Blue Ridge Taxpayers Pay Over $35,000 for Angie Arp’s Legal Follies

The final bill is in for the Jarrad & Davis investigation into the Blue Ridge City Council and government -$35,105.99. This is not the only legal fees that the Blue Ridge taxpayers are paying for Council Member Angie Arp.  Taxpayers are also footing the bill for Ms. Arp’s counsel and representation in the upcoming Ada Street lawsuit.

Ms. Arp initiated the $35,105.99 Jarrard & Davis investigation to determine if Mayor Whitener is a legal resident of Blue Ridge and can legally be the mayor.  The legal documents attesting to Mayor Whiteners’ long-term residency at at 266 Orvin Lance Connector, in a loft dwelling above her Town & County Furniture store are so strong that Jarrard & Davis pointed out the ridiculousness of trying to prove Mayor Whitener lived elsewhere.   They said that the only way to dispel the rumors is to hire private investigators and “stake out” the Mayor following her from work to home every night for a period of weeks or to subpoena friends and relatives to give sworn testimony about where the Mayor spends the night.

The upcoming Ada Street LLC lawsuit is specifically against Ms. Arp’s actions as a City Council member and her unethical interference with the zoning decision against the Ada Street development.  Council Members Bruce Park and Rodney Kendall were implicated in the original Ada Street proceedings.  They were found not guilty.  The upcoming lawsuit is specifically about whether Ms. Arp was disqualified from voting in the Ada Street rezoning request due to state rules surrounding unethical voting in zoning decisions.  The second item is if Ms. Arp should receive legal immunity since she voted on zoning as part of her responsibility as a City Council Member.

Up to now City Attorney David Syfan has represented Blue Ridge and Ms. Arp in court.  Mr. Syfan charges an hourly rate for his work for Blue Ridge. He imagines that he has spent over 100 hours with this case.  Invoices for Mr. Syfan work have not been made public. In the upcoming lawsuit, Ms. Arp will also be represented by an attorney for Georgia Municipal Association.  Blue Ridge has their liability insurance through this organization.

If Ms. Arp and thus the city loses the lawsuit, the city will be on the hook for even more, high-priced legal expenses due to Ms. Arp’s behavior and decision-making as a Blue Ridge City Council member.