Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder angrily defended his administration's top official yesterday against an attack from a City Council member.

"Will we do something? You better bet it," he said, alluding to possible legal action. "I don't believe in pulling out a pistol to tell you I'm going to shoot you. I believe differently. I believe in shooting you if that's going to have to be the case. I don't have to pull it out and show it to you. So whatever we will do, we will do it."

Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson was quoted as saying, "We shouldn't be hiring criminals to run this city" in a Style Weekly article published Tuesday. In the article, she was asked if by that she meant Chief Administrative Officer Sheila Hill-Christian, to which Robertson replied, "Yes, I do."

The article centered on the ongoing tension between some council members and the Wilder administration over whether money has been legally spent according to council-enacted ordinances, dating to the botched eviction of school system offices from City Hall before Hill-Christian took office.

Robertson yesterday retracted the comments, saying she "obviously misunderstood" the reporter's question. She had no comment on Wilder's remarks.

"I would never claim Sheila Hill-Christian to be a criminal. . . . I'm very sorry and I apologize that's printed in the paper that I am saying she is a criminal," she said after the news conference, which she did not attend.

Robertson added she left a telephone message for Hill-Christian and sent her a letter, which read in part, "I extend to you my sincere apology." Hill-Christian, who did not attend the news conference, later declined to comment.

Style Weekly Editor Jason Roop said last night that during the interview with Robertson, reporter Chris Dovi asked her four times whether she was calling Hill-Christian a criminal, and Robertson answered that she was.

Robertson yesterday said she meant to convey that budgeted funds must be spent according to ordinances, which are laws, and that the council must approve the spending of any excess. "We need to know that we have people who are going to carry out the [City] Charter and also the budget ordinance," she said.

Wilder said he was shocked by Robertson's reported remarks in Style, which reports on news, lifestyles and culture in the area, and said he did not rule out the possibility of legal action.

"There are consequences for reckless charges and slander," Wilder said.

He called on council members to declare whether they condemn or approve of Robertson's published comments. "Ignoring it is not enough," he said.

Council President William J. Pantele later said "it's regrettable that something like this happened. I'm glad Ellen is doing the right thing" by retracting the statement.

Hill-Christian did not attend the news conference, Wilder said, because it's his responsibility to defend his administration. "She's sickened by it, and she should be," he said.

Wilder noted that Robertson was among the council members who voted 8-0 in approving Hill-Christian's appointment Nov. 12.

"This is a lady who's tried to work with everybody," the mayor said of Hill-Christian, who was Virginia's lottery director before coming to the city job. She held key city posts earlier in her career, including twice heading the Department of Juvenile Justice Services. She also served as director of parks and recreation and led the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

Robertson is chairwoman of the council's finance committee and a member of the special council committee investigating the failed Sept. 21 eviction. The panel is considering asking for a special prosecutor to take over the case.

Pantele, who earlier was quoted by Style as using the phrase "money laundering" in discussing an administration fund transfer, said yesterday he was describing a situation but not accusing anyone of that crime.

"I don't expect that the administration would be pleased about these spending irregularities. It's certainly upsetting to us," he said. "Frustration on both ends is building."
Contact Kiran Krishnamurthy at (804) 649-6810 or kkrishnamurthy@timesdispatch.com.