realtor. He occasionally "brought deals" to World Acquisition in the same manner that any realtor could, but none of those deals succeeded, so Wright never earned anything. On one occasion. World Acquisition granted Wright and his partner the exclusive right to approach a buyer for a $100 million property. Had Wright succeeded in making the sale, he would have earned a *566 commission of $6 million, but that deal also fell through. Chawla offered Wright "liaison work" as well,[2] but Wright declined that offer.
While he was receiving those benefits, Wright took three sets of actions as Councilman Kelly's Chief of Staff that tended to benefit World Acquisition. First, Wright helped Kelly propose and pass a "mechanical parking" ordinance. Philadelphia law required developers planning to install mechanical parking toget a zoning variance, a time-consuming process. At Teitelman's behest, Wright set up a meeting at which Chawla and his partner suggested that Kelly change that law. Kelly, who usually took a pro-development stance, agreed. Chawla and Teitelman prodded Wright to make the bill a priority, and Kelly soon after introduced the bill. The City Council passed it by a vote of 15-0.
Second, Wright helped Chawla oppose an ordinance that would cripple a planned World Acquisition project. Chawla envisioned a large development called "River City" south and west of Philadelphia's Logan Square, where low-rise residences predominate. When the neighborhood association protested, Wright arranged a meeting between Chawla and association leaders. Afterward, Wright wrote Chawla and Teitelman advising that his "role as Jack's Chief of Staff" should be to