Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Politics / Woods Weaver Should Quit Fair Board
Posted by Jeff Woods on Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 3:33 PM
In an unintentionally comical letter to his fellow members of the Tennessee State Fair Board today, our buddy James "the Dream" Weaver over at our favorite law firm, Waller Lansden, finally excused himself from participating in the upcoming deal to move the fairgrounds and sell the land to developers.
The Dream writes that he's examined the list of companies hoping to develop the fairgrounds. "In reviewing this list today," he informs us, "I have determined that some of the firms who have responded are current clients of my law firm, Waller Lansden."
What a surprise! Waller Lansden only shills for half the known developer universe. Who could have guessed that one of the firm's clients would try to make money on the fairgrounds?
All along, the Dream's activities as Fair Board chair have been a little eyebrow-raising here at Pith. He has helped push along the deal, undoubtedly aware that someday it would likely line the pockets of one or another developer friend of his. Yet he hasn't excused himself from the deal until today--and even now he claims Metro's ethics policy doesn't require him to step aside. You see, Waller Lansden doesn't represent any of these developers in matters directly related to the fairgrounds.
"That said," he continues in his letter, "he and I [the board's legal counsel and himself] agree that the board should avoid even an appearance of impropriety given the importance of the work before us and the necessity to preserve both the public's and the council's faith in the fairness and transparency of the process."
Excuse me while I laugh out loud. Let me get this straight: The chair of the Fair Board can't participate in probably the biggest deal in the fairgrounds' history but, for some reason, he plans to remain as the board chair? Why wouldn't he just quit the board? That would help preserve my faith in the process, just speaking personally. (Actually, that ship has sailed.)
We wanted to ask the Dream about all this, but he hasn't phoned us back. Maybe he's tied up in a meeting with Tony G.
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