During the Mayor's April 4th press conference on the opening of a police substation in Midtown, James Roxbury inquires about the lawsuit her office filed that day against the City Controller.

The suit complains that Controller Dan Miller will not sign off on paying the auction house Guernsey's to sell the City's infamous artifact collection.

At first Roxbury asks Mayor Linda Thompson how the financially distressed city will pay for the suit she filed. The Mayor replies, "Well, again, you know, it's about protecting the integrity of the office. And that's most important.

" Roxbury goes on to ask if the State signed off on the expenditure since under the Recovery Plan, all City spending must be approved. The Mayor declared, "Listen, when the City has to defend itself, we don't need approval from an outside entity."

After the presser, she attempted to clarify her comments by disclosing that the suit was yet another one being handled in-house by the Acting City solicitor.--Tara Leo Auchey

/Photo: Natalie Cake