FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): One Fort Wayne City council member is speaking out in favor of the Electric Works project.

Councilman At-Large John Crawford held a press conference this morning to talk about the funding options for the mixed-use development, and take a shot at Mayor Tom Henry in the process.

The project is expected to cost around $221-million for Phase 1 and will transform the abandoned General Electric campus into a combined commercial and residential space.

Mayor Tom Henry has recently been in the news over his decision to cap local funding support for the project at $50-million, and recently said he needed Council approval to spend $500,000 on legal fees. Crawford says that’s untrue.

“If the Mayor supports Electric Works, he doesn’t need Council’s permission to spend money on legal fees,” Crawford said. “What’s different about this project except for a lack of leadership by the Mayor? The idea that Council must introduce a measure for the Mayor to be able to spend money on legal fees is an unneeded step. The administration expresses public support for Electric Works but suggests something that would take time and could further jeopardize the project by delay and inaction.”