Opinion ID: 751096
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Smyers

Text: 37 The district court found that Smyers would have voted against reappointing Coogan irrespective of political motivations because he was angered by the firefighter incident. To be sure, there is evidence in the record that undercuts Smyers' nonpolitical explanation. Smyers admitted that he never asked that Coogan be disciplined or that anything be placed in his file, despite the letter from the Firefighters' Union asking for Coogan's discharge. Nor did he raise the issue between the time of the incident, March 1993, and the January 11 meeting--not even to Coogan when they discussed his candidacy for reappointment in November of 1993. Additionally, Smyers voted in favor of merit raises for Coogan in November and December of 1993, one month before Smyers claims his anger over the firefighter incident motivated him to vote against Coogan's reappointment. 38 On the other hand, the record reflects that following the firefighter incident, the Council, of which Smyers was a member, called Coogan before it and instructed him to write a letter of apology to the Firefighters' Union. Testimony by several witnesses established that Smyers did raise the firefighter incident at both the January 11 and 17 meetings. Finally, there was evidence that Smyers was very upset by Coogan's comments at the time the newspaper article was released. On the foregoing record, we are unable to say that the district court's conclusion as to Smyers was clearly erroneous.