1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:05,599 Speaker 1: What's going on? 2 00:00:05,759 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,080 is heard live every day from noon to three on 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,839 WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,160 like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily 6 00:00:17,199 --> 00:00:19,480 show prep with all the links, become a patron, go 7 00:00:19,559 --> 00:00:23,399 to dpeakclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button. 8 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,359 Get every episode for free right to your smartphone or tablet. 9 00:00:26,359 --> 00:00:30,079 And again, thank you so much for your support. So 10 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:34,280 remember that time a Charlotte City Council member accused the 11 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,840 city of being corrupt. 12 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: Remember that. I mean, I know I'm dating myself here, but. 13 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,799 Speaker 2: The City of Charlotte went out and hired a law 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:54,880 firm to do an investigation, and the investigation has uncovered 15 00:00:55,759 --> 00:01:01,799 no corruption, no corruption, Thank goodness. Yes, yes, there was 16 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:07,079 a very lengthy press conference that was held where they 17 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:10,680 took no questions and it actually, in fact, I complete 18 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,719 the entire press conference for you. It lasted three and 19 00:01:13,799 --> 00:01:18,920 a half minutes. Here's the mayor doing her best Kamala 20 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:19,920 Harris impression. 21 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:25,079 Speaker 3: Last night, in closed session, the council was presented with 22 00:01:25,159 --> 00:01:27,319 an independent report from. 23 00:01:27,159 --> 00:01:29,719 Speaker 1: A third party law firm. 24 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 3: The firm was contracted to conduct an investigation into allegations 25 00:01:36,719 --> 00:01:42,319 made in May of unethical and moral and illegal activities 26 00:01:42,439 --> 00:01:48,879 occurring within city government. We took these allegations seriously at 27 00:01:48,879 --> 00:01:54,480 the request of some members of council. We retain Cranfill 28 00:01:54,959 --> 00:01:58,799 Summer to investigate. That's a law firm, guys, and we 29 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:03,040 are today to sure that we are being transparent about 30 00:02:03,079 --> 00:02:08,479 the findings that were made. In all instances, the report 31 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:14,319 revealed that there was no merit to any unethical, immoral 32 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:20,560 or illegal activities occurring within Charlotte City government. I want 33 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,840 to repeat that that there was no unethical, immoral, or 34 00:02:24,879 --> 00:02:29,240 illegal activities occurring within our city's government. 35 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:34,479 Speaker 1: It's Cranfil Sumner. By the way, over the. 36 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 3: Past many months, the city has been under a lot 37 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:42,520 of scrutiny. Our nearly nine thousand employees need to know 38 00:02:43,439 --> 00:02:46,360 that they are the most important part of the city 39 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:52,240 and we support them. These egregious allegations hurt our team. 40 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 2: Hang on well, okay, hand on a second. These allegations 41 00:02:56,319 --> 00:03:00,319 were made by a council member, Victoria Watlington. Were not 42 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,039 directed at the nearly nine thousand city employees. 43 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: It was directed at you. 44 00:03:06,719 --> 00:03:09,439 Speaker 2: It was directed at the mayor, directed at her fellow 45 00:03:09,759 --> 00:03:14,560 fellow council members, and directed at the upper levels, the 46 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:21,159 executive level management. It wasn't directed at rank and file cops, 47 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:27,319 the trash collectors, right, the bureaucrats, the people you know 48 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,960 at the cashier's desk at the you know, city office 49 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,439 taking your water and sewer payments and stuff. 50 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: It wasn't those people. It was you. 51 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:44,319 Speaker 2: And it had to do with the contract or sorry, 52 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:52,479 the settlement that you gave to police Chief Johnny Jennings 53 00:03:52,639 --> 00:03:55,840 or as they reframed it after the fact, they called 54 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:01,280 it a retirement package. Right, That's what this was about. 55 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:03,919 And the way that all went down, the way the 56 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,199 vote was held, how somebody who was opposed to the 57 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,560 deal left the closed session and their vote got counted 58 00:04:10,599 --> 00:04:12,719 as a yes in favor of the package, and that 59 00:04:12,879 --> 00:04:15,240 allowed it to pass by a one vote majority in 60 00:04:15,319 --> 00:04:18,639 closed session. And they didn't realize that that was the case. 61 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:23,879 And all of this and the lack of disclosure, the 62 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,759 relying on, oh, it's a personnel matter, and we went 63 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:30,920 over this at the time. When you give out big 64 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:37,399 settlements or retirement package deals to executive level staff, and 65 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,920 the police chief is one of those that is not 66 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:45,839 personnel protected. We get to know what the payment is, 67 00:04:46,079 --> 00:04:49,759 what the compensation is, We get to know that. And you, guys, 68 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,680 after you decided and closed session, you should have come 69 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,759 out and you should have disclosed it to everybody, but 70 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,680 you refused to do so. That then prompted litigation for 71 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:03,360 you to information requests and the accusation that you were 72 00:05:03,399 --> 00:05:10,800 behaving in a corrupt manner. That's what prompted it, she continues, And. 73 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 3: We owe it to them to investigate. They work for 74 00:05:14,759 --> 00:05:18,920 an organization that can be trusted and operates with the 75 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:23,480 highest degree of integrity. This organization is one of the 76 00:05:23,519 --> 00:05:27,360 finest municipalities in the country, the findest and our staff. 