D.D. 12/30/05

Clarksville has been in the news recently for a couple of flops in local government. Two of these issues have made the news in the Nashville market now-- and both are accused of being election year rancor. The first involves a deal to bring a new hospital to Montgomery County, which is still stalled-- and very likely to fail because of city/county politics. For a history of the hospital deal and where it stands, check out the extended entry here.

The other issue involves the Mayor of Clarksville, Don Trotter, who has been the subject of a 'web of business dealings' exposee by the Leaf Chronicle. The mayor has been a share-holding member of a company called American Infrastructure Management, LLC, a company that specializes in helping local governments located near federal army bases win energy provider contracts with the feds. The City's Gas and Water Manager, who is directly supervised by Trotter, is also involved in the business. Although the company has no contracts with the City of Clarksville, the company has helped a Hopkinsville, Ky., Electric System bid to provide electric service to Fort Campbell, in direct competition to a bid from the Clarksville Department of Electricity - worth about $1 mil. to that city department.

In addition, the Mayor recently made a trip to Benson, Arizona to help AIM pitch a partnership agreement with that municipal power company to provide power for an army base there. In that meeting, Trotter did not disclose that he was a partner in AIM, but presented himself as the Mayor of Clarksville. When contacted by the Leaf Chronicle, the Benson officials said Trotter never disclosed he was a shareholder in AIM when he implied that AIM had significantly helped the City of Clarksville secure energy contracts with Ft. Campbell, even though there is no such arrangement between Clarksville and Ft. Campbell. The Clarksville City Council held a special session yesterday to uncover whether there has been a conflict of interest and the matter has been turned over the State Comptroller's office. Even though City attorneys and Trotter have argued that no conflict of interests exists because no contract exists between the City and AIM, Trotter has said he will pull out of AIM. When asked if he would sell his shares in the company or at the least place them in a blind trust, Trotter said he didn't think that would be necessary.

In addition, Trotter accuses his likely opponent in his 2006, former-mayor Johnny Piper, as man behind this story. Trotter charges that Piper is good friends with Leaf Chronicle publisher Gene Washer, but Washer points out that he does not receive advance copies of the stories the Leaf will run and said the Leaf just presented the facts.