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Council Wins May Lead To Attorney's Ouster

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 22, 2008

PORT RICHEY - As with most elections in this hotbed of cut-throat politics, a change of leadership at the polls can mean a shift in direction for the city.

The latest city official in the crosshairs could be City Attorney Jim Mathieu.

For the past year, Councilman Mark Hashim has criticized Mathieu's relationships with then-council members Nancy Britton and Dale Massad.

But as a minority member of the council, there was little he could do about it.

Now, with the ousting of Britton and Massad in the April 8 elections by challengers Perry Bean and Phil Abts, a new majority has assumed control of the five-member governing body.

Hashim - who with Bean and Abts constitute a new voting block - said he thinks the time has come for Port Richey to find a new lawyer.

Tonight, he plans to ask the newly elected councilmen to support a move to fire Mathieu. Such a move would require only a simple majority vote.

"He never should have been hired in the first place," Hashim said Monday. "His dealings with the former council members are a clear conflict of interest in his work for the city."

'Nothing Personal'

Hashim said getting rid of Mathieu isn't about settling old scores.

"This is nothing personal; I don't have any grudges with him," Hashim said. "It's about deciding what's in the best interests as a city as we move forward."

Mathieu wouldn't comment on the move to replace him, but defended his actions.

"There wasn't a conflict of interest then, and there isn't one now," he said.

Bean wouldn't say how he would vote, but said he thinks Hashim's concerns are valid.

"We have a city attorney whose loyalty to the incoming city council is questionable," he said. "This is something that, as new council members, we really need to discuss."

Abts wouldn't disclose how he would vote either, but said the issue needs to be aired by the incoming council.

"I know that I haven't been comfortable with Mathieu's decisions in the past," he said.

Mayor Richard Rober doesn't buy his colleague's arguments.

"He hasn't done anything wrong," he said of Mathieu. "There's absolutely no reason to fire him."

Rober credits Mathieu with saving the city millions of dollars in revenue by pulling its investment money from a troubled state-run pool that was about to be frozen and for figuring out the utility system was bleeding tens of millions of gallons of water.

"He's an invaluable part of our team," Rober said. "Why would we want to get rid of him?"

Besides that, the departure of Britton and Massad means the issue is moot.

"It's like closing the barn door after the horses have all left," Rober said.

Mathieu was hired two years ago to replace Shauna Morris, who resigned weeks after an election that saw incumbents ousted by Britton, Massad and Steve O'Neill.

From the outset, Mathieu was criticized for his relationship with Britton, whom he had been dating for several years. Mathieu rejected claims there was a conflict of interest, and the council approved his hiring. Britton recused herself.

Then, about one year later, Mathieu bought a waterfront home with Massad that the two business partners planned to fix-up and sell as an investment property.

Business Deals Questioned

When City Manager Jerry Calhoun recommended him to serve as the city's interim administrator after he resigned, some questioned if the business venture with Massad constituted a conflict of interest.

In August, when the vote to appoint him came up, Massad and Britton both recused themselves, and a majority of the council approved him as a temporary replacement.

He took over the helm of the city for about three months - splitting his time between city hall and his law office - until the council hired Richard Reade as a manager.

But the criticism over his personal and business relationships continued.

In the election, that perceived conflict of interest became an issue for the challengers, who argued the previous council should never have hired Mathieu.

To them, Mathieu represents the last vestiges of the old majority on council.

"City attorneys are supposed to be apolitical and should be able to maintain a level of trust with council members," Bean said. "I don't know that we have that kind of trust."

The city council meets tonight at 7:30 in city hall at 6333 Ridge Road.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (727) 815-1082 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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