WATERTOWN — The controversial pending purchase of the Watertown Golf Club came to a head on Tuesday night, with Councilwoman Sarah V. Compo Pierce demanding to know how she spread disinformation about the issue and Councilman Cliff G. Olney angrily denouncing he took a bribe.
Councilwoman Compo Pierce took exception to a news release that council members Lisa A. Ruggiero, Patrick J. Hickey and Olney released on Friday night that accused her of spreading misinformation about the pending $3.4 million deal by not adhering to advice by the city’s attorney not to discuss any details of pending litigation.
By saying that she spread disinformation, the three council members were then, in essence, accusing Councilwoman Compo Pierce of lying about the deal, she said.
“I’d like to know explicitly how I spread disinformation,” she told them. “I’d like to know, is anyone here accusing me of lying?”
During the 40-minute heated argument, Councilman Olney accused the councilwoman’s father of spreading rumors that he and Councilwoman Ruggiero benefited financially from the deal to buy the club at Thompson Park from owner Michael E. Lundy.
Councilman Olney accused the councilwoman’s father of approaching him at a Watertown restaurant wanting to know about how he and Councilwoman Ruggiero received money for supporting the purchase of nine holes owned by Mr. Lundy.
He vehemently denied the accusation.
“That’s your people,” he told her. “That’s a member of your team.”
The bickering came on the same day that state Supreme Court Judge James P. McClusky ruled that the purchase of the golf club could move forward. A Washington Street resident had filed a lawsuit to try to stop it.
As the squabbling continued Tuesday night, Councilman Olney also accused Mayor Jeffrey M. Smith of perpetuating the bribery accusation against him while he hosted a recent radio Hotline show after a caller asked him about it and the mayor answered, “I don’t know. “
“You don’t know?” the councilman yelled back at the mayor.
“No, I don’t know,” the mayor replied.
In recent weeks, Mayor Smith disparaged the purchase numerous times on the radio in an attempt to sway public opinion and stop the deal, Councilman Olney said.
The mayor also tried to solicit a resident to file a lawsuit against the city to stop the deal, Councilwoman Ruggiero claimed.
In denying that accusation, the mayor said he was merely asking for a resident “to come forward” to take legal action if they opposed it.
In responding to the accusations, Mayor Smith questioned how it wasn’t known that Ives Hill Country Club owner PJ Simao was receiving $850,000 from the deal until it was revealed during a court proceeding last week for the lawsuit.
The mayor asked how the three council members could not know about the $850,000 if they knew all the financial details about the golf club. He accused the three of giving Mr. Simao, their friend, a sweetheart deal.
Accusing them of “back-door deals,” the mayor also demanded to know how there was a previous proposal to buy the golf course for $750,000 and now it escalated to $3.4 million.
“Not great negotiating skills,” he said.
At that time, the golf club was appraised at $591,000. The three council members didn’t want an appraisal completed now, he said.
“It’s just crazy,” the mayor said. “It’s crazy.”
At the end of the arguing, Councilwoman Ruggiero advised her colleagues “it was time to move on,” that there are other city issues to discuss. She also said people are tired of the bickering over the golf club.
They should heed the advice from former Mayor T. Urling Walker, who wrote a Dec. 17 letter to the editor to the Watertown Daily Times shortly before he died on Jan. 3.
The letter, which was found after his death, urged the five elected officials to do their homework on the transaction and then move on after it was decided.
“If you lose, then it behooves you to try to help the majority complete the issue,” the late Mr. Walker wrote. “Time will tell whether the right vote was taken.”
Mr. Lundy owns holes one through nine of the golf course, while the city owns the other nine that it has leased to him.
The pending purchase of the club has prompted a lot of public debate, with residents both in support and against the purchase since it was first proposed last year.
If the deal hadn’t gone through, Mr. Lundy was ready to sell his nine holes to Mr. Simao.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
.