Recall Foul: Taxpayer Staff, Equipment Used

“local resources are the local’s business”

Little Chicago Watch members conducted an open records request to review City of Chattanooga invoices from the law firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel (CBS).  The purpose of the review was to determine the total amount paid to this firm with taxpayer funds.  This is a point of interest because this law firm also represented Mayor Ron Littlefield and filed 18-months of lawsuits on behalf of the Mayor to stop a recall election.  CBS has received a windfall of City taxpayer funded contracts in the amount of $567,258 over the recall lawsuit period that we believe were not advertised for Requests for Proposals in accordance with City purchasing polices.  This is what we know so far.

Solid tipster information is guiding this effort that has shown that the city of Chattanooga has used taxpayer funded staff time, equipment, and resources to assist Mayor Littlefield in his campaign fund raising for his host of lawsuits to stop a recall election.

Who would have anticipated that the taxpayers would fund charter revision research with Mayor Littlefield legal team of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, while they were working on the Mayor’s lawsuit to stop the election?  On 1-19-11, this law firm was directed by the city of Chattanooga government to conduct Charter revision research.

Why would CBS Firm Research Charter Issues on the Taxpayer’s Dime, at the same time they are filing lawsuit and appeal for the Mayor?

City Employees (Beeland and Others) using taxpayer staff time and equipment to fund raise for Legal Defense?

Taxpayer funded Website (Chattanooga.gov), city staff, and equipment used to post highly inappropriate and personal attacks on recall leaders, Charlie Wysong, (CTP), Mark West (CTP), and Chris Brooks (COA).

The Mayor claims that the recall is separate from taxpayer funded city business, yet a line cannot be defined, because the Mayor and his staff’s use of taxpayer funded resources, such as a website, staff, and equipment.  The fund raising for his recall expenses under the color of his elected office utilizing taxpayer resources is more pronounced than we initially believed. More to come.

City’s Website: Personal Attacks on Citizens with Taxpayer Resources.

Due to the utilization of taxpayer resources and pronounced conflicts of interest with CBS, the Mayor needs to disclose the fundraising activities in accordance with the State of Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Fundraising Disclosures.