TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa City Council rejected claims of conflict of interest in voting to approve a sale of the current building housing Rudisill Regional Library April 14.
The $1.4 million would go to the POWER group, part of Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce, of which Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper is founder and remains involved with.
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The library itself will relocate to the Historic Greenwood District later this year.
Critics alleged to city council that Councilor Hall-Harper was involved to the point of lacking transparency plus could potentially financially benefit, and urged the council to reconsider.
- Previous coverage>>> POTENTIAL CONFLICT: Councilor Hall-Harper commits to recuse from Rudisill vote
"We have video of her talking about asking for funds," Heather Nash of Greenwood Chamber of Commerce (a separate entity) said. "We have her as the founder of the Black Wall Street Chamber. If that is not conflict of interest, then tell me what it ain’t.”
However, plenty from black Wall Street Chamber came to the councilor's defense.
"The(people opposed) are the same group of people who voted against the grocery store, and it's election time,” Kristi Williams said during the public comment portion of the meeting.
"If we’d like to bid on it, then we can," Darnell Blackmon said. "And if you don’t bid on it then you can’t complain that you did not win the bid.”
While Hall-Harper recused herself from the comments, council discussion and the vote, Councilors Lori Decter Wright and Laura Bellis were quick to refute claims of wrongdoing. The $1.4 million sale passed unanimously.
"She is a board member of the Black Wall Street Chamber. That is on file," Councilor Bellis told 2 News Oklahoma. "And that is why out of abundance of caution with that, she did recuse off of the vote. What we were voting on wasn’t even related to a city asset either.”
The other big-money item passed April 15 was the clearing of a $2.5 million city grant for parking lot and facade adjustments for the future Tulsa Hills IKEA site.
Councilor Anthony Archie said that was a long-planned incentive that'll bring return on investment for the city.
"Not only does IKEA come for the 55,000 square feet, you produce between $30 million and $40 million annually," Archie said. "You bring in folks from across the region not just to shop there, but you have small businesses all across.”
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