Crestwood Ward 2 Alderman Tim Trueblood was very clear last November when he cautioned his fellow board members about engaging in private conversations with potential vendors or developers.

Such discussions are a “bad idea,” Trueblood said at the time, noting that early in his tenure as an alderman, he had been taken aside by a senior alderman, who recommended against such discussions.

Trueblood knows what he’s talking about given his longtime service as an alderman — first from 1993 to 2006 when he was unable to seek re-election because of term limits, and since 2012 when he again was elected. And Trueblood, who was elected board president last month, is not the only alderman concerned about this issue.

In November, Ward 3 Alderman Paul Duchild, then serving as board president, issued a memo that stated, “As your board president, it is my responsibility to encourage open and transparent discussion and to avoid the type of misunderstanding or confusion that can arise when aldermen act independently of the board through private contact with any third party conducting business with the city.”

We believe the position of the board’s leadership on this issue is clear, yet representatives of Centrum Partners continue to contact aldermen by email with requests to meet privately and to place items on the board’s agenda about the proposed redevelopment of Crestwood Court.

Newly elected Ward 4 Alderman Mike Tsichlis raised the issue at last week’s board meeting, saying he was surprised that one of the first emails he received as an elected official was from a representative of Centrum requesting items be placed on the board’s agenda.

Tsichlis said, “… I received also a follow-up email requesting a meeting with the developer’s representatives … just several hours prior to this meeting tonight. And I just want to say, and I don’t know if any of the other new aldermen have anything to say about this as well, I just consider that rather inappropriate …”

While not all aldermen may be in agreement on this issue, it would be logical to expect Centrum officials to respect the wishes of the board’s leadership. To continue to contact aldermen to request private meetings and the placement of items on the board’s agenda would seem counterproductive, especially when asking city officials to approve tax incentives totaling roughly $34 million for the proposed redevelopment of the mall.