77 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:32,279 They're passionate about serving our community and are dedicated to 78 00:05:32,319 --> 00:05:37,439 our residents. And although counsel has different ways they express 79 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:42,639 their passion. We care deeply about this community and our team. 80 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:45,920 Speaker 2: I don't think she's read this speech before she took 81 00:05:45,959 --> 00:05:50,279 the podium. She's reading a speech, a prepared. 82 00:05:52,319 --> 00:05:52,759 Speaker 1: Statement. 83 00:05:53,439 --> 00:05:55,480 Speaker 2: I don't I get the sense she has not read 84 00:05:55,519 --> 00:05:58,720 this before. She's pausing at weird times. She seems kind 85 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,160 of surprised by the next word in the sentence. You 86 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,279 know she did not write this somebody else wrote this 87 00:06:04,319 --> 00:06:06,759 for her, and I would be surprised if she laid 88 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,399 eyes on it before she cracked the mic. 89 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 3: This council and I work hard to make sure that 90 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:14,920 the best that it can be. 91 00:06:17,079 --> 00:06:21,959 Speaker 1: Page Stern, over the past. 92 00:06:22,639 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 3: Times, I want to say thank you that we are 93 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:30,560 going to have you offered her an opportunity for you 94 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,639 if you'd like to interview council members. I hope that 95 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:35,279 you'll come down and talk. 96 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,720 Speaker 2: Okay, what was that sentence over the past times, We're 97 00:06:38,759 --> 00:06:42,759 going to offer you the opportunity to come down. See 98 00:06:42,759 --> 00:06:47,040 this is where in their full transparency mode, they're going 99 00:06:47,079 --> 00:06:50,680 to not take questions from the media from the podium. 100 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,079 You're going to have to pull them all off one 101 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:56,879 by one. And there's a reason why you would do 102 00:06:56,959 --> 00:07:03,639 this from a pr management, a damage control strategy standpoint. Okay, 103 00:07:04,959 --> 00:07:09,319 because when reporters now, instead of a pack of them 104 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:12,399 sitting in front of you, where they're able to just 105 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,240 lob all of these questions at all of the members, 106 00:07:15,839 --> 00:07:19,800 they have to pick one member to pull off to 107 00:07:19,879 --> 00:07:24,000 the side and ask a series of questions too, and 108 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:26,879 hope that after they're done with that member they can 109 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,439 then bounce over to another member. So at most you're 110 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:35,319 going to get two, maybe three of the ones who 111 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,519 decided to even show up, because not all of the 112 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,319 council members were there. Okay, when you are sitting in 113 00:07:42,319 --> 00:07:44,959 front of a pack of journalists and you're taking questions 114 00:07:44,959 --> 00:07:50,800 from the podium, reporters then get to hear other questions 115 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,959 that are asked, and they don't have to ask them, 116 00:07:54,519 --> 00:07:58,199 so they can then do a follow up. Or if 117 00:07:58,279 --> 00:08:01,079 your answer to that previous question from a different reporter 118 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:05,639 now wasn't clear, they can ask you to clarify, they 119 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:09,319 find an inconsistency, they can then pick at it another reporter, 120 00:08:09,439 --> 00:08:10,720 here's the inconsistency. 121 00:08:10,759 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: Also, they can pick at it, they can dig deeper. 122 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:15,600 But when you split. 123 00:08:15,319 --> 00:08:19,079 Speaker 2: Everybody off, the first question is going to be the same. 124 00:08:19,120 --> 00:08:21,839 That every reporter is going to stick a mic in 125 00:08:21,879 --> 00:08:23,920 the face of every one of those other council members 126 00:08:24,079 --> 00:08:27,279 and they're going to ask them generally the same questions. 127 00:08:27,879 --> 00:08:31,759 So by doing it this way, they are limiting the 128 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:33,440 universe of questions that. 129 00:08:33,399 --> 00:08:34,519 Speaker 1: They get subjected to. 130 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:41,559 Speaker 2: And if somebody says something that turns out to be 131 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:48,559 cringey or suspicious or something, it gives everybody else deniability. 132 00:08:49,039 --> 00:08:51,679 See I understand why they do it this way. It's 133 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:55,480 not transparent. You're not engaging in good faith. You're doing 134 00:08:55,519 --> 00:08:59,200 it this way in order to avoid the dynamic that 135 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,679 I just laid out, because all the reporters first question 136 00:09:02,759 --> 00:09:04,679 is going to be something along the lines of what's 137 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:09,039 your reaction to the report, and they're all going to 138 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:11,200 have an answer for that. You're like, well, I'm just 139 00:09:11,279 --> 00:09:14,279 glad that this proves that we did not behave in 140 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:16,039 this way, the charges were unfounded. 