Neighborly talk
In an interview, former Councilman Gary Brutsch said he had a chance meeting with Macpherson, a former neighbor, on a pre-Christmas flight to Hawaii, and urged him to talk again to DiVirgilio and Bobko about the lawsuit.
Although the Brutsch and Macpherson families have been close, Brutsch had not seen the oilman in about 15 years, and knew he was unhappy about the battle with Hermosa.
“He is a businessman and a family man. He’s a straight up guy, and he did not want the city to go bankrupt,” Brutsch said. “I really didn’t know how to handle it, but then he came up to me.”
The two caught up, and then talked about the lawsuit.
Macpherson “said Michael had reached out to him recently,” Brutsch said, and after some conversation, Brutsch urged the oilman to keep the lines of communication open.
“I suggested he call Michael and Bobko,” Brutsch said.
Brutsch said he mentioned Bobko because he is familiar with him, and knew Bobko “wanted to solve this thing.”
DiVirgilio said he had been keeping in touch with Macpherson over a long period of time “hoping that a relationship might lead to something.”
The city posted the full settlement agreement on its website Friday.
