Monday, July 22, 2013

Snippet from Latest Installment - Cara Jenning's Deposition - Part II (full transcript in right-hand column)

Q = Attorney for city
A - Cara Jennings

Q. Before Tuesday, after you left office, until Tuesday, had you had any conversations with anybody from the City referencing this matter for which we're here today?
A. Not that I can recall.
Q. Today you had a conversation with Susan Stanton immediately before the deposition, correct?
A. Yes.
Q. About how long was that conversation?
A. When we were just in the other room?
Q. Yes.
A. Our general conversation?
Q. Yes.
A. About how long?
Q. Yes.
A. I don't know. Maybe we talked for -- I don't know. Maybe ten minutes.
Q. Had you talked or spoken with Susan Stanton prior?
     When was the last time you spoke to Susan Stanton prior to that discussion this morning?
A. I saw her very briefly at City hall. I've seen her briefly around town, but I haven't really had a meeting with her since I left office.
Q. Do you recall if at any of those brief encounters, you discussed this matter?
A. No.
Q. When you were in the room a little while ago, prior to your deposition, did you discuss this lawsuit?
A. When Brian was in there, he mentioned, you know, about being prepared. No, we were talking about stuff happening at City hall.
Q. Was there any discussion about Retha Lowe's deposition?
A. Yes.
Q. What was discussed about Retha Lowe's deposition?
A. Just that about going through a lot of minutes, that they went through a lot of minutes with her.
Q. And it was boring?
A. I don't know that anyone said that it was boring, but I presumed that it would be. Yes, just the same thing. That seemed to be the mantra, you know, try to remember, you know, that they're going to go through a lot of minutes and just remember what you can.
Q. Was there any discussion about what would be of particular importance and what wouldn't be?
A. Yes, there was mention about -- I don't think we've gotten there yet, maybe meeting minutes from -- I can't remember which meeting, but they were saying specifically that there were some meeting minutes that you would go into, might go into more depth about, and just the same thing, to recall what I could about what happened at the meeting and share that.
Q. Was there a discussion about the topic of that particular meeting?
A. There might have been, but I don't remember.
Q. Anything else that came out of that conversation that you had this morning?
A. When I got here?
Q. Yes, right before.
A. Because when you're talking about today and this meeting, I'm including when I got into this, to this office.
Q. Yes, that's what I'm talking about.
A. Not this room, but the office.
Q. Right.
A. Okay. Anything else regarding this issue or the other ---
Q. Yes, regarding this issue. The gossiping is not relevant unless you've got something good, and then we can go off the record.
A. No, no. Let me think. Not that I can remember. I mean, I mostly just remember them being like -- Maybe I was spacing out. I was eating a piece of candy, and you're going to go through this book, and you're going to go through a lot of minutes, and it might feel tedious, but just try to remember and that it probably won't take that long and that -- Because it was very repetitive ---
Q. Yes, but there wasn't any reference to any specific facts though, correct?
A. Not that I recall, but I also don't know what you mean by that.
Q. Thank you for asking me to clarify.
A. Yeah.
Q. When I say specific facts, I mean like punch list items from the pool or the zoning approval date or what one commissioner said or didn't say.
A. Well, I asked a question about -- I said something like: Well, the whole issue here is that there was a date that the contract -- There was a date that the contract didn't -- Or a date in the contract that wasn't upheld, and that was what caused the --
Q. -- termination?
A. -- termination, and I think it was Brian who responded, and he said like you might be referring to the zoning date.
Q. The zoning approval date?
A. Yes.
Q. As we sit here today, is it your understanding that the reason the City terminated the contract between Greater Bay Group and the City of Lake Worth was because the zoning approval date, which it was said, had to occur before June 30th, 2007, in the agreement, was not met?
A. I don't totally recall. I knew the issue very well when I was in office, and I was dealing with it and voting on it, but at this point, so many years later, I don't recall if that was the only thing, it that was the main thing. I remember that was an issue, but I don't remember if it was explicitly the only issue.