not any one member in particular.
Haynie has been the city attorney since 1990. Last year, he and his firm earned $394,120 for city business, City Manager Bill Bruton said.
In 2001, mayor-elect Dunaway tried to fire Haynie, according to Journal reports. Council members, including Goldstein, unanimously rejected that.
Haynie said he will give the council his opinion this week.
Goldstein and Dunaway aren't the only ones involved in the flap.
On Monday, City Councilman Van Pearlberg requested the city's Ethics Committee decide whether Goldstein was allowed to vote on dumping the Historic Board of Review members.
"Both requests are proper," Haynie said of Pearlberg's and Goldstein's efforts.
The three-member Ethics Committee will hear Pearlberg's request at 10 a.m. Thursday in council chambers. The meeting is open to the public.
On Tuesday, in a five-page letter to Haynie, Goldstein essentially argues that city code provides that where district-wide changes are made that impact all individuals in that district, elected officials are permitted to vote.
In his effort to kick the current Historic Board of Review members off, Dunaway "bypassed the committee process wherein items are generally first heard and worked out as is customary and instead placed the item directly on the council agenda ..." Goldstein wrote.
Moreover, "information has been represented to the public that is not accurate. There appears to be an effort to keep me from discussing and voting on this item," Goldstein states.
jgillooly@mdjonline.com
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Posted Comments
When oh when are the people of Marietta, and particularly those in Ward 7 going to see how Mr. Goldstein and his family have enriched themselves to millions of dollars through continual and absolute conflict of interest due to Mr. Goldstein's 28-year tenure on the City Council. It is stunning to me Marietta has allowed this condition to exist for so long, and so out-in-the-open.
Seems to me that a guy who is one of the largest property holders on Marietta Square, the geographic center of history and preservation in this city, has a conflict of interest sitting on and controlling a historical review board. I think historians and preservationists need to be the ones making the decisions as to what gets protected, not redevelopment moguls and people whose main interest in land is how it can better be used for commercial gain.
What information has been presented to the public that isn't accurate? I'd like to hear more...
Marietta needs to disappear and be folded into Cobb County. The County is FAR superior to this multi-million dollar dog and pony act. We could rid ourselves of Goldstein and Dunaway and disperse the poor kids to various county high schools leaving Marietta High School with the affluent kids. What the hell are we waiting for? Dissolve the City of Marietta TODAY!!