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Read: Hickey, Olney and Ruggiero Respond To 'DISINFORMATION' by Compo Pierce and Smith
Read: Hickey, Olney and Ruggiero Respond To 'DISINFORMATION' by Compo Pierce and Smith
Press release in response to Councilwoman Sarah Compo Pierce and Mayor Jeff Smith’s
disinformation
A lot has been said recently about the purchase of the Watertown Golf Club, Inc. (WGC) and
addition of important lands to historical Thompson Park. Watertown's litigation attorney
advised all of us just last week to not discuss any details of the litigation nor anything that has
to do with the reasons for the litigation. We have adhered to our lawyer’s advice while
Councilwoman Sarah Compo Pierce and Mayor Jeff Smith have not. Therefore, we need to
address their disinformation.
What is important to point out is this:
1) Councilwoman Sarah Compo Pierce stated yesterday she was staying on City Council
for the rest of her term and that the main reason was because of the purchase of the
Watertown Golf Club. There are so many more important issues and projects City
Council deals with every day and many of those can be found in the $56.5 million-
dollar 2022-2023 budget. Watertown is not a one issue City.
2) She cited common sense, transparency and fiscal responsibility but actions speak
louder than words. Common sense would mean going to meet with Mr. Mike Lundy to
discuss the potential purchase. Transparency would mean meeting with Mr. Lundy and
reviewing the financials. Not reviewing the financials of WGC shows a clear lack of
fiscal responsibility.
3) Councilwoman Compo Pierce and Mayor Smith chose not to participate in any
meaningful way. They refused to attend the initial August 31, 2022 meeting. They both
refused to meet with Mr. Lundy after the August 31st meeting to discuss anything to do
with the purchase or ask any questions. They chose not to look at and review the
detailed financial information. They have been the most vocal critics against the
purchase, yet they are the least informed. Mayor Smith, after signing the asset
purchase agreement, released confidential attorney-client information 2 days later
without Council approval and proceeded to publicly recruit people to sue the City.
4) Ms. Compo Pierce and Mayor Smith did not do their due diligence by getting and
reviewing all the pertinent information. They did not make any attempt to be more
informed about the purchase. At any time, they could have met with Mr. Lundy to go
over the purchase offer, the terms, the conditions, the equipment, the financials, or
anything else. While transparency was right before their eyes, they closed their eyes
and looked the other way.
We all met with Mr. Lundy, some of us several times, and he answered our questions, and he
satisfactorily addressed our concerns pertaining to the purchase. We reviewed detailed
financial statements, and we were satisfied with the information obtained from those
meetings. We used common sense and were fiscally responsible in diligently reviewing the
financials which showed the WGC was operating profitably. After doing our due diligence, we
were confident in voting for the purchase. It is very unfortunate Councilwoman Compo Pierce
and Mayor Smith would mislead the public without having done their due diligence in the
first place, and their actions only benefit their own personal and political agendas.
Sincerely,