How
much will he make defending this brilliant position?
O'Mara refuses to provide
expense documents
City attorney now says his
records aren't public; balks at disclosure
He would rather not
have you see the evidence
By GEOFF DAVIDIAN
Putnam Pit editor
COOKEVILLE
(August 20, 1997) -- For nearly a year, The Putnam Pit has sought
access to City Attorney T. Michael O'Mara's records to see if documents
support his claims for repayment of expenses related to his official duties.
But after dragging
his feet for months, on Monday, Aug. 18, O'Mara finally drew the line in
the sand. He told The Pit's attorney, Samuel J. Harris, that his
records were not public.
Yet O'Mara is
paid with public money.
A review of O'Mara's
error-prone bills to the city for legal fees, indicates that Cookeville
does not require O'Mara to prove he ever ran up an expense. City Manager
Jim Shipley just OKs the payment.