By Robert Haugh

Santa Clara City Manager Jovan Grogan and City Attorney Glen Googins have now personally denied allegations that they met privately with representatives of the 49ers before they were hired by the City.

Their statement came two weeks after Santa Clara News Online first asked them directly about the allegation.

And it’s been one week since Stand Up for Santa Clara launched a petition to ask the Grand Jury to investigate.  It’s being signed by Mission City residents.

Initially, neither Grogan nor Googins responded themselves. Instead, the City provided a response through a spokesperson denying that the meetings occurred.

SCNO reported last month that a source with knowledge of the matter said Grogan and Googins met with 49ers representatives before being selected for their current positions.

The allegation is significant because both officials now play central roles in Santa Clara’s dealings with the 49ers and Levi’s Stadium.

In their new statement, Grogan and Googins strongly rejected the allegation and criticized what they described as “baseless accusations and personal attacks” directed at public employees.

They said public officials should expect scrutiny, but argued that the allegation crossed the line from legitimate criticism into an unsupported attack.

But the SCNO source who originally provided the information has reviewed their statement and is not backing down.

The source told SCNO that the meetings occurred and said multiple people were aware of them.

The source also said a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury investigation would uncover the truth.

SCNO asked Grogan and Googins whether they would agree to an independent investigation to determine what happened, clear their names and resolve an issue involving public trust.

They declined.

The 49ers have been at the center of some of Santa Clara’s biggest political and financial battles for more than a decade. The team pushed for the removal of former City Manager Deanna Santana and former City Attorney Brian Doyle.

Grogan and Googins eventually succeeded them.

If Grogan and Googins never met with representatives of the 49ers before being hired, an independent investigation could establish that fact.

“The question isn’t whether they met with the 49ers, which wouldn’t have been wrong in itself, but whether they’ll let the public see the facts behind their categorical denial,” said ethicist Dr. Tom Shanks, former Executive Director of Santa Clara University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

“Santa Clara has a public trust problem and these officials share in that after three years and some questionable decisions.  Declining an independent investigation only deepens the public’s doubt.”