SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Springfield City Councilor Justin Hurst accused City Clerk Gladys Oyola-Lopez of failing to disclose a potential conflict of interest. Oyola-Lopez’s attorney responded back calling those claims baseless.

Springfield City Councilor Justin Hurst called for an investigation, claiming City Clerk Gladys Oyola-Lopez failed to disclose a conflict of interest involving grant money connected to the new north citizens council.

Hurst alleged Oyola-Lopez didn’t properly disclose her role as chairwoman of the organization while it received funding and he’s now pushing for outside counsel to review the situation, “we had the entire city council vote to send this entire appropriation to committee, they sent it to committee because they knew what it is that I know , the idea that our city clerk who works for us is asking for an appropriation of a hundred thousand dollars for a business that she has financial interest in is problematic and at the very least we need a legal opinion.”

During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Oyola-Lopez’s attorney said that claim is completely false.

He stated that his client has never received any compensation from the new north citizens council, calling her role strictly volunteer based. He also said Oyola-Lopez sought guidance from the city’s law department, which determined there was no conflict of interest and therefore nothing to disclose, “She’s never received any financial benefit whatsoever from her position, her time at new north citizens council it was never her duty to disclose any conflict of interest.”

Her attorney also said the investigation Hurst pushed for is unwarranted and amounts to harassment. He also noted Oyola-Lopez has cooperated with state inquiries and has spent her career as a nonpartisan public servant. Hurst says he’s filed a proposal expected to be introduced at Monday’s city council meeting seeking an outside review of the matter.

Coming up later tonight on Western Mass News at 10 and 11, we’ll dive deeper into the press conference and hear how Councilor Hurst is responding.

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