Fayetteville council looks to force member out

Now, the council looks to take a more forceful approach to remove Williams from office, voting unanimously to begin an amotion procedure.

The council spent an hour having the city attorney answer questions about the procedure, which allows a simple majority vote by the council after a public hearing and has been used only twice in North Carolina since 1935.

After City Attorney Karen McDonald outlined the steps to be taken, council members debated paying for an outside investigation or simply waiting for the city's Ethics Commission, which is already looking into Williams' actions, to issue its findings.

"We need to restore confidence with the public and let them know we're turning over every rock and everything attached to this is going to be discussed and fair game and I think that the Ethics Commission is a good start," Mayor Mitch Colvin said.

The Ethics Commission voted Monday night to table its investigation into Williams after he presented a letter from his attorney to the City Council.

Some members said they didn't need to wait for anything and should immediately press forward with the procedure.

"I don't know what other evidence you think you're going to get," Councilman Bill Crisp said.

Councilman Jim Arp, who put forward the motion to start the amotion procedure, said the issue has become "a cloud over our city" and needs to be resolved.

"I don’t know if there is any kind of way I can make it a smooth transition for you and what you’re trying to do, because I want the project to go, and I don’t want there to be no hiccups down the road," Williams said at the December meeting.

"I think I would just feel good if we just worked together some way to make it all go away," he said. "I’m not looking for a large amount of money. I’m just looking for a smooth transition, you know what I mean?"

He then suggested $15,000 to "sign off" on the deal.

Jordan said last week that he recorded interactions with Williams as part of a federal investigation.

An FBI spokeswoman on Monday refused to confirm that any investigation had taken place.

Colvin said that the FBI has indeed investigated the case, but he believes the case has been closed.

Williams insists that "key facts" were ignored in coverage of the recording. He said Jones called him and offered $15,000 in cash on Feb. 13, but he declined the offer and told Jones to send a proposal to his attorney and the city attorney for review.

On Monday, he repeatedly pressed for an independent investigation into the matter.

"This body should have a third party look at this issue, someone who has an open mind, does not prejudge before any kind of verdict has been already rendered," he said. "I think we need a fair trial by a third party rather than by a few people that's already in bed with another investor."

The $65 million Prince Charles Hotel project is part of a downtown revitalization that includes the construction of an adjacent $37 million minor league baseball stadium.

Williams previously had recused himself from voting on any issues involving the hotel or the stadium, but he reversed course Monday. He said his attorney has determined he has no conflict of interest, and he continues to argue that he has done nothing wrong, so he plans to take part in all votes going forward.

"I did not violate any law. I did not violate any principals. I"m actually in good standings and I can actually vote," he said.