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Dianne Bellamy-Small said she hoped the community's attention would move beyond the leak of an investigative report to the News & Record. On to other issues, she said, such as an ongoing investigation into the police department, a bond referendum and Greensboro's budget.

Yet at a public forum Monday, many questions directed to her dealt with the leak.

Bellamy-Small called the meeting at the Glenwood library branch to assure residents that city leaders are focused on the police department investigation and to update residents on the investigation into the administration of former police Chief David Wray.

Surrounded by animal murals, Bellamy-Small was alone answering questions from about a dozen residents . That's because City Council voted 8-1 last week to instruct the city manager, Mitchell Johnson, to tell staff not to appear at public meetings related to the police investigation.

Other council members objected to Bellamy-Small's plans to ask staff - including interim police Chief Tim Bellamy - to appear at the meeting. They noted Johnson had provided an update at a council meeting last month and expressed concern that residents' frustration may increase if staff were unable to answer questions for legal reasons.

Bellamy-Small - the only council member who declined to take a polygraph related to the leak - also was the lone no vote against the motion. It said the city manager and council would jointly provide updates on the investigation as new information is verified and legally acceptable to release.

Council members have repeatedly pledged to release all the information on the investigation they can legally .

Bellamy-Small did say Bellamy is willing to take telephone calls from residents and answer what questions he can about the investigation.

Questions from the audience - the media couldn't participate - included one from Belvin Jessup, whom Bellamy-Small defeated in 2003 for the District 1 seat .

He asked if she would reconsider taking the polygraph in part to keep a level of trust among the nine council members. She said no: "My word is good enough."

Some council members suspect Bellamy-Small is the source of a leaked investigative report on the police department to the News & Record, in part because she refused to take the polygraph exam or sign a notarized affidavit stating she didn't share the report with anyone.

Bellamy-Small has denied playing any part in the leak and said Monday that she believes suspicion centered on her because she was opposed to polygraphs during a closed-door meeting with other council members.

At the forum, Bellamy-Small also was asked who she thought leaked the report and whether council members who took the polygraphs should reimburse taxpayers for their estimated $5,000 cost.

"I don't know," she answered to both questions.

As for the investigation into the department itself, Bellamy-Small said some behavior uncovered during the investigation could have been going on before Wray became chief, but said "we know" racial profiling of police officers and city residents went on during his administration.

At the same time, Bellamy-Small said, "this investigation is not just involving race," because both white and black officers brought concerns forward that sparked the investigation.

Morale among officers has improved since Wray resigned in January, she said .

Contact Eric Swensen at 373-7351 or eswensen@news-record.com