How was Jerry Hanson able to get a $322,809 contract from a city with a median income of $29,500 that was mired in a $10.8 million bankruptcy?
The answer: He wrote his own contract, and City Council approved it by a 4-1 vote - against the advice of the city's attorney at the time.
According to information gathered Friday by The Desert Sun from the former city attorney, the current city manager and Gary Bosworth, the only council member who voted against Hanson's initial March 2003 city manager contract, Hanson made revisions to the contract himself.
And a council majority approved it, despite the city's top lawyer saying it should be rejected because it was too lucrative and not a good deal for taxpayers.
It's the latest twist in the story that surfaced in March when city officials confirmed the $322,809 figure after Hanson's W2 was leaked to reporters.
Is there enough money left in the City budget for some lumber, some tar and feathers, and 5 lengths of rope?