By Brandi Makuski

Rumors which began circulating over social media this weekend claiming Mayor Andrew Halverson was part of an investment group which made an offer to purchase Papa Joe’s Bar, 233 Division Street, are untrue, according to both Halverson and Pape Joe’s owner Sandy Kryshak.

Various individuals claimed on the City-Times Facebook page and website that Halverson was enticing developers with a $500k incentive payment to build the proposed student rental property- located next to the bar at the current Point Motel location- so he and other area businessmen could reap the rewards by then purchasing the 50 year- old Papa Joe’s, a popular neighborhood bar.

City-Times staff made the decision Sunday evening to delete some of the bluer comments from our Facebook page and website due to their slanderous, vulgar or otherwise incendiary nature, though some do remain.

Papa Joe’s owner Sandy Kryshak on Sunday said she was called by Madison- area lawyer some time earlier about a potential sale, but the lawyer never indicated he was representing Halverson or any other local business leaders.

Kryshak, who said she’s “not necessarily opposed to this apartment complex being built”, said she and her fiancé, Mike Nelson, have been trying to keep the rumor mill under control.

“We’ve had a lot of people come in here and tell us they heard those same things, but they’re not true,” Kryshak said.

“It’s never once been told to us that the mayor is involved. No one person was ever listed to us- not the mayor, not nobody- for having investigated the potential sale of Pa Joe’s,” said Nelson. “We got one phone call from a lawyer and that was it- he asked if Papa Joe’s was for sale. We told him no, it’s not for sale. He said they have a group of investors working with- not representative of- Mayor Halverson and the city to secure a student complex.”

Nelson said the lawyer then asked why they weren’t interested in selling.

“We told him we had a commitment to the community because it’s been here for 50 years, it’s a landmark location, and we have a commitment to the 7 employees of Papa Joe’s, and we would not be for sale then and aren’t now,” he said.

Halverson said in a phone interview Monday morning the claims are “absolutely untrue”.

“I can’t even believe someone would allege something so stupid,” Halverson said. “It’s ridiculous how far people go to push something like this. What are we trying to do? We’re trying to build a building. I’m not involved officially or unofficially, directly or indirectly, in any way, shape or form with anything having to do with the construction of that building or any adjacent property.”

Halverson and other city leaders meet tonight during the December Common Council meeting to vote on the proposed student rental as well as several other issues facing the city.