Sparks fly over rumor of residency dispute

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, May 7, 2005 | by Jason Dearen, STAFF WRITER

SAN CARLOS -- San Carlos Mayor Inge Tiegel Doherty will ask the city attorney to look into claims that City Council member Matt Grocott lived outside city limits while serving on the council and that he failed to disclose investments that may contain conflicts of interest.

"I'm concerned that Matt is living outside of town," Tiegel Doherty said. "He can't do that and be on the City Council. You have to be a resident of the city."

Grocott, whose vocal and public criticism of other city officials has earned him a number of enemies and a reputation as a good government activist, said Friday that he never moved outside the city and has no ideawhat all the fuss is about.

"It's this kind of exposure and criticism that makes people not want to get involved in politics," he said.

Since his election in 2001, Grocott has lived in San Carlos on Shelford Avenue with his wife, Dina. But last November his wife, filed for divorce, and the couple had reportedly been separated since July, 2004.

Grocott maintains that he lived at home until renting an apartement in San Carlos in March. Grocott is also renting a basement studio on Skyline Boulevard in Woodside, which he says he only uses as office space for his housing design company.

But even if Grocott lived in Woodside while sorting out his divorce, it wouldn't be illegal, said District Attorney Jim Fox. It takes a permanent change of residence to force a council member to resign.

"There have been a number of rumors around town about where he's been living," said Assistant City Manager Brian Moura. "There's an assumption that he lives in town, and we assume that to be true."

Stock ownership a conflict?

According to a economic statement filed with San Mateo County, Grocott owned more than $10,000 of stock in Varian Medical, a company that once co-owned the same parcel of land on which the new, $300 million Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) hospital campus will sit.

But Grocott failed to list the stock in his city financial disclosure forms, which is the main cause of concern for Tiegel Doherty and others in the city.

Grocott and Doherty both serve on the council subcommittee that handled the city's dealings with PAMF, and the appearance of a conflict of interest is a real concern, she said.

While Varian may have once been in a position to profit from a cleanup contract for the site, Moura said that PAMF is creating its own holding company to do the environmental work. So, in essence, Grocott's investment would not give him a profit from the work.

Grocott said he had consulted with the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) after City Manager Mike Garvey indicated his concern over the Varian stock,

"The woman at the FPPC said it was not a significant enough amount of stock and would not be seen as a conflict," Grocott said.

Still, Tiegel Doherty will ask city attorney Bob Lanzone and the FPPC if Grocott's Varian stock is a conflict, and if so, ask him to resign from the hospital subcommittee. Lanzone did not return a call for comment.

Tiegel Doherty said she disclosed two parcels of land she owned in an effort to be completely open and honest.

"Truth always has a way of coming out, and as a council member, you have to hold yourself up to the highest standards," Tiegel Doherty said. "I always err on the side of full disclosure."

Staff writer Jason Dearen can be reached at (650) 306-2425 or by e-mail at jdearen@sanmateocountytimes.com.