June 2, 2004

Gregory denies allegations of corruption
Charges cause city attorney to postpone votes

By Carol Rosen
Editor

Seventh District City Councilmember Terry Gregory held a short news conference May 27 to announce that he had not broken any laws and that he was looking forward to an impending investigation which he felt would clear his name. During the latter part of May, The San Jose Mercury News alleged in an editorial that the councilmember had received free meals, a box of Opus One Wine worth $1,500 and tickets to a baseball game from property owners and prospective developers.

“I am very dismayed by the recent allegations that have been made against me. I want to be very clear in my response to these allegations. I have not violated the law,” Gregory said.

“I am looking forward to a full investigation of this matter, and I am confident that, in the end, my name will be cleared. Because of the impending investigation, I won’t be discussing any specifics related to the allegations at this time, but I do want to restate that at the conclusion of any investigation my name will be cleared. In the meantime, I will continue working diligently to perform the duties that I was elected to do as a San Jose City Councilmember,” he said.

Finally, Gregory stated that he wouldn’t “let this situation or anything else stand in the way of improving our neighborhoods or the building of schools, parks and libraries that are currently planned for City Council District 7.”

The day following the press conference, City Councilmember Chuck Reed filed an ethics complaint against Gregory asking him to step down during the investigation. While some councilmembers sided with Reed, according to The San Jose Mercury News, others—including District 6 Councilmember Ken Yeager—asked the beleaguered Gregory to provide a more explicit response than the statement given at the press conference. And, added Councilmem-ber Forrest Williams, the constitution guarantees that people are innocent until proven guilty.

Reporters were clearly disappointed that Gregory, and Rev. John Erwin Jr., pastor at the Bethesda Community Church in District 7, were unwilling to comment other than telling reporters there was an ongoing investigation and no specific comments would be made. Repeated questions from the reporters as to how Rev. Erwin and Gregory had met or became friends were also unanswered. Rev. Erwin would only state that he served as Gregory’s spiritual advisor and that the two are friends. Gregory’s staff members also refused to comment.

The charges have resulted in the city attorney asking to postpone votes or for Councilmember Gregory to not vote on particular issues until the conflicts of interest investigations are completed. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office is investigating the matter.

State law directs that elected officials report gifts of $50 or more. If found guilty, Gregory could face penalties of up to $5,000 for each violation from both the state and the city.