Colleagues of New Castle County Council President Paul Clark are moving to block him from introducing land use legislation in the face of ongoing controversy surrounding an e-mail Clark sent to developers last month. Councilwoman Stephanie McClellan (D-Newark) – with the co-sponsorship of five other council members – will introduce legislation next week urging Clark not to spearhead any changes to the county’s Unified Development Code “until public confidence in the impartiality of the process” is restored. Meanwhile Tuesday, Clark released an advisory opinion issued by the Ethics Commission he said confirms the e-mail – sent to two dozen developers and attorneys requesting feedback on specific code changes – did not violate the county’s Code of Ethics or any law. The advisory opinion, requested by Clark himself, said an elected official was allowed to “communicate privately for review and comment with an industry group.” But the opinion was silent on other issues relating to the e-mail – specifically that the e-mail contained the tagline from Saul Ewing, the real estate law firm of Clark’s wife, Pam Scott. Clark has said the tagline was simply an accident resulting from the two sharing a computer at home. “People just don’t seem to believe that a husband and wife could operate in the same area without there being a conflict of interest,” Clark said. “The fact is, if there was a conflict, every land use attorney would be shouting ...
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Colleagues of New Castle County Council President Paul Clark are moving to block him from introducing land use legislation in the face of ongoing controversy surrounding an e-mail Clark sent to developers last month. Councilwoman Stephanie McClellan (D-Newark) – with the co-sponsorship of five other council members – will introduce legislation next week urging Clark not to spearhead any changes to the county’s Unified Development Code “until public confidence in the impartiality of the process” is restored. Meanwhile Tuesday, Clark released an advisory opinion issued by the Ethics Commission he said confirms the e-mail – sent to two dozen developers and attorneys requesting feedback on specific code changes – did not violate the county’s Code of Ethics or any law. The advisory opinion, requested by Clark himself, said an elected official was allowed to “communicate privately for review and comment with an industry group.” But the opinion was silent on other issues relating to the e-mail – specifically that the e-mail contained the tagline from Saul Ewing, the real estate law firm of Clark’s wife, Pam Scott. Clark has said the tagline was simply an accident resulting from the two sharing a computer at home. “People just don’t seem to believe that a husband and wife could operate in the same area without there being a conflict of interest,” Clark said. “The fact is, if there was a conflict, every land use attorney would be shouting ...