URA Head Speaks Out About Pittsburgh Billboard ControversyPOSTED: 4:41 pm EDT April 14,
2008 PITTSBURGH -- For the first time since Pittsburgh’s billboard controversy blowup, the head of the Urban Redevelopment Agency is speaking out about the investigation he faces.URA Executive Director Pat Ford has said that he and his wife, former mayoral press secretary Alecia Sirk, received gifts from a Lamar Advertising executive whom they call a longtime friend.The two have been under the spotlight after controversy stirred over approval that Ford helped secure for Lamar's electronic billboard on Grant Street.On Monday, Ford said his name is being smeared because he's a whistleblower."I just find it coincidental I chose to speak out about government, and this chain of events occurs in 20 hours," he said. "I'm smeared by everybody."Ford said he wants to clear his name. He said he believes he is being targeted because of inappropriate activity he discovered in the Housing Authority."I approached the district attorney with findings in spending, inappropriate lobbying and mismanagement of multimillion-dollar projects," said Ford.District Attorney Stephen Zappala said Ford did come to him with those concerns just before it became public that Ford and Sirk had received gifts from Lamar's Jim Vlasach over the years.Zappala said Ford helped Lamar get a 1,200-square-foot billboard approved without a hearing. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has since ordered a stop to construction of that LED board."Apparently, the timing is such he's being removed from the authority after having issues he was concerned about spending,” said Zappala.Housing Authority Executive Director Fulton Meachem denies that the inappropriate spending claimed by Ford had anything to do with public reports surfacing about Ford's friendship with Vlasach."In no shape or form did I or anybody in this agency put information out there about Pat Ford," said Meachem.However, Meachem says he did ask Ford to resign from the Housing Authority's board because he felt the URA director had a conflict.Ford is on paid leave from the URA. Sirk resigned as Ravenstahl’s press secretary.
Previous Stories:
Related Links: More County NewsGet RSS Headlines | Free Desktop Alert Copyright 2008 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
| ||||||||
   |
| |||||||
