Ex-Del. Hamilton denies trading legislative work for ODU job

RICHMOND

Former state Del. Phil Hamilton took the stand in his federal bribery and extortion trial Monday and vehemently denied trading his legislative services for a job at Old Dominion University.

Asked by his attorney whether he ever solicited or demanded employment at ODU in exchange for securing state funding for a new teacher training center at the university, Hamilton replied, "Absolutely not."

The former lawmaker was paid more than $80,000 over two years as director of the center, which was created with a $500,000 startup appropriation that he sponsored.

He acknowledged under cross-examination Monday that he can verify spending only 12 days in the center's Peninsula office during that period.

ODU canceled Hamilton's contract when the relationship came to light in 2009. He was defeated in his re-election bid that fall after 21 years in the House of Delegates.

Hamilton said his support for the training initiative was a natural outgrowth of a years-long interest as a professional educator in training school leaders. The Newport News Republican is a retired school administrator.

He acknowledged Monday that he expressed an interest in employment with the new center in 2006 and 2007 as he faced the prospect of diminished income in retirement, but said there was as much if not more interest on the part of ODU - particularly from David Blackburn, the administrator who hired him.

"Mr. Blackburn frequently asked me if I was interested in working for Old Dominion," Hamilton said.

But he said he never discussed the possibility of employment with then-ODU President Roseann Runte.

William Graves, a now-retired dean of education at ODU, testified last week that he directed Blackburn to hire Hamilton on Runte's orders, an allegation denied by Runte.

Hamilton was on the stand for nearly seven hours Monday. Cross-examination will resume this morning.

Much of the questioning dealt with extensive email traffic between Hamilton and ODU administrators during the months before and after his successful sponsorship of the teacher center's startup funding in 2007. In many cases, the same emails contained references to both the funding process and Hamilton's job prospects, including discussion of specific salary figures.

In one December 2006 email, Hamilton asked then-ODU Vice President John Broderick, now the university's president, to have Runte call him.

Asked why, Hamilton said, "I really don't know. Dave Blackburn had been hounding me about getting in touch with Dr. Runte."

Runte never called, he said.

The next day, he followed up with an email directly to Runte, reminding her that he had "expressed an interest in being associated with the initiative from a professional perspective." Runte has denied ever seeing the message.

In that email, "you're talking about a job, aren't you?" Assistant U.S. Attorney David Harbach asked.

"The word 'job' isn't in that sentence," Hamilton replied.

The ex-lawmaker also resisted suggestions from prosecutors that he tried to hide or minimize his involvement in the ODU center.

In an August 2006 email exchange with Blackburn, Hamilton suggested that ODU keep the initiative "under the radar," advising that "it probably should not be an official ODU legislative initiative."

The budget measure Hamilton introduced to fund the center never mentioned ODU by name.

That was merely a legislative strategy, Hamilton testified, not an effort to conceal a bribe.

In 2008, after Hamilton had been on the ODU payroll for a year, the Senate Finance Committee announced plans to visit the campus. When Senate staffers began inquiring about the teacher center, Blackburn emailed Hamilton that it seemed "they are up to no good."

In his reply, Hamilton advised Blackburn: "I would never mention me unless they bring it up."

When the committee came to campus, Blackburn presented himself as director of the center and Hamilton stayed out of sight, according to testimony.

Asked Monday why he kept such a low profile, Hamilton said he only meant to convey that the center "was bigger than Phil Hamilton.... I was saying, 'Don't make it about me. Make it about the center and the good work that they're doing.' "

The ODU center shared office space in Hampton with the Urban Learning and Leadership Center, a private educational training company. Harvey Perkins, its CEO, testified that the company did some training for the ODU center at Hamilton's request.

But he never saw Hamilton in the office, Perkins said.

"There was a logo on the door, but they never occupied that office," he said.

Bill Sizemore, (804) 697-1560, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com