Vendetta, thy name is Larry B. Johnson. One wonders what grudge the Pensacola city councilman holds against real estate agent Fred Gunther that would make him manufacture an ethics complaint in an effort to block the airports purchase of a parcel owned by Gunther and needed for expansion. The fact that the international (not) airport was going to buy many properties has been explained on its website for at least 10 years. Council has already authorized the purchase of many of these parcels already and will continue to do so for the next couple of years. The difference here is that Johnson begrudged Gunthers investment in forfeited property in the buy zone, and actually accused him of insider trading because he was contracted by the airport to lease 6 commercial properties. Eventually (but not until at least 40 minutes of character assassination by both Johnson and his BFF Councilman Brian Spencer, who insinuated Gunther might not have filed the correct permit for the property improvements) Council President Andy Terhaar spoke up that he applied for same airport RFP that Fred Gunther did - and that no confidential information was disclosed during that process. City attorney Jim Messer warned that ethics accusations without any facts or affidavits is a dangerous path to travel. And he said his office had no facts that would indicate an ethics violation. Council members Sherri Myers and Charles Bare also thought the council could be subject to a lawsuit by Gunther if they blocked his constitutional right to sell property to the airport. Councilman Wu wistfully regretted that he hadnt thought to purchase the forfeited property, and Councilman Gerald Wingate said this transaction appeared to be just like all the other ones that had been authorized. Councilwoman Jewel Cannada-Wynn resented the $17,000 that would be paid to the tenants and the price differential between what Gunther paid for the property and what the purchase price is. At one point, Fred Gunther showed up and was invited to state his case, which was that he bought the first property before his one-year contract began and the second after it ended, but in any case, he disclosed his purchase to then-director Malinda Crawford, who saw no conflict of interest or ethics violation. It took an hour of discussion, but in the end only Spencer and Johnson held on to their grudge. This is the second attack on Fred Gunther, who had the gall to submit a clients second bid against a big-time real estate developer Beck Properties. He prevailed both times. https://youtube/watch?v=uXucVJSJ0Mk&feature=youtu.be
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 00:28:55 +0000
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