141 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: Blah blah blah, blah blah. 142 00:09:17,519 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 2: I'd be surprised if the reporters even had the report 143 00:09:23,279 --> 00:09:26,440 from the law firm before they attended the press conference. 144 00:09:26,519 --> 00:09:29,440 That's another trick that they will pull is they don't 145 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,159 give you the report until you show up, and then 146 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,320 they start the press conference. You have not had time 147 00:09:35,799 --> 00:09:40,600 to read the report before asking questions, so all you 148 00:09:40,639 --> 00:09:43,159 get is them giving you the top line that they 149 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:47,320 want you to have. That's what I mean. Like, the 150 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:52,480 pattern that this mayor and this city council has been 151 00:09:52,519 --> 00:09:56,639 employing is obvious to me, and I'm sure it is 152 00:09:56,759 --> 00:10:00,759 super frustrating to the reporters that cover this has their beat. 153 00:10:00,919 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: It would be to me. 154 00:10:01,759 --> 00:10:03,320 Speaker 2: It is to me, I don't even cover the city 155 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,039 Council as a beat reporter. I mean I do monitor 156 00:10:07,039 --> 00:10:10,279 their meetings and stuff, but that's because I enjoy watching 157 00:10:10,639 --> 00:10:13,840 Charlotte City Council meeting. You know, stories are powerful. They 158 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:17,480 help us make sense of things, to understand experiences. Stories 159 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,759 connect us to the people of our past while transcending generations. 160 00:10:20,799 --> 00:10:23,240 They help us process the meaning of life, and our 161 00:10:23,399 --> 00:10:27,519 stories are told through images and videos. Preserve your stories 162 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:30,759 with Creative Video started in nineteen ninety seven and Minhill, 163 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,480 North Carolina. It was the first company to provide this 164 00:10:33,639 --> 00:10:37,840 valuable service, converting images, photos and videos into high quality 165 00:10:37,879 --> 00:10:41,879 produced slide shows, videos and albums. The trusted, talented and 166 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,639 dedicated team at Creative Video will go over all of 167 00:10:44,639 --> 00:10:48,639 the details with you to create a perfect project. Satisfaction guaranteed. 168 00:10:48,879 --> 00:10:50,759 Drop them off in person or mail them. They'll be 169 00:10:50,799 --> 00:10:53,080 ready in a week or two. Memorial videos for your 170 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:58,879 loved ones, videos for rehearsal, dinners, weddings, graduations, Christmas, family vacations, birthdays, 171 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,799 or just your family stories all told through images. That's 172 00:11:02,799 --> 00:11:06,080 what your photos and videos are. They are your life 173 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:08,840 told through the eyes of everyone around you and all 174 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,279 who came before you, and they will tell others to come. 175 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,879 Who you are, visit Creative video dot com. All right, 176 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,679 I'm not done with the mayor's entire press conference that 177 00:11:19,759 --> 00:11:22,639 lasted three and a half minutes and where she took 178 00:11:22,639 --> 00:11:25,320 no questions, So I will I will get to that 179 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:28,639 remaining audio, but first let me get Mike on real quick. 180 00:11:28,639 --> 00:11:30,240 Speaker 1: Hello Mike, Welcome to the program. 181 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 4: Thanks Thanks Pete. Let's take the mayor literally at her word. 182 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,799 And I'm wondering if there are other words to describe 183 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:44,799 this situation other than illegal, unethical, or immoral, like opaque 184 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:52,320 or corrupt or insulated or choose anything. She's not saying 185 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:55,799 we didn't do anything wrong. She's saying we literally didn't 186 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:59,960 do anything the lawyers declare unethical, illegal, or immoral. 187 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 1: Right. 188 00:12:00,519 --> 00:12:04,559 Speaker 2: Well, and in fact, after uh, the all of this 189 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,080 stuff came out, there were and you know, media started 190 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:11,559 reporting on the settlement with the police chief and uh, 191 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:15,919 and then the accusations came out, like her office said, like, 192 00:12:16,279 --> 00:12:18,120 you know, we're going to work to be better, more 193 00:12:18,159 --> 00:12:23,399 inclusive and more inclusive of this of Charlotte City Council members, 194 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,240 like we're gonna we're gonna try to bridge this divide 195 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,360 because there there are these two different sort of cliques 196 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:32,879 on city council, one of you know, that is like 197 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,559 led by the mayor, and then there's this other group 198 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:40,360 that is not and Watlington is in that group, that clique. 199 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,279 And so she even acknowledged at the very beginning, before 200 00:12:44,279 --> 00:12:47,120 they even hired the law firm, she said that, uh 201 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,159 that you know, they're they're working to improve transparency and 202 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:50,559 all of that. 203 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:56,639 Speaker 4: Yeah, I want to see former or unelectable or uh 204 00:12:57,039 --> 00:13:01,480 immediate past mayor immediate passive councilmen. Those are some of 205 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:02,600 the words I'd like to see. 206 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: Yes, you have a lot of adjectives, Mike. I applaud 207 00:13:05,399 --> 00:13:09,120 the use of your adjectives. I appreciate the call man. 208 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:10,600 Thanks all right, see it. 209 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:15,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, like there is a very limited view of what 210 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:17,399 they were looking at, right, unethical and moral? 