WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – The majority owner of the Watertown Golf Club is setting the stage for a lawsuit against the city and two council members over eliminating a public parking area near the club.
Michael Lundy has filed what’s known as a notice of claim, a legal document that’s the first step in filing a lawsuit against a municipality.
At issue is a grass and gravel parking area just west of the golf club in Thompson Park. Even though it’s city property, club members have used it for overflow parking for decades.
In addition to the city, named in the notice of claim are council members Cliff Olney and Lisa Ruggiero, who both voted in February to eliminate the parking area. Also voting to eliminate it, but not named in the notice, is council member Patrick Hickey.
Lundy says Olney and Ruggiero are named because of their direct involvement in leading efforts to eliminate the parking lot.
“The efforts, harassment, and prejudice against WGC since we purchased it in 2018 by Olney and Ruggiero have nothing to do with what is good for the community and City of Watertown,” Lundy said.
The February vote was part of a long-running dispute over whether the city has given the Watertown Golf Club unfair advantages against its rival, Ives Hill Country Club, owned by P.J. Simao.
Lundy says the lawsuit, when filed, would ask for an injunction reversing the council resolution that eliminated the parking area.
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