Lawsuit plaintiffs speak out against Clinton’s sale of DeWitt Park

New details have come to light about a lawsuit against the City of Clinton to block the sale of a city park.

Clinton has already agreed to sell DeWitt Park to the YWCA for a housing project. Our Quad Cities News obtained a copy of the lawsuit filed by plaintiffs Stephen Howes and Joann Hunt, who are calling for the court to issue an injunction on the sale and to eventually nullify the deal with the YWCA. The plaintiffs claim the city broke the law a few ways in making the deal to sell DeWitt park, that it violated a trust agreement from 1855, violated the city’s comprehensive plan and violated Clinton’s Parks and Recreation Department’s master plan. They also claim the city council didn’t follow the proper procedure for a sale by not getting an estimate of fair market value of the park, which gave the YWCA what the plaintiffs call a “sweetheart deal,” essentially amounting to a gift.

Our Quad Cities News contacted Clinton city leaders, but they say they can’t respond to the lawsuit.