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Former Indianapolis Trustee Guilty of Conflict of InterestA former member of the Indianapolis–Marion County Public Library was sentenced to a year’s probation September 20 after pleading guilty to a felony count of conflict of interest for his role in hiring a construction company to coordinate the expansion of its downtown branch. A Marion County Superior Court judge also ordered D. Mark Bowell to perform 100 hours of community service and repay the library money he received—nearly $21,000—for any work he performed for the Turner Construction Company through a local marketing firm, Rosetta Advertising and Public Relations, the September 21 Indianapolis Star reported.Trustee Jesse B. Lynch said he “never would have voted” to award the contract to Turner if he had known the company had ties to a board member. “He got off real lucky,” Lynch told the Star. Bowell’s sentencing concludes a grand jury inquiry launched by county prosecutors in July. Conflict of interest is a state public corruption offense punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine. Bowell was one of the library trustees who in 2002 voted unanimously to award a $5.4-million contract to Turner. But he did not publicly disclose his work on behalf of the company until Lynch asked about the relationship at a later board meeting. Although he obtained a written statement from the board’s attorney stating that his work with Turner was not improper, Bowell soon came under fire by city-county Council President Phil Borst for a possible conflict of interest. The library’s construction project is two years behind schedule, $50 million over budget, and mired in litigation since 2004 when dangerous construction flaws were discovered. Turner is one of the companies the library is currently suing to recover cost overruns. Posted September 22, 2006. |
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