Maybe the mayor needs to be in the city managers real hometown to know what’s going on.
“I was not aware that Ben Harvey was contacting cannabis companies in July,” Peake said. “I was surprised because there was no interest in a cannabis store shown by the council.”
Harvey said Monday there was absolutely nothing inappropriate about his conversations and meetings with Apothecarium, and that to do so is part of his job as a type of ombudsman between elected officials and business projects.
“Part of my job is to deal with prospective businesses,” Harvey said. “I routinely meet with people interested in starting a business here, whether it’s a retailer, restaurant, brewpub or a cannabis dispensary.”
Another criticism of Harvey is that he allowed the one company, Apothecarium, to help draft the ordinance that would then be presented to the council on Sept. 2. Harvey argued there is nothing out of the ordinary in doing this. And he is right in that industry helps draft legislation in Sacramento regularly.