By Rob Harris, of Golf Dispute Resolution
New York’s Ives Hill Country Club has turned to litigation in an effort to stifle what appears to be a competitive threat by nearby Watertown Golf Club.
In a lawsuit brought by Ives Hill, it alleged that Watertown Golf Club, Inc. operates the course on land that it leases from the City of Watertown. Ives Hill wants to render that lease void and unenforceable, claiming that it was initially approved “despite a conflict of interest of the then Mayor that violated the statewide code of ethics applicable to local municipal officers and employees.
“The Mayor was then a member of the Board of Directors of the Watertown Golf Club and thus derived a benefit as a result of the lease,” the plaintiff alleged.
Ives Hill alleged that the lease was first approved in January 2000—more than 18 years ago—when Mayor Joseph M. Butler, Sr. had a small ownership interest in Watertown Golf Club. Ives Hill claims that it was insufficient that Mayor Butler “abstained from the vote by which the City Council approved the 2000 Lease Agreement,” because he ” participated in the discussions leading to the vote and executed the 2000 Lease Agreement on behalf of the City.”
The Ives Hill complaint also alleged that, after Mayor Butler left office, the lease was amended in 2006, providing for an extension of the lease until 2029. Ives Hill claimed the lease extension is tainted, because of the alleged conflict that existed at the time the initial lease was signed in 2000.
