Van Le '89, a second-year law student at Northeastern University and former aide to the mayor, said that the mayor's expenses were justified for entertaining purposes.

The CCA, however, called for an inquiry into the propriety of the expenditures. R. Philip Dowds, CCA president, said he wanted to know which of the expenses were related to city business. He suggested that the expenses may have been used to court voters and potential supporters of the mayor.

"Do we want the mayor, or any city councillor, to have a credit card with no limit to court voters?" Dowds asked. "Most eminent politicians give parties for their voters, but they pay for it and it's out of their own funds."

"Ken [Reeves] has made much greater use of city dollars on discretionary items than any mayor has in the past," Dowds said. "The way to clear that up is to do a careful investigation of all his expenses."

Dowds also asked who authorized the credit card, which is provided for the mayor's use by the city. "The question is, who gave the card and what were the rules when the card was handed out," he said.

James Maloney, assistant city manager for financial operations, said Cambridge had granted the credit card to the mayor for "several years." He said he did not know who originally provided the credit card.

"If the credit card was handed out without rules, then the responsibility falls on the executive branch," Dowds said, referring to Maloney and Healy.

Although Dowds said he believed the Chronicle had "overdramatized a lot of news," he defended their investigations.

"I think one of the functions of the press is exactly what they're doing," Dowds said. "They've dug something up; we just don't know quite what it is yet."

In addition to questions over the expenses, the meeting produced sharp debate within the nine-member council. Councillor Jonathan S. Myers called for Reeves to explain his expenses.

"I think a person has to be accountable for the decisions they make," he said. Myers was repeatedly hissed by citizens in the public gallery.

"Mayor Reeves needs to substantiate what those expenses are," Myers said. "The public has a right to know and the city council has a right to know."

Reeves accused councillors of miscommunication. "You have never asked me about a council expense, period," he told Myers.

The meeting nearly became a shouting match between the two officials.

"You may doubt my integrity. I doubt yours," Reeves told Myers. "What modicum of respect I had for you dissolved tonight," the mayor added.

Reeves also accused Myers of spreading rumors that Reeves was being investigated on charges of tax evasion. Myers denied those charges, saying "I don't know anything about it."

According to the mayor's office, the Chronicle received the list of expenses from City Auditor James Lindstrom's office under the Freedom of Information Act.

In a 32-page letter, the newspaper then requested explanations of the 275 purchases, which Reeves said he did not have. "Mr. Farmelant was told that he had the actual expenses and we could not create information that did not exist," said Jubi Headley, executive assistant to the mayor.

But Breneman, the Chronicle editor, had a different take on the matter. "We asked the mayor's office to provide an accounting of how the various expenses were related to city business," he said, "but for whatever reason, the mayor's office declined--in fact, refused--to provide any information."

"The guy doesn't answer our phone calls." Farmelant asked. "How are we supposed to get his side of the story?