Josh Sprague address conflict of interest claims
Save The Fred is accusing Councilmember Jpatagonia jackets clearanceosh Sprague, a Realtor, of a conflict of interest after three Edina residents prompted Sprague to discuss the neighborhood during an open house for potential home buyers.
Save The Fred requested Sprague recuse himself from all Edina City Council votes on the Pentagon Park office project and Fred Richards Executive Golf Course because he has a conflict of interest and he exploited confidepatagonia better sweater scarfntial information during the open house on Saturday, March 15, according to a March 17 letter from attorney Jane Prince on behalf of Save The Fred Association to the Edina City Council and City Attorney Roger Knutson.
Prince, of St. Paul, has been retained as legal counsel by the Save The Fred Association. Prince is the alumni relations director for the Hamline University School of Law and is of counsel with Weinbpatagonia wetsuits buy onlinelatt and Gaylord, meaning she has a connection to the law firm but is not a partner or associate at the firm. Wednesday, March 19.
Sprague strongly denied the allegation during the council s discussion on Pentagon Park s preliminary rezoning Tuesday, March 18, referring to it as bully tactics and saying his comment at the open house about the uncertainty of the future of Fred Richards has been publicly discussed.
To attack anyone on the council as standing to gain personally from their service, and to attempt to besmirch their reputation for integrity in office, is a direct affront to the legacy of this civil service, and, in this case, appears to be orchestrated by a disgruntled few to disrupt the political process for the many, and to serve their own narrow self interests, Sprague read from his statement March 18. I have faith that the council will arrive at a balanced decision that best serves the entire Edina community for the long term, despite the efforts of a few residents to malign and use subterfuge to undermine our overarching goal of creating an exceptional quality of life for our residents.
The allegation that Sprague has a conflict of interest as a Realtor stems from his description of the amenities in the area during a March 15 open house meant for home buyers at a house being sold by Edina Realty on the 7000 block of West 70th Street. Three individuals signed one page affidavits, dated March 17, after attending the open house.
Sprague is the only Edina City Council member named in the letter or accompanying affidavits, even though it includes commentspatagonia women's simple guide pants black made during a discussion when council members were attempting to understand a resident s questpatagonia guide pants testion about Fred Richards. Sprague s dialogue is included in the letter but the dialogue of the two patagonia mens vest tutorial1other council members with whom he was talking isn t included in the letter.
Sprague patagonia snap t hoody reviewcomments on March 4 were that he wasn t copatagonia mens vest tutorial2mfortable waiting until the end of the year to decide on Fred Richardss and that staff came forward because action needs to be taken, after which he made the motion to table the discussion until March 18.
Sprague read a statement in response to the letter and affidavits during the March 18 council meeting, saying the affidavits are filled with factual inaccuracies and misstatements that border on slander.
In sending the letter to the media, Prince omitted the affidavits from the letter, but both the letter and affidavits are public records and the affidavits were obtained by the Sun Current from the city council s correspondence packet.
Speaking on behalf of Save The Fred during the March 18 public hearing on Pentagon Park, Prince said the allegations about Sprague are uncomfortable for all of us.
The affidavits are signed by Edina residents Renee Hunzelman, Kevin Holm and Mary Hughes, all of whom live in the neighborhood directly to the north of Fred Richards. Hunzelman and Hughes are on the Save The Fred Association Steering Team and Hunzelman s property abuts Fred Richards.
Sprague said in his statement, I find it disturbing that a group of protesters located on a few streets in a particular neighborhood could stoop to such deceptive behavior, and issue baseless allegations in order to achieve their own narrow political goals.
The issue of a possible conflict of interest was first raised by Renee Hunzelman s husband Nick Hunzelman in the first of his three emails to Sprague on March 8.
I must ask you. Now that the Pentagon project has been approved for possible residential living, Does this improve your financial opportunity as an Edina realtor? I wonder, he wrote.
The Planning Commission and City Council have asked that the potential for housing be retained in the rezoning to Planned Unit Development. Scott Takenoff of Hillcrest Development told the Planning Commission that housing doesn t work on the site right now, but it may in a later phase of the project.
Nick Hunzelman s subsequent emails comment that November s election will not come soon enough for a very large group of dissatisfied Edina voters. Sprague is one of two city council members whose terms end in 2014. Following the council s approval of closing Fred Richards on March 18, Nick Hunzelman left the council chambers loudly complaining about Sprague, and Hovland gaveled the meeting back to order.
The three affidavits explain that Renee Hunzelman, Holm and Hughes asked Sprague to tell them about the neighborhood after they arrived at the open house.
In her affidavit about the open house, Renee Hunzelman explained that Sprague told her the details about the house and gave her a packet of information showing the parks in the neighborhood.
Mr. Sprague went on to explain that hepatagonia everlong review 360 was an Edina council member and after the upcoming city council meeting, patagonia mens vest tutorial0Fred Richards Golf would most likely be repurposed to become athletic fields with walking paths and retention ponds very similar to Centennial Lakes, Renee Hunzelman s affidavit states.
Holm s and Hughes affidavits also describe Sprague s comments about Fred Richards.
He said that the present Fred Richards course would be closed for future parks and developments. He mentioned that there would be restaurants and bike paths and run off streams, etc., in the area which is now Fred Richards, Hughes affidavit states, adding that he then talked about the proposed Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail. I told him that sounded great. I asked how people would get to the bike papatagonia mens vest tutorial3th and he was very vague. He didn t go into detail where the path would be.
Renee Hunzelman s affidavit also claims Sprague told her the name of a company Hillcrest Development is attempting to gain as a Pentagon Park tenant, which the letter says is insider information.
Sprague responded in his statement, The allegations in particular that I have exploited insider information to further my personal gain are frivolous and without merit or factual support of any kind.
Sprague gave his side of what occurred at the open house in his statement, saying, Since my job as a real estate professional involves providing buyer prospects with all relevant material information about my client s home and location, I engaged with these buyers about the local parks, school, and amenities. These casual conversations included, among other things, discussion of the future Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail; the Pentagon Park redevelopment; the potential closure of Fred Richards and retention as a general purpose park; the France Avenue pedestrian and corridor improvements; Cornelia Elementary School; and various park amenities located nearpatagonia guide pants to wearby.
He continued, To be absolutely clear, nothing I discussed with anyone at that open house, including the shadow buyers supplying the within affidavits, was proprietary or non public in nature. Everything I discussed was public information.
Furthermore, Save The Fred alleged in the March 17 letter that an Environmental Assessment Worksheet is mandatory on the Ppatagonia half mass bag reviewsentagon Park and Fred Richards properties because the properties are linked, an allegation made earlier this month in a petition requesting apatagonia mens vest tutorialn environmental worksheet to the state Environmental Quality Board.
