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Council/PEDC Meeting September 15, 2014 Page 12 with her. She brought up another expenditure, which was $1,000 for a breakfast and said she disagreed with Mr. Moore's advice about what that money could be used for. Council Member Lancaster said she felt the money was supposed to be used to bring jobs to Paris and that was not going to bring jobs to Paris. She said it was a shame that no one had looked at all of this. Mayor Frierson said that was the responsibility of the PEDC Board, which was what Mr. Grubbs was doing. Council Member Lancaster said he was making it her responsibility. Mayor Frierson told Council Member Lancaster she had opportunity every time they voted to approve the actions and budgets of the PEDC. She said she was going to take a longer look at those expenditures and actions. Council Member Lancaster said after many years, she did not see the PEDC as a positive organization. Mr. Wilson said it was obvious there was an organized and orchestrated movement to discredit PEDC and this whole thing started with an anonymous letter. Council Member Hashmi said he had prepared a statement and he would like to read it. He read the following: "Ladies and gentlemen I had some reservations about coming to the meeting when Mr. Defenbaugh was not present, but I felt compelled to come since there was a lot of misinformation going around and I wanted to clarify it. First and foremost, I want to say I have not had any meeting or contact with Mr. Defenbaugh of any sort. I received the anonymous letter in January or early February at which time I told the mayor pro -tern Mr. Wright and the city manager about it since he was the one that put things on the agenda. I asked Ms. Cleonne Drake since she had prior law enforcement experience, as to who investigates these kinds of things. She said did not know but she said that she would ask her husband. Later on her husband said that he found two companies that did it and that he could arrange for them to meet with me, which I said no, since the Council had not met and no decision had been made by the Council as to what direction they want to proceed. Also, three to four days later which was in the middle of February, in the executive session I handed sealed envelopes to all the City Council members with the anonymous letter and the documentation that came along with it. I also informed the PEDC Director Ms. Rebecca Clifford about it and I also felt like I should inform Mr. Holland Harper since there was some relationship to that company. Again, I'm not saying right or wrong, I'm just giving you information. The anonymous letter was received in the month of January or early February and given to the Council Members in the executive session in February. It was subsequently placed on the regular agenda in the March meeting. At no time during this period did I or any of my family members meet with Mr. Defenbaugh or had any discussions with any of his associates, not only that, at no time after that did I meet Mr. Defenbaugh other than the one day that he showed up at my office and I've already disclosed that to the Council. I did not try to contact him or any other members of either the City Council or the PEDC Board to suggest that Mr. Defenbaugh should or should not be appointed for the investigation. This misinformation that I contacted him before I got the letter or that in any way or form that I suggested his name to some of the Council Members or PEDC, that he was hired by me before the Council had voted on it is completely false and I am perfectly willing to say this under oath. I had absolutely no contact; I almost didn't even know his name until he showed up at my office. So if anyone says that I signed a contract with him or that I had prior information about him or that I had not received the letter and we had already appointed him is a bunch of bologna and I am willing to say that under oath."