211 00:13:17,399 --> 00:13:17,879 Speaker 1: Illegal? 212 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:20,879 Speaker 2: And also I would this is a question I have 213 00:13:20,919 --> 00:13:27,159 asked people for years whenever they involve lawyers. In this case, 214 00:13:27,399 --> 00:13:31,759 the law firm Cranphil Sumner that did the investigation, and 215 00:13:31,879 --> 00:13:35,720 my question is always who is the client? 216 00:13:37,399 --> 00:13:38,559 Speaker 1: Who's the client. 217 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 2: Who wrote the check for the law firm. Well, the 218 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,960 City of Charlotte did I'm not accusing anybody of illegal, immoral, 219 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:52,759 or unethical behavior. I'm not saying that about the investigation. 220 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:57,200 I would note that there are other organizations that could 221 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:02,600 have done an investigation that actually had subpoena power. You 222 00:14:02,639 --> 00:14:06,440 could have asked for an SBI State Bureau of Investigation probe. 223 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,120 You could have asked the state auditor to come in, 224 00:14:09,639 --> 00:14:12,639 do another round, take a look at all of the records. Right. 225 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:15,720 You could have had those people come in, But they 226 00:14:15,799 --> 00:14:18,159 hired a law firm, and that law firm cleared them. 227 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:25,039 And then if you are not, if you're not actually 228 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:28,200 trying to bury this story to make it go away, 229 00:14:28,679 --> 00:14:31,679 I would submit you do not hold a news conference 230 00:14:32,279 --> 00:14:34,240 in the manner in which this was held. But this 231 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,639 seems to be the standard operating procedure for the City 232 00:14:37,639 --> 00:14:40,559 of Charlotte now. And I will tell you years ago, 233 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:44,320 when I was the beat reporter here at WBT for 234 00:14:44,519 --> 00:14:49,120 City Council and County Commission school board meetings like this 235 00:14:49,159 --> 00:14:52,759 would not have flown. This would not have been acceptable 236 00:14:53,679 --> 00:14:57,360 at all. I'd be chasing all of the reporters, would 237 00:14:57,399 --> 00:15:01,639 be chasing people through hallways, mikes and making them do 238 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,840 purp walks and stuff. It's the only leverage you have. 239 00:15:05,799 --> 00:15:07,639 And here's the other thing too. They are not well 240 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:12,559 served by this strategy. Whoever is advising them to do 241 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,720 it this way, it is bad advice because you end 242 00:15:15,799 --> 00:15:20,679 up with people like me raising these questions after the fact, 243 00:15:20,679 --> 00:15:22,759 and then the issue doesn't go away. You know how 244 00:15:22,799 --> 00:15:25,200 the issue goes away if in fact there is no 245 00:15:25,399 --> 00:15:29,799 there there. The issue goes away by everybody standing at 246 00:15:29,799 --> 00:15:35,120 that podium and answering every single question until reporters don't 247 00:15:35,159 --> 00:15:40,240 have another question left to ask. That's how you make 248 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,279 these things go away when there's nothing there. Now, if 249 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:45,519 there is something there, then you probably would do a 250 00:15:45,519 --> 00:15:47,919 three and a half minute press conference and not take 251 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,600 questions from the podium. Here she is again, let's reract this. 252 00:15:50,679 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 3: Have you offered her an opportunity for you, if you'd 253 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:57,320 like to interview council members. I hope that you'll come 254 00:15:57,399 --> 00:16:01,039 down and talk with them about the world that's being done. 255 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,799 Lindsey is going to provide you with the report that 256 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:09,639 would be distributed because we want to address each other 257 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,080 and we also want to make sure that you understand 258 00:16:13,279 --> 00:16:17,320 that in transparency we are taking this level in government. 259 00:16:17,879 --> 00:16:20,399 Speaker 2: I don't even know what that part means, but I 260 00:16:20,399 --> 00:16:23,279 don't think she does either, or whoever wrote the script. 261 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:24,759 Speaker 1: I saw somebody suggest. 262 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:27,399 Speaker 2: Maybe it was like a chat gpt AI generated kind 263 00:16:27,399 --> 00:16:27,879 of a script. 264 00:16:27,879 --> 00:16:29,639 Speaker 1: It very well might have been. I don't know. 265 00:16:30,559 --> 00:16:32,639 Speaker 2: I don't like that's a question. I would ask, like, Mayor, 266 00:16:32,679 --> 00:16:35,320 did you write your speech? Did you write these statements? 267 00:16:35,399 --> 00:16:39,000 I would ask her that did you because you seem 268 00:16:39,039 --> 00:16:40,960 to stumble a lot on these words, as somebody else 269 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,840 writing this statement for you. And there she just acknowledged 270 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:50,919 what I guessed because I saw the audio or I 271 00:16:50,919 --> 00:16:51,759 saw the video. 272 00:16:51,559 --> 00:16:53,759 Speaker 1: Got posted, and so I hit record. 273 00:16:53,799 --> 00:16:55,879 Speaker 2: I was recording the video, but then I stepped out 274 00:16:56,279 --> 00:16:58,960 and came back in. So I didn't hear that part 275 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,120 where she said, and we are providing you with the 276 00:17:02,159 --> 00:17:04,640 results of the findings or whatever. 277 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:06,640 Speaker 1: And so I was right. 278 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:09,200 Speaker 2: The reporters are in the stands, they're in the seats, 279 00:17:09,279 --> 00:17:13,359 and they don't even have the report, and now they 280 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:16,920 got to go interview people not having read the report. 