Controversy has become an unplanned agenda item at the Urbana City Council meetings.

Alderwoman Danielle Chynoweth currently faces

allegations of providing special favors to a friend and former housemate, Sascha Meinrath.

Under a proposal Chynoweth presented in June, the city of Urbana would join with the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) to connect a wireless network in several downtown locations. Meinrath is the project coordinator for CUWiN.

At the Sept. 7 council meeting, Alderman Milton Otto alluded to this proposal, which called for $18,600 to pay for equipment to connect to the wireless network from downtown Urbana. Otto said Chynoweth had a conflict of interest because of her relationship to Meinrath – something she did not tell the council when making the proposal. The council approved Chynoweth’s proposal, along with several other amendments to the budget, at another June meeting.

Another reference was made to the proposal during the public input portion of Monday’s council meeting. After the meeting, Chynoweth and Urbana Mayor Tod Satterthwaite engaged in discussion concerning the proposal and wireless network.

Satterthwaite agrees with Otto’s accusation of Chynoweth having a conflict of interest.

“She was sole-sourcing to partner with her friend’s network,” Satterthwaite said.

He argued that Chynoweth’s proposal presumed CUWiN would be involved in the project without considering alternative vendors. Despite these presumptions, Satterthwaite said the city of Urbana has been going through a competitive bidding process to find a company to help with the wireless network connection, as is the case with all city projects. CUWiN is still being considered for the project by the Urbana city staff, Satterthwaite said.

Chynoweth said she discussed the proposal with the mayor and several city council members before she introduced it at a meeting. Meinrath said he also addressed the council and e-mailed Satterthwaite personally on two separate occasions.

“At both times and at city council (meetings), he never brought it up. Why is he bringing it up now?” Meinrath said.

Chynoweth contends that the issue is being addressed now for political revenge. In June, Chynoweth said Satterthwaite had asked her to reconsider her vote regarding the city’s ward map, which he considered to be seriously flawed. She said he warned her that a conflict of interest could be perceived in her proposal – but only if she refused to change her vote on the map. She did refuse to change her vote, and the council ultimately decided not to approve the mayor’s version of the map.

Satterthwaite denied Chynoweth’s claim, saying nothing could be further from the truth.

Chynoweth said it was her understanding that council members knew she was friends with Meinrath. She did not discuss the relationship during the proposal because there was no contract or funds going to Meinrath or CUWiN.

“No funding will go to CUWiN; rather, CUWiN is donating volunteer time to consult with city staff,” her proposal read in all capital letters.

CUWiN has been trying to find a company to manufacture “nodes,” although the city has not officially decided to bring CUWiN into the project. These nodes are the equipment needed to connect to the wireless network, Meinrath said. They are to be paid for with the $18,600 allotted in the budget.

Despite the controversy, both Chynoweth and Meinrath said they are committed to having wireless connectivity for downtown Urbana.

Meinrath said CUWiN is willing to assist in making downtown wireless free of charge.

“CUWiN have offered a gift to the city,” he said. “The mayor is spurning that gift.”