Petitioners tell tribunal mayor "aided" $2 million incentive fraud, urge removal

Petitioners' lead counsel Doug Allison told the tribunal that evidence presented across the hearing showed deliberate misrepresentation tied to the Homewood Suites incentive request and that the mayor aided that conduct. "We know they perpetuate it because we have it on videotape," Allison said, summing petitioners' contention that an altered FEMA screenshot and related presentations misled decision‑makers.

Allison’s closing framed three charter-based charges — malfeasance, perjury and willful neglect — around the altered slide, a $2,000,000 incentive request and subsequent communications. He pointed to documentary and video evidence the petitioners presented and to testimony they argued showed the mayor advocated for the higher award even after questions surfaced about the slide and the underlying narrative. Petitioners noted the city‑modeling number ($1,043,000) and the $2,000,000 request as concrete, contrasting figures central to their claim that the public interest was harmed.

Petitioners also relied on rebuttal testimony from a former CCREDC member to show that FEMA rule changes cited in the presentation were not newly released and that the narrative promoted at EDC and later at council meetings was misleading, a point Allison used to argue the mayor knew or should have known the presentation was false. He closed by urging the tribunal to follow the charter and find the preponderance of evidence supports removal.