281 00:17:17,559 --> 00:17:20,720 You think you're going to ask better questions being ignorant 282 00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:22,279 of what the findings actually say. 283 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: Of course not so. 284 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 2: When I was a kid, my grandpa died with Alzheimer's 285 00:17:27,039 --> 00:17:29,240 and before he died. My mom and my dad took 286 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:31,519 care of him as he got worse. Forty years ago, 287 00:17:31,599 --> 00:17:34,680 there were no treatments and not much support for caregivers 288 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:37,279 and family. But things are different today because of the 289 00:17:37,319 --> 00:17:40,480 work of so many people, including the Alzheimer's Association of 290 00:17:40,519 --> 00:17:44,119 Western Carolina. It's a great organization with awesome people with 291 00:17:44,279 --> 00:17:47,039 huge hearts. I've been a supporter for twenty five years. 292 00:17:47,079 --> 00:17:50,400 This cause means a lot to me. I participate in 293 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:53,279 the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's and I'm leading a 294 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:56,480 Charlotte team again this year, and it's called once again 295 00:17:56,599 --> 00:17:58,960 Pete's Pack. You can sign up and you can join 296 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,839 the team and walk with us. It's on October eighteenth, 297 00:18:01,839 --> 00:18:05,880 that truest field. Sign up at alz dot org slash 298 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,359 walk and then you could search for my team name 299 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,880 Pete's Peck. There's also a link at thepetepod dot com. 300 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,640 There's also a link in the description of this podcast. Also, 301 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,440 I'll be am seeing the Gastonia Walk on October eleventh then, 302 00:18:18,519 --> 00:18:20,599 so you can make a team and join that one too, 303 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:22,880 or make a donation and help me hit my goal 304 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:25,839 of five thousand dollars. If you do I really appreciate it. 305 00:18:25,839 --> 00:18:28,519 There are a bunch of other walks all over the Carolinas. 306 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,319 You can go to alz dot org slash walk for 307 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,160 all the dates and locations. We're closer than ever to 308 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:36,559 stopping Alzheimer's. Can you help us get there? Will you 309 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,519 walk with me? For a different future, for families, for 310 00:18:39,559 --> 00:18:41,200 more time for treatments. 311 00:18:41,559 --> 00:18:42,599 Speaker 1: This is why we walk. 312 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,759 Speaker 2: Listening to the very lengthy three and a half minute 313 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,240 press conference that was held where they did not take 314 00:18:49,279 --> 00:18:53,079 any questions from the media, but did offer the media 315 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:59,160 to take receipt of the final report from the law 316 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:03,519 firm that the city hired to investigate the city against 317 00:19:03,799 --> 00:19:09,799 allegations of corruption, illegal activities, immoral activities, and unethical activities. 318 00:19:10,759 --> 00:19:14,440 And the law firm's findings were provided to the media 319 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:19,319 after the statement by the mayor, and then she graciously 320 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,240 allowed the members of the media to then come down, 321 00:19:23,519 --> 00:19:29,200 get the report and interview individual council members off to 322 00:19:29,279 --> 00:19:33,599 the side. And I laid out why that is a 323 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:38,519 that is an intentional strategy to try to tamp down 324 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,359 more questions. That's the design of the strategy. And I 325 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,000 don't know why reporters aren't objecting to it. Maybe they were, 326 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:51,119 and I just don't know. But all right, here's the 327 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,400 last forty six seconds of the mayor's comments here after 328 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,079 she told them, you're going to get a copy of 329 00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:00,160 the findings here and then peel away and talk to 330 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,440 individual council members, but not up here at the podium. 331 00:20:03,039 --> 00:20:03,599 Speaker 1: On the mic. 332 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,279 Speaker 3: And so today I hope that you'll have an opportunity 333 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,359 again to speak up or speak with the members of 334 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,759 the council. But more importantly, I hope that you will 335 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:19,599 understand that we know that this community deserves service that 336 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:22,880 we give them and the attention that they are owed. 337 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:29,000 So with that, I'm not going to take any comments 338 00:20:29,079 --> 00:20:32,240 or requests or questions from you, but I hope that 339 00:20:32,319 --> 00:20:35,160 you will have an opportunity to see what kind of 340 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,240 work this council can do and how we can do this. Well, 341 00:20:38,599 --> 00:20:40,240 thank you very much for your time. 342 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 2: I love the music. Yes, it's cartoonish. I don't know 343 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:54,240 if that was intentional. I don't think it is. I 344 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:57,000 think they just have like some standard music that they 345 00:20:57,039 --> 00:21:00,079 play on the YouTube channel before and after the meeting, 346 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,160 you know, while you're waiting for the council to finish 347 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:06,000 eating before they come down to the main meeting in 348 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,160 front of the public. So it's just like they're they're 349 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,680 bump tunes, but that I don't know if that was intentional, 350 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:16,440 but perfect chef's kiss, perfect. 