St. John’s City Councillor Ron Ellsworth hopes Danny Williams made a “misstep” when accusing him of being in a conflict of interest, but Williams is sticking to his guns.
City staff recently responded to a letter from Williams about other developments in which he makes the accusation, saying the claim is factually incorrect and that Ellsworth had abstained from the final vote.
Williams says the accusation is in reference to money allotted in this year’s capital budget for improvements on Goldstone Street, an area in which Ron Ellsworth has two real estate signs up.
As far as the city’s response to his concerns goes, Williams says they are “clearly wrong,” because as chair of the finance committee he helps staff prepare the budget.
Williams says when someone is on a committee that can directly affect what goes in or out of a budget, and that person stands to benefit from those decisions, it is a clear conflict of interest. Williams says Ellsworth abstaining from the vote is all well and good, but by that point the “horse has left the barn.
St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen refutes what Williams is saying.
He explains there are two budgets: the operating budget, and then within that is money for the capital budget.
Once the operating budget is approved, discussions begin on the capital works projects.
Once those discussions began, Breen states Ellsworth recused himself from the discussions. He says Ellsworth was not involved in that process as a whole because of his conflict.