DA rules in favor of Grego
By Kathryn Reed
The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office has reviewed material supplied to it and has determined “there does not appear to be any criminal violation of law relating to Council Member [Bruce] Grego’s reimbursement for legal fees.”
Grego was the subject of a divisive South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting on April 15 that will go down as the oddest meeting these five elected officials have been part of. Nothing was resolved at the end of the meeting.
Bruce Grego
Councilman Jerry Birdwell had requested the council meeting and sought the opinion of the county’s highest legal authority. His belief is Grego’s reimbursement with taxpayer money for the use of outside legal counsel to determine if he had a conflict of interest regarding the convention center project, was not justified.
Deputy District Attorney James Clinchard in his letter dated April 20 says to Birdwell that he can ask the grand jury to look into the matter.
Birdwell told Lake Tahoe News he has no intention of doing so.
Clinchard’s letter said, “Whether or not such conduct violated South Lake Tahoe city guidelines for reimbursement is an issue best left to city government and the SLT City Council.”
Grego was not available for comment Tuesday night.
Maybe no criminal violation, but definitely ethically questionable. City residents, remember this at the next election.
Someone please follow the offer Deputy DA James Clinchard gave to politican Jerry Birdwell. “Ask the grand jury to look into the matter.” You might be in for a surprise. You the taxpayer has the same right as politican Jerry Bidwell.
Think about it, the Grego affair is a matter of ethics and the game being played by your city council. Kathryn Reed’s prolific reporting has provided you with more than enough live ammunition for an investigation.
Can we please move along to the laundry list of “real” problems the city must face; unemployment and dwindling tourism, saving the lake and our town to start.