BREWER (NEWS CENTER) -- Brewer has hired a law firm to investigate whether any state conflict of interest laws were violated when the Brewer Housing Authority bought land from a former commissioner.

Attorneys for former commissioner Calvin Bubar and the Housing Authority insist no laws were violated. But the Brewer City Council voted unanimously to have an independent investigation. The Brewer Housing Authority bought a four acre parcel of land from Calvin Bubar to build a new senior housing project. The purchase price of two hundred eighty thousand dollars was twice what Bubar paid for it just two years ago, and three times its assessed value.

"We hope to clear the air once and for all," Brewer City Councilor Larry Doughty told NEWS CENTER. "If they come down on their side or our side at least it will clear the air. Because if we hadn't done something there's always going to be that lingering possibility that, 'Hey somethings amiss here.'"

Doughty supports having a private law firm investigate the deal. The City Council had asked the Attorney General to investigate, but the Attorney General declined to take the case, citing a lack of resources to investigate local conflict of interest matters. Now Brewer will have to pay for its own lawyer.

At issue is whether Bubar violated state conflict of interest laws. He was a commissioner when he bought the land and then asked the board to buy it. Bubar's attorney Joe Ferris and Brewer Housing Authority Attorney Ed Gould say Bubar took the correct steps to avoid any conflicts.

"On behalf of the Housing Authority, Mr. Bubar did not particpate in any discussions relating to the possible purchase of the property," Gould said. "He did not participate in any executive sessions that were conducted on the issue and he did not vote."

Gould says the ethics investigation won't jeopardize the senior housing project, but he fears politics could. He hopes elected officials will be able to separate this investigation from the housing project as it goes through the regulatory process.

"Look at the applicable laws and look at the project itself, and make a decision based on the merit of the project itself," Gould said. "Just make a decision on the facts and on the merit of the project because the project is intended to serve people in need."

The Department of Housing and Urban Development also investigated the land deal. HUD found that no federal funds were used and so no HUD rules were violated.