Tensions flared in the Springfield City Council Monday night as councilors ultimately blocked a measure to bring on outside legal counsel regarding a $100,000 grant to the New North Citizen's Council.
City Councilor Justin Hurst is arguing that City Clerk Gladys Oyola-Lopez will benefit from the grant, as she serves on the board of directors for the non-profit. He was hoping to bring in independent counsel after he says the city solicitor declined to provide a legal opinion on a possible conflict of interest.
During the meeting, Hurst expressed frustration at a lack of guidance from the city's law department.
"The law department can't pick and choose when it wants to give us advice and when it doesn't. It just cant. Especially when we have a duty to move this item forward," he said. " I don't want to hold up the money if there's nothing there, if we don't have to."
The grant would go towards a project to build senior housing on the property of the former Brightwood Elementary School in the city's North End.
Oyola-Lopez has maintained she is a volunteer at the non-profit and will not benefit from the grant. She has filed a retaliation complaint against Hurst, claiming he's targeting her for her office's role in an investigation into allegations he paid for votes during his failed 2023 run for mayor. Hurst has denied those allegations and a and the state Attorney General's Office has not released the results of their probe into the matter.
