Ironic Interest

The city attorney has ruled that the Planning Commission Chair Bob Mills does not have a conflict of interest when it comes to voting on the Downtown Master Plan (DMP) even though his firm counts the state and VCU as clients.

I never said he had a conflict of interest but rather a curious lack of it in pursuing a vigorous DMP where the city finally stood up for itself on the playground rather than have sand kicked in our face in perpetuity.

From Style Weekly:
Mills says he abstains from voting on matters relating to his clients, but when it comes to discussing the land-holding of those same clients, he says it’s his duty as chair of the commission to fully analyze and discuss all aspects of the plan.

Although the city’s master plan includes recommendations for state-owned buildings, including those on the VCU campus, the plan has no legal authority over state-owned property. Therefore, there is no conflict of interest that bars Mills from voting on the master plan.

I find it slightly ironic that if the DMP indeed has zero authority over those buildings that Mr. Mills represents in his work capacity, then why is his concern so passionate and outright that he (and others) insist the language in the report in regards to VCU be drastically toned down and some sections of it removed completely?

You tend to be the most defensive about things that matter to you most. And legal opinion or not, people's actions tell you exactly where they stand and what they stand for.
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