Paul Giblin

The Republic | azcentral.com

Attorney Craig Tindall was on the payrolls of Glendale and the Coyotes simultaneously.

A state Bar investigation failed to produce "clear and convincing" evidence of ethics violations.

Former Glendale City Councilman Phil Lieberman says he may object to Bar's finding.

The State Bar of Arizona has dismissed an ethics complaint against former Glendale City Attorney Craig Tindall concerning his actions with the Arizona Coyotes.

Former Glendale City Councilman Phil Lieberman filed the complaint in November, alleging Tindall created a conflict of interest because he went to work for the National Hockey League team while the city was still paying him severance.

During the period when Tindall was still on the city's payroll, the council agreed to pay the team's owner, an investment group led by Canadian businessmen George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc, to manage Jobing.com Arena, the city-owned facility where the Coyotes play.

An eight-month Bar investigation failed to produce "clear and convincing" evidence of ethical violations, according to a letter sent Wednesday to Tindall's personal attorney by Bar counsel Hunter Perlmeter.

"The state Bar conducted a very thorough investigation. And after that investigation, they dismissed Mr. Lieberman's charge. I think the dismissal speaks for itself," Tindall's attorney, Andrew Halaby, said Friday.

Lieberman, who moved to Oceanside, Calif., called the Bar's decision a mistake and said he is considering whether to formally object.

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers said he was uncertain whether he concurred with the Bar's conclusion. "I don't know if I agree with that, but if that's their decision, that's their decision," he said.

In February 2013, Weiers and three other council members asked Tindall to resign from the city. At the time, the mayor cited a vague need to move in a pro-business direction with the city attorney's position.

Tindall formally relinquished his duties on April 1, but retained the title of special counsel and stayed on the city's payroll for six months while he drew his full municipal salary. The arrangement was made to spare the city a lump-sum payout of Tindall's severance package.

His separation agreement required him to respond to questions by city officials about matters he previously handled for Glendale, but prohibited him from providing legal advice to city officials. He remained in contact with some council members who generally were favorable to reaching a high-dollar deal with the Coyotes.

On July 2, the council voted 4-3 to pay the Gosbee-LeBlanc group $15 million a year for 15 years to manage the arena, a critical factor for the investors to buy the Coyotes from the NHL and keep the team in Glendale.

On Aug. 20, the Coyotes owners hired Tindall as the team's general counsel. On Sept. 20, Tindall asked the city to release $1 million from an escrow account funded by a previous team owner to the Gosbee-LeBlanc group, which is known as Ice­Arizona. At that time, Tindall was on both the city's and the team's payrolls.

"After our investigation of this matter we have decided to dismiss the allegations because this is not clear and convincing evidence of an ethical violation," Perlmeter wrote in the letter to Halaby, which was obtained by The Arizona Republic.