Thompson Park golf-cart storage stirs more debate among Watertown City Council

Oct. 2—WATERTOWN — In a 3-2 vote, the City Council on Monday night approved a $1,200 monthly lease to store the Thompson Park Golf Course's 50 or so golf carts in an industrial center on Starbuck Avenue this winter.

The golf carts ended up at the center of the latest heated debate about the city purchasing the former Watertown Golf Club.

This time, it focused on P.J. Simao, former owner of the Ives Hill Country Club, offering free storage if Mayor Jeffrey M. Smith and Councilwoman Sarah V. Compo Pierce would identify those involved in a Facebook page that criticizes Simao and some council members.

As part of his offer, Simao told them he'd donate $2,500 each to Smith and Compo Pierce's favorite charities and he'd pay nearly $62,000 in back taxes for a Main Avenue property that Simao owns.

Simao believes that Smith and Compo Pierce's supporters started the Facebook page that has attacked him and some council members on numerous occasions.

Simao also filed a complaint with the state police after he claimed one meme threatened him.

The Facebook page gained quite a bit of notoriety when it first surfaced in May under the guise that its originators were fans of interim City Attorney H. Todd Bullard and how he handled the lack of decorum at council meetings.

The memes have often attacked the city's purchase of the former Watertown Golf Club in Thompson Park from Michael E. Lundy for $3.4 million and Simao's involvement in the deal last January.

Declining to take up the offer, Smith, who bragged last winter on a local radio station he knew who started the Facebook page, called Simao's offer "a bribe."

"This mayor is not for sale," he said.

In recent years, Simao and Smith have been involved in a bitter feud, a bulk of it involving the former golf club.

During the debate, Councilwoman Lisa A. Ruggiero said she didn't understand why the mayor hasn't revealed the identities of those involved in the Facebook page.

"Obviously, you know who it is," she said.

Ruggiero also urged council members to discuss the issue further since she and others have been the subject of bullying since the memes began.

Simao's offer also would resolve a legal issue involving the Main Avenue property that has cost the city between $50,000 and $60,000 in legal bills, she said.

In defending herself, Compo Pierce said she's been the subject of bullying and that it's just part of being involved in local politics.

She accused Simao of harassing her and other council members for sending a couple of dozen emails about his offer in recent days.

At the end of the meeting, Smith denied his involvement in the memes.

"I'm not a meme guy," he said.

With new city attorney Kristin Smith on board Monday night, most of the discussion was not as contentious as many previous council meetings, except for when the mayor went on a tirade about Simao during his portion of new business.

Two weeks ago, Kristin Smith's Syracuse firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King replaced Bullard and his Rochester law firm of Harris Beach as the city's new legal representation. She mainly listened to council members discuss the issues of the night.

The golf carts will be stored this winter in the Watertown Industrial Center, 800 Starbuck Ave. Smith and Compo Pierce voted against the lease for the golf carts.

The Thompson Park Golf Course is slated to close for the season on Oct. 27.