Philly Judge Upholds Controller's Right To Question Spending

by Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia judge, this week, upheld the right of the City Controller to question spending by other city officials.

She dismissed a lawsuit that claimed a Controller's report was "defamation" of a former official.

In August, Alan Butkovitz reported that the non-profit "Mayor's Fund" had been used more like a *slush* fund for its former chairwoman, who had been former Mayor Michael Nutter's city representative.

She sued, claiming the controller's comments fell outside his official duties.

But Common Pleas Judge Frederica Massiah-Jackson disagreed and tossed the suit out of court. The plaintiff called the ruling "scary," claiming it now allows elected officials to defame others.

Butkovitz, though, says the case never had any merit.

"I'm just not going to be intimidated in doing this job. Being controller requires that you tell truth to power, you stand up to people and this kind of thing happens every time we strike blood," he said.

Butkovitz says there's "more to come" on the way the former chairwoman spent Mayor's Fund money.