Rye Councilman Joe Sack sent out this update today on the city council’s investigation into the management of Rye Golf Club. At the urging of residents, the council agreed to look into the matter independently of the city manager and with its own outside counsel. The panel met this morning to consider transferring contingency funds for legal services:
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I would like to commend my colleagues on the city council for the swift, unanimous and significant action we have taken as a group over the past eight days.
Last week, the city council made a momentous decision to declare itself the lead investigative agency of recent events at Rye Golf Club. Because of the unique circumstances, this investigation will and must be separate and apart from the city manager and regular city lawyers, in order to maintain the integrity and independence of the investigation. Ultimately, whatever the investigation shows, the results must be beyond reproach, so that the public can have faith and trust in the outcome.
This morning, to that end, the city council hired a top-flight law firm – Brune & Richard – to run the city council’s investigation and to serve as independent counsel. In that role, the independent counsel may issue subpoenas, secure documents, conduct interviews, take sworn testimony, and marshal the evidence. This is another huge step forward in getting to the bottom of what happened.
It is my hope that the city council will continue to move forward with this investigation in a thorough and expeditious manner, with as much transparency and openness as possible.
- Joseph Sack
