A federal grand jury is reviewing evidence to determine whether Mayor Tom Murphy broke the law by trading a sweetened labor contract for the firefighters union endorsement in 2001.
Defense attorney Robert G. Del Greco Jr., of Pittsburgh, confirmed Wednesday that he has been retained to represent the mayor. He declined further comment, saying it's not appropriate for him to talk during an investigation.
City Solicitor Jacqueline Morrow delivered documents to the grand jury on Monday, a day before Murphy, 60, of the North Side, announced he will not run for re-election because it "is time to move forward to something else."
Morrow was accompanied by defense attorney Fred Thieman when she delivered unidentified documents to the grand jury, which meets in secrecy to examine evidence, take testimony and decide if criminal charges are warranted. Morrow left without the documents.
When asked about the grand jury, Morrow said: "Yeah, what about it⢠This conversation is over."
She said she had not testified. Thieman declined to comment.
Murphy hung up the phone yesterday when asked about the grand jury investigation. Moments after his announcement Tuesday that he won't run for re-election, Murphy shook his head and declined to comment when questioned about the investigation.
The mayor previously has denied wrongdoing in his dealings with firefighters union President Joe King on the eve of the Democratic mayoral primary in 2001. Murphy has said he welcomes an investigation.
Craig Kwiecinski, the mayor's spokesman, echoed those comments yesterday.
"We welcome an open and honest investigation into the matter," Kwiecinski said. "We will comply with any information request that we receive and answer any questions that are asked of us."
U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan and District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. announced in April they were looking into Murphy's relationship with the firefighters union.
Buchanan yesterday declined to comment on the grand jury investigation.
Zappala, through his spokesman Mike Manko, said that as of Nov. 30, he and other members of his office no longer could respond to questions about Murphy's dealings with King.
King set off the investigations by alleging Murphy fattened the firefighters' labor contract in exchange for the union's endorsement. In the May 2001 primary, Murphy defeated challenger Bob O'Connor by 699 votes.
The allegations became public in April after King sent letters to the mayor and City Council detailing his accusation that Murphy offered Pittsburgh firefighters $10.8 million in pay raises and contract sweeteners to win the union's endorsement.
King subsequently retracted the allegation, made when he was angry about layoffs and other cuts to the fire department that Murphy was proposing because of city budget problems.
Murphy denied King's allegation. He said the improved contract was a product of the arbitration process. King initially said arbitrators were used as cover for the deal. Arbitration was used so that other city unions would not know about the deal, King had said.
The contract included 8.68 percent annual pay increases for senior fire officers, bringing their base pay to more than $50,000 a year.
The firefighters had been supporting O'Connor, the City Council president at the time. After the contract deal, the union switched its endorsement to Murphy.
King, reached by telephone yesterday, said he knew nothing of the grand jury investigation.
"I haven't the slightest idea about what is going on," he said.
