Is it a big conflict of interest for a mayor of a city (>100,000 people) to be a major real estate developer

Question

in the same community?

Answer 1

You guys voted him in. Did you know he was a developer before hand?

Answer 2

Of course it is. That's why he wanted the mayor's job.

Look around at any major city in the country. City councilmen who have never developed a property in their life, all of a sudden become millionaire developers after their stint in public service. Usually, that includes getting waivers and permits from their old buddies, and sometimes they even get grant money or tax subsidies.

The best way to know how to grease the system is to get inside it long enough to see how it works and who is greasable.

Answer 3

Not necessarily! A conflict only ever existis if full disclosure of the interest is not made. Most city mayors are also local businessmen.

Every action requiring the city's approval or involving public money/land would have to be documented and published ..........whether his interest in the deal is 0.1% or 100%....

Answer 4

Yeah, that's a pretty big "elephant in the room" conflict of interest.

However, they must see something something else in the person that allows them to ignore that fact, or think it's a big advantage to have a mayor who can get big projects built in their community that can contribute to the tax base so that their homeowners property tax rates have some relief. Cuts both ways, I guess.