Ex-council member denies conflict of interest

The firm of a former Raleigh City Council member, Perry Safran, is representing Wake Commissioner Kenn Gardner in his lawsuit against the Triangle Aquatic Center.

Wake commissioners, including Gardner, voted unanimously in 2001 and again in 2005 to appoint Safran to the Centennial Authority, a public board that oversees operations at the RBC Center. His current term expires in 2009.

Asked whether he thinks it is a conflict of interest for him to represent a commissioner who appointed him, Safran requested a face-to-face meeting at The News & Observer.

Safran brought along Deanna Brocker, whom he introduced only as his "guest." Brocker is the former assistant ethics counsel for the N.C. State Bar, now in private practice in Raleigh.

Safran confirmed that his firm has represented the county commissioner since 2006 at no cost, but he said Thursday he would be paid his full fee when Gardner reaches a settlement with Triangle Aquatic.

Safran said he did not consider it a conflict of interest to represent a commissioner in a private lawsuit. His initial appointment to the Centennial Authority, he noted, was in 1995, about five years before Gardner was first elected.

The Centennial Authority is a recipient of county funding through Wake's hotel and meals tax.

Safran expressed regret Thursday if any of his actions in representing Gardner reflected poorly on the authority and issued an apology. He said he could not comment on Gardner's potential conflict of interest regarding his past advocacy as commissioner for a nonprofit group that would later pay him $244,355 in architectural design fees.

"That's his business," Safran said.

Asked later why a lawyer would need to bring a lawyer for an interview with a reporter, Safran answered in an e-mail message: "My friends are almost all lawyers. I often bounce off them ideas and circumstances. I was doing the same with Deanna. ... She knows the Rules of Professional Responsibility very well, and I want to always review my behavior with my peers."

Event backs food tax

Supporters of a 1 percent prepared-food tax in Durham County officially open their campaign 2 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Hayti Heritage Center.

"A Taste for Durham's Future" has five speakers on its program: Mayor Bill Bell, commissioners Chairwoman Ellen Reckhow, former Mayor Sylvia Kerckhoff and steering committee Co-chairmen Robb Teer and Chuck Watts.

A referendum on the tax will be on the Nov. 4 ballot. Eighty percent of the tax's revenue would go toward building or enlarging cultural and recreational attractions, with smaller amounts going toward beautification, work-force training and marketing.

A Costa Rican fiesta

Carrboro Alderman John Hererra, a native of Costa Rica, is inviting everyone to the Costa Rican Association of N.C.'s fiesta Sunday at Lake Wheeler.

Many North Carolinians have visited Costa Rica or have a Costa Rican connection, said Herrera, the first Latino immigrant elected to municipal office in the state.

"The ties are many and very rich," he said. "It is amazing the amount of people I meet in North Carolina every year who tell me that they have visited Costa Rica as students or during their honeymoon."

The fiesta is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday between shelters 8 and 9, and will include folk dances, giant clowns, traditional Costa Rican food and a cultural exhibit on Costa Rica. It is free.

Council member resting

Chapel Hill Town Council member Bill Thorpe missed Monday's council meeting, the first after the summer break. Mayor Kevin Foy explained that Thorpe is under doctor's orders to rest because of a health problem.

"His doctors have recommended that he devote his energies to dealing with his health issues," Foy said. "In order to give Bill the time and space to rest and recover, it is preferable not to contact him right now. He said that if he needed to speak with anyone, he would contact them."

POLITICAL TRAIL

* DEMOCRATIC WOMEN OF WAKE COUNTY will hold its monthly luncheon meeting Sept. 25 at the N.C. State University Club, 4200 Hillsborough St. Featured speakers: Sen. Vernon Malone and Reps. Dan Blue, Linda Coleman, Ty Harrell, Grier Martin, Deborah Ross and Jennifer Weiss. The buffet lunch lines open at 11:30 a.m., and the program starts at noon. The cost is $13, payable at the door. For reservations, e-mail Nancy Looper at info@dwwc.net or call Martha Farmer at 782-1272. Deadline for reservations is 10 a.m. Sept. 23.

* WESTERN WAKE DEMOCRATS will hold a joint town hall meeting and question and answer period with U.S. Reps. David Price and Brad Miller from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 20 at Glenaire Retirement Center, 4000 Glenaire Circle, Cary. The event is free and open to the public. Contact Ruth Merkle at rmerkle@nc.rr.com or 851-4367 or 656-6719.

* JOHNSTON COUNTY REPUBLICAN WOMEN will meet at 9 a.m. Sept. 27 at the Johnston County Country Club in Smithfield. Cost is $15. The speaker will be Linda McCrory Sebastian, sister of Pat McCrory, the Republican candidate for governor. Contact call Lynn Ragsdale at 934-6377.