Capacity Crowd Hears Woods' Address

A raucous, standing-room-only crowd, at City Hall to hear outgoing City Planner J. Justin Woods deny allegations brought against him by City Manager Arthur J. Sciorra, booed the manager at times during the meeting.

"I have nothing to hide about the decisions I made," Mr. Woods said. "On the contrary, I am proud of them."

Mr. Woods denied charges that he had misappropriated Main Street Grant and Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds unilaterally.

"Our decisions in both programs abided by guidelines," Mr. Woods said. "The city manager was aware of and approved of all decisions that were made."

Mr. Woods also accused Mr. Sciorra of portraying him in a false light, leading Mr. Woods to ask the council to open an investigation into the matter surrounding 819 Knox St.

"I made this request because the city manager had misrepresented my actions and been less than forthcoming about his knowledge of and role in making decisions as they related to the administration of the city's Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the Growth Fund's Main Street Programs," Mr. Woods said to applause from the crowd.

Mr. Sciorra replied that Mr. Woods's behavior had been the subject of debate among the City Council earlier this year.

"They told me that he's insubordinate and should be fired," Mr. Sciorra said over a booing crowd. "Now you stand here with applause and lie to these people."

Mr. Woods said that statements from others involved in the issues would independently verify his claims. He has been blamed for allowing a family to reside at the 819 Knox St. property rent-free for three years. However, Mr. Woods said, the family already was living there when the property entered into the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

"The manager, comptroller and I had several email exchanges and discussions regarding what to do about rent," Mr. Woods said. "Over the past two years, City Comptroller (Philip A. Cosmo) repeatedly raised the question about what to do regarding rent for this property, but the city manager never gave either of us a different direction and so rent was never initiated."

Mr. Woods also accused Mr. Sciorra of violating his code of ethics as a member of the International City/County Management Association that requires city managers to be committed to integrity and transparency.

"As ICMA members we pledge to uphold these principles in our conduct and decisions in order to merit the trust of the public, elected officials and the staff we serve," Mr. Woods said. "This trust has been irreparably broken."

He also denied that he had abandoned his job. Previously, Mr. Sciorra said he no longer was paying Mr. Woods because he had not arrived for work at City Hall since Sept. 1.

"I vehemently dispute the allegations of job abandonment," Mr. Woods said. "The city manager said that he didn't expect me to work from the office as long as I was 'seen coming and going from City Hall.' It wasn't until questions arose about my not being in City Hall that his story changed."

After a prepared statement, the council asked City Attorney Andrew W. Silver whether Mr. Woods's claims mirrored testimony made under oath as part of their investigation.

"Mr. Woods's statement is consistent with statements in the interview," Mr. Silver said.

The crowd cheered continued efforts by Mayor William D. Nelson to hold Mr. Sciorra accountable for allowing the 819 Knox St. situation to persist.

"The question I think everybody has is, 'who is held accountable?'" Mr. Nelson said. "The person who should be held accountable is sitting right there, the city manager."

Amid the chorus of boos and cheers, Councilor Daniel E. Skamperle made a plea for patience.

"This is exactly what I didn't want to happen," he said. "This is a circus. This is ridiculous."