A member of San Diego's City Council has accused the mayor's office of offering a "vote swap" in order to approve a resolution to raise money for new fire stations.
The allegations were made July 19 by Councilmember Marti Emerald in an interview with NBC 7.
"Last week the mayor called me into his office and he wanted me to trade some votes," Emerald said."He introduced our public safety bond as a bargaining chip for something he wanted politically and ethically I couldn't do it."
Watch part of Emerald's interview above.
The mayor's office told NBC 7 the councilmember's accusations of turning the bond into a bargaining chip are not true.
NBC 7 obtained a copy of Emerald’s calendar, showing a meeting with the Mayor for a half-hour on July 11, a day before the council vote. The location of the meeting is listed on the calendar as “CAB11,” or County Administration Building, room 11. Click here to see the calendar.
The resolution to raise money to build new fire stations failed to get enough votes Tuesday.
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The bond would have included a $205 million tax increase that supporters say is needed to build new fire stations. The need for fire stations in San Diego has existed for years, but the City Council is at odds on how to fix the problem.
On Thursday, KPBS reported on the vote and the allegations of "vote swapping."
The mayor's office reportedly wanted Emerald to vote against a measure that would allow candidates running for office win outright if they receive more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary election, according to KPBS.
"To make public safety a political football I think is unconscionable," Emerald told NBC 7. "We have an ethical obligation as government, to provide for the safety and well being of the public."
On Tuesday, with five Democratic councilmembers voting yes, the resolution came up one vote short of the needed six votes.
Republican Lorie Zapf voted against the plan, reversing an earlier vote in favor of the resolution.