351 00:21:17,599 --> 00:21:19,799 Speaker 1: For what we just were treated to. 352 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 2: Wsoctv's Joe Bruno says the news is not particularly surprising, 353 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:31,119 considering Victoria Wattlington has been clear that her email that 354 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,480 she had sent out where she made the accusations was 355 00:21:33,519 --> 00:21:37,480 not alleging financial corruption. However, the city said the investigation 356 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:42,759 was needed to make it clear to airport bond investors 357 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:48,599 that the city is conducting business properly, so that's why 358 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:52,440 they did it. Now here is Victoria Watlington. This was 359 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:57,680 from wbt's news director Mark Garrison, who I guess got 360 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:00,119 a chance to speak with her here. Each of us 361 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,480 have our own interpretation, our own moral standard, our own 362 00:22:03,519 --> 00:22:07,240 what we consider unethical, and I respect that we can 363 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:08,079 agree to disagree. 364 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,359 Speaker 1: Hmm. Yeah. 365 00:22:11,519 --> 00:22:13,920 Speaker 2: Doesn't sound like she agrees with the findings, does it. 366 00:22:15,319 --> 00:22:19,519 And if the point was to assuage the concerns of 367 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:24,440 airport bond investors, their concerns would have been strictly financial 368 00:22:24,839 --> 00:22:27,799 and so maybe that was the focus of the investigation 369 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:29,680 by the law firm hired by the city. 370 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:30,119 Speaker 1: I don't know. 371 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,640 Speaker 2: I have not seen the report. The investigation was launched 372 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:39,160 after the email sent by Watlington entitled power corrupts and 373 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,720 saying she was concerned about unethical, immoral, and frankly illegal 374 00:22:42,759 --> 00:22:47,359 activities occurring within city government. Channel nine had just broken 375 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,839 the news that the Charlotte City Council secretly settled a 376 00:22:50,839 --> 00:22:55,720 potential lawsuit from Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department chief Johnny Jennings. 377 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:59,960 He claimed, you'll recall former Councilman tarc Bookari created a 378 00:23:00,279 --> 00:23:04,640 hostile work environment during the debate over outer carrier vests 379 00:23:05,279 --> 00:23:11,200 for cops because they didn't look right, they looked scary, 380 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:14,960 they looked military like. Within a day of her statement, 381 00:23:15,319 --> 00:23:18,720 Watlington made it clear she was not alleging financial corruption. 382 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:27,279 She says she doesn't regret sending the email. The independent 383 00:23:27,279 --> 00:23:31,480 Attorneys interviewed Watlington and all members of city council about 384 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,519 her claims. They found no evidence that the chiefs settlement 385 00:23:34,839 --> 00:23:38,680 was handled in an improper manner. However, they did right 386 00:23:39,039 --> 00:23:42,839 that the issue quote appears to stem primarily from procedural 387 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:53,640 and communication challenges. Yes, yes, challenges, and that's corporate speak 388 00:23:53,799 --> 00:24:02,880 for problems, right, mistakes, opaqueness. Right, that's what Watlington is 389 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:09,880 talking about, procedural challenges. What was the procedural challenge, Well, 390 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:12,400 it was that one of the council members showed up 391 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,519 to the closed session and then left and her vote 392 00:24:15,519 --> 00:24:17,839 got counted as a yes, and nobody seemed to know 393 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,519 that that would happen, which is why they said, well, 394 00:24:20,519 --> 00:24:23,160 we're going to come back and revote on this, And 395 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,720 then when they showed up to revote, they were like, actually, 396 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:27,960 we did some digging. We didn't know the rules, and 397 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,839 actually the rules are that if you attend a meeting 398 00:24:30,839 --> 00:24:33,559 and then leave, your votes from then on out are 399 00:24:33,559 --> 00:24:37,119 counted as yes votes. I knew that because I saw 400 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:40,079 that happen several times when I was covering city council 401 00:24:40,599 --> 00:24:42,039 back in the early two thousands. 402 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:43,680 Speaker 1: They did not. 403 00:24:43,799 --> 00:24:49,519 Speaker 2: Apparently, Wallington accepted the report's findings, but said she wishes 404 00:24:49,559 --> 00:24:54,720 more information was provided on how the attorneys reached these conclusions. Quote, 405 00:24:55,079 --> 00:24:59,000 I would have liked an analysis included in the report 406 00:24:59,319 --> 00:25:01,640 to really under stand because each of us are our 407 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,839 own people, we have our own interpretation or our own 408 00:25:03,880 --> 00:25:07,759 moral standard, our own what we consider unethical our own 409 00:25:07,799 --> 00:25:10,359 interpretation of what's in the statutes and what's in our 410 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:15,200 own ethics policy end quote. When it comes to disclosing 411 00:25:15,519 --> 00:25:20,160 Chief Jennings' allegations to council, the report said that the 412 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,880 interim city attorney conducted a risk assessment and weighed the 413 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:27,319 sensitivity of the situation since it was viewed as a 414 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:33,200 personnel issue. So that tells me that the settlement was 415 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,920 a pr move. That's why they did it, because