The Chattanooga City Council is set to vote tonight on whether to spend taxpayer money to defend Councilman Jack Benson in a lawsuit.
Benson and Chattanooga are being sued by Bassam Issa, owner of the ANT Group. Issa tried unsuccessfully to have a tract of land rezoned from residential to commercial use on Gunbarrel Road so he could build an International House of Pancakes restaurant.
Issa has brought two different lawsuits — one against the city and the other against Benson.
For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.
Cliff has worked for the Times Free Press for five years and covers Chattanooga city government. He previously covered Rhea County, as well as transportation and growth and development in Southeast Tennessee. A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cliff graduated in 2003 from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on journalism. Before coming to Chattanooga, he was a crime reporter with Hernando Today, a supplement of The Tampa (Fla.) ...
