"When I heard there was a new owner and we have this long history on this property, I went to (Goff) and told them there's a new owner," Saxton said. "I told him I want zero tolerance on this, meaning I don't want you lifting (the stop-work order)."

Anderson said that by "instructing a city official to treat a permit matter in a punitive, prejudicial manner, (Saxton) clearly attempted to improperly influence the building-permit process."

Saxton defended her involvement Tuesday, saying she was acting in the best interest of her constituents. She also shifted blame for the controversy surrounding the Koneta Court property to the city's administration, saying if proper permitting procedure had been followed, construction of the home would have been stopped before it even started.

"The mayor says I shouldn't have gotten involved, but the system has failed, the administration has failed these (neighbors)," she said.

That, Anderson said, wasn't the point of his letter. By making demands of Goff, the councilwoman violated the section of city ordinance that forbids council members from interfering with the performance of city employees.

"Our view of it is, when someone engages in that form of misconduct, that's not something to sweep under the rug," he said. "It's the sort of thing the public ought to know about."

---

E-mail: jpage@desnews.com