it 416 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,599 does because the decision process does not make any sense 417 00:25:39,599 --> 00:25:43,119 from a logical standpoint, except if you're doing it purely 418 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,039 for PR or I guess if you're trying to do 419 00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:47,960 Johnny Jennings a solid on his way. 420 00:25:47,759 --> 00:25:49,559 Speaker 1: Out the door because you like him. 421 00:25:50,319 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 2: The mayor hurried out after reading the statement and did 422 00:25:55,240 --> 00:26:00,279 not take questions or as Mayor Vilize Lyles would call 423 00:26:00,319 --> 00:26:05,480 that transparency. Here's a great idea. How about making an 424 00:26:05,599 --> 00:26:08,799 escape to a really special and secluded getaway in western 425 00:26:08,799 --> 00:26:11,319 North Carolina? Just a quick drive up the mountain and 426 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,400 cabins of Asheville is your connection. Whether you're celebrating an anniversary, 427 00:26:15,599 --> 00:26:18,119 a honeymoon, maybe you want to plan a memorable proposal 428 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:20,759 or get family and friends together for a big old reunion. 429 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:24,079 Cabins of Ashville has the ideal spot for you where 430 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:26,720 you can reconnect with your loved ones and the things 431 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:30,319 that truly matter. Nestled within the breath taking fourteen thousand 432 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:33,559 acres of the Pisga National Forest, their cabins offer a 433 00:26:33,599 --> 00:26:36,279 serene escape in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 434 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,960 Centrally located between Asheville and the entrance of the Great 435 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,880 Smoky Mountain National Park. It's the perfect balance of seclusion 436 00:26:43,079 --> 00:26:47,640 and proximity to all the local attractions with hot tubs, fireplaces, 437 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:51,880 air conditioning, smart TVs, Wi Fi, grills, outdoor tables and 438 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:56,240 your own private covered porch. Choose from thirteen cabins, six cottages, 439 00:26:56,319 --> 00:27:00,279 two villas, and a great lodge with eleven king sized bedrooms. 440 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,640 Cabins of Ashville has the ideal spot for you for 441 00:27:03,759 --> 00:27:07,559 any occasion, and they have pet friendly accommodations. Call or 442 00:27:07,599 --> 00:27:10,920 text eight two eight, three, six, seven seventy sixty eight 443 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,359 or check out all there is to offer at Cabins 444 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:16,920 of Aashville dot com and make memories that'll last a lifetime. 445 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:19,759 Let's head over to the WBT text line driven by 446 00:27:19,759 --> 00:27:25,160 Liberty Buick GMC where as I as I said, the 447 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:27,799 problem if you're going to do this kind of damage 448 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:32,720 control press conference format that the city did to release 449 00:27:32,759 --> 00:27:38,759 the findings of their investigation into themselves, here's the problem 450 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,559 is that people see through it and they're not getting 451 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,839 actual transparency and you have not actually put the matter 452 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,160 to rest. 453 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:52,599 Speaker 1: From seven oh four number, ha ha ha ha. 454 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:57,880 Speaker 2: Attorneys being hired to investigate politicians, best laugh, I've had 455 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:02,839 all day an SAI four number says, after careful review, 456 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:06,880 we have concluded we have done nothing wrong us investigating us. 457 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:10,920 Seven o four number says we have the Ron Burgundy 458 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:16,200 of mayors. Seth says the mayor sounds like she had 459 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:23,279 a TMU version of chat GPT write that speech for her. OMG, 460 00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:27,559 how embarrassing. Oh wait, dang on a second, the mayor 461 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:32,000 is a ghost, she's a figurehead. OMG, how embarrassing. They 462 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:40,319 won't care. Randy says the mayor's corrupt and calls this 463 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:46,359 a cover up. Shannon says she's an idiot and says, 464 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,240 I wonder what the political affiliation of the partners of 465 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,799 the law firm that conducted the investigation. That's a fair 466 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:56,319 question too, Or how about this have they made political donations? 467 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:58,119 Do they have any city contracts? 468 00:28:58,519 --> 00:29:04,279 Speaker 1: Right? Why was this form selected? Nothing says? 469 00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,839 Speaker 2: This is from Sean who says nothing says transparency like 470 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:13,839 the words closed session and that bumper music sounded like 471 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:16,039 the music they play at the Apollo when the Sandman 472 00:29:16,119 --> 00:29:20,559 sweeps you off stage. Okay, Eric says, Splitting council members 473 00:29:20,599 --> 00:29:22,240 up so you never talk to them as a group 474 00:29:22,319 --> 00:29:26,559 is getting really close to the Wanda Green playbook for 475 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,079 folks in Charlotte who don't know who Wanda Green is. 476 00:29:29,359 --> 00:29:37,400 Wanda Green was the county manager of Buncom County and 477 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:42,200 she was indicted and I believe she eventually. I don't 478 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:43,920 know if she pled guilty or if she was, but 479 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,039 she was convicted, she went to well, she was sentenced 480 00:29:47,079 --> 00:29:48,839 to prison, but then COVID, so she got to do 481 