The relationship between the mayor and city administrator/redevelopment director doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
In a three-paragraph letter to Redevelopment Agency Chairman William Rack on May 1, Mayor Rick Proctor asked for “assistance in obtaining information about redevelopment” that he’d requested in December — and repeated again in January — from Redevelopment Director and City Administrator Peter Pelissier but was told “that information is unavailable.”
The mayor had asked for a “synopsis of any meeting conducted on behalf of the RRA with attorneys, developers, engineers, financial advisor, state etc. for calendar year 2011” and “all actions and activities you initiated that would identity [sic] new projects or developers, stimulate interest, or encourage redevelopment efforts.”
Citing personnel and potential litigation issues, commissioners went into closed session for about 10 minutes during their Aug. 15 meeting to discuss the letter. Asked about the mayor’s letter after that meeting, Pelissier said the materials were not available in a format that the mayor requested — essentially anything and everything he and the agency had done in 2011 — suggesting the mayor review the monthly reports that commissioners receive.
Proctor did not reply to an email sent over the weekend seeking clarification about his request. The letter was dated May 1 but was included in materials for the Redevelopment Agency meeting in August since commissioners had not met since May.
The City Council last summer rejected the mayor’s request for an executive secretary and part-time chief of staff and by November moved to reduce his salary as mayor before overriding a mayoral veto on another matter in December. Proctor unsuccessfully ran a slate of candidates in the June primary to challenge incumbents and candidates endorsed by the Democratic City Committee for the six ward seats on City Council. Proctor, a former municipal Democratic chairman and city health officer, was elected to a four-year term in 2010 while Pelisser has served as administrator under former Mayor James Kennedy.