THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411100607
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
The Virginia State Bar has dismissed an ethics complaint against attorney John E. Zydron, filed 13 months ago after he represented city housing officials during their removal hearings before the City Council.
The complaint was filed Oct. 11, 1993, by City Attorney Ronald S. Hallman. He suggested that by representing the Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority while he defended its commissioners, Zydron might have violated a rule against representing two parties with conflicting interests.
But in letters to Hallman and Zydron Wednesday, bar officials said Zydron's actions did not constitute misconduct.
The bar does not comment on ethics investigations. It has never confirmed that it was investigating Hallman's complaint.
``I think they took it seriously,'' Hallman said of the bar. ``They had three interviews with us about it and they spent a lot of time on it.''
``The long and the short of it is that it was dismissed,'' Hallman said. ``There's not much more to say.''
Zydron praised the bar on Wednesday.
``I'm grateful to the Virginia State Bar for allowing me to disclose the dismissal,'' Zydron said. ``I was in a real dilemma, that if they had said, no I couldn't, then how would I get out of this situation.
``This way it's all cleared up.''
The City Council fired all six commissioners for the Chesapeake Redevelopment and Housing Authority on charges of inefficiency, neglect of duty and misconduct in office after a three-week hearing last year. New commissioners were appointed in September 1993.
Zydron, who started working for the authority in 1991, represented the ousted commissioners during the hearings, and angered City Council members in the process.
Some City Council members were also infuriated when the replacement board voted in an improper secret ballot on Sept. 27 to begin negotiations with Zydron on a new contract for legal services.
Tuesday night, those commissioners voted publicly to reconsider all bids for legal services.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA STATE BAR
CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL
CHESAPEAKE HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
by CNB