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:52,160 it all from home. Massive corruption and one of the 482 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,920 things that she did. And I railed against this the 483 00:29:56,119 --> 00:29:59,519 entire time. I was up in Asheville work in the 484 00:29:59,559 --> 00:30:05,759 afternoon and drive and she would do these oh I 485 00:30:05,759 --> 00:30:10,279 forget what she called them. Rather than meet with the 486 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:14,920 entire county commission for a briefing on the agenda before 487 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,559 the meeting, she would break them off. I think she 488 00:30:18,799 --> 00:30:21,000 maybe like two on ones or something like that. She 489 00:30:21,039 --> 00:30:24,000 would she would break off and so she would control 490 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:33,279 the dissemination of information to the different commission members. So 491 00:30:33,319 --> 00:30:36,599 she would have one on one, two on one meetings. 492 00:30:37,759 --> 00:30:40,200 So and they and she said this was so they 493 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:43,720 could get around the open meetings laws, right, because if 494 00:30:43,759 --> 00:30:48,279 you have if you have a quorum of the commission, 495 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,720 then you have to publicly advertise the meeting. And they 496 00:30:51,759 --> 00:30:53,680 didn't want to do that. They didn't want it to 497 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:55,960 be a public meeting. This was just a briefing, one 498 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,400 on one. So she would have these briefings, but what 499 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:01,160 she would tell one commissioner would be different than what 500 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:02,599 she tells another commissioner. 501 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:04,000 Speaker 1: And that's how she was. 502 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:09,720 Speaker 2: Able to engage in her siphoning of counting money for 503 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:14,119 personal expenditures. She went on trips. She went down to 504 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:16,960 the equestrian event and try on with one of the 505 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,000 other commissioners because they were both horse lovers and such. 506 00:31:20,119 --> 00:31:22,559 Speaker 1: And then of course, you know, got taxpayers to fund that. 507 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:26,759 Speaker 2: They took a trip up to New York to visit 508 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:29,839 a horse that one of the commissions, the same commissioner, 509 00:31:30,039 --> 00:31:33,039 Ellen Frost was her name, to fly up to New 510 00:31:33,119 --> 00:31:36,720 York to see your old horse, because like she sold 511 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,160 the horse it was old, and so she like sent 512 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:41,440 it out to pasture up in New York or something, 513 00:31:42,519 --> 00:31:44,680 and so they flew up there and then never actually 514 00:31:44,759 --> 00:31:45,640 visited the horse. 515 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:48,559 Speaker 1: You know, stuff like that. 516 00:31:48,759 --> 00:31:51,519 Speaker 2: They bought a whole bunch of these gift cards, they 517 00:31:51,559 --> 00:31:54,519 made all these purchases on them for personal items and 518 00:31:54,599 --> 00:31:56,279 such massive corruption. 519 00:31:57,160 --> 00:32:01,039 Speaker 1: And that's what she would do. Divide and conquer. 520 00:32:01,079 --> 00:32:03,519 Speaker 2: You keep people in the dark by keeping them isolated, 521 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:07,279 so they can't hear concerns from other commissioners, questions from 522 00:32:07,319 --> 00:32:09,079 the other commissioners, and so when you go into the 523 00:32:09,119 --> 00:32:12,160 open meetings, at that point, all of your questions have 524 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,839 been answered and everybody else's questions have been answered, and 525 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,440 so there's no discussion. So the public doesn't even know 526 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:21,200 what questions you may have had before you voted on 527 00:32:21,279 --> 00:32:26,200 the item. That's how she did it, Aaron says. So 528 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:28,759 they hired the firm to do the report. Somebody got 529 00:32:28,759 --> 00:32:32,759 paid good again somewhere which will never be noted, just 530 00:32:32,799 --> 00:32:34,880 saying this, have. 531 00:32:34,839 --> 00:32:40,000 Speaker 1: A good one. I'm just a guy, a plumber. 532 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 2: But the investigation by the law firm seems like a 533 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:44,799 step in advance of an upcoming investigation from the State 534 00:32:44,839 --> 00:32:48,039 Auditor or SBI. I'm still waiting to hear her explanation 535 00:32:48,079 --> 00:32:49,680 of what they did with the money that was diverted 536 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,599 away from law enforcement after the BLM riots and installation 537 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:55,079 of the anti cop city Council. I hope that gets 538 00:32:55,119 --> 00:32:57,000 addressed and so and is held to account for that, 539 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:01,440 says Andy. Yeah, so you get there. There are a 540 00:33:01,559 --> 00:33:04,799 ton of similar texts that have come in. I'm not 541 00:33:04,839 --> 00:33:06,359 gonna be able to get to them all, but that's 542 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:09,160 the vibe, and that's the result of the kind of 543 00:33:09,279 --> 00:33:14,119 pr optics you were angling for, and it actually creates 544 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:16,519 the opposite of what you were hoping it would create. 545 00:33:18,359 --> 00:33:20,680 All right, that'll do it for this episode. Thank you 546 00:33:20,759 --> 00:33:22,720 so much for listening. I could not do the show 547 00:33:22,759 --> 00:33:25,279 without your support and the support of the businesses that 548 00:33:25,359 --> 00:33:28,400 advertise on the podcast, so if you'd like, please support 549 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:30,119 them too and tell them you heard it here. You 550 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,799 can also become a patron at my Patreon page or 551 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:36,519 go to thepetecalnarshow dot com. Again, thank you so much 552 00:33:36,519 --> 00:33:43,000 for listening, and don't break anything while I'm gone.