Members of city council met this afternoon with Lafayette Gatling after the Chicago businessman requested a meeting, Mayor Emery Doughtie confirmed.

Nothing came of the meeting and council is moving forward with a proposal from a limited liability corporation, which has expressed interest in a lease on the Roanoke Rapids Theatre with an option to buy.

That LLC, which remains unknown, will be the subject of a 5 p.m. city council meeting in which the council is expected to go into closed session first. Doughtie said the purpose of the Thursday meeting is to consider a proposal between the city and LLC. “If we elect to take any action we will have to come out in open session.”

Asked if any action could possibly be taken, the mayor said, “I would be more expectant than I have in the past.”

Sources told rrspin.com this afternoon that Gatling was possibly in town. Doughtie confirmed that he and council members Greg Lawson and Carl Ferebee attended the meeting along with other officials, including City Attorney Gilbert Chichester.

The meeting did not constitute a quorum of city council members.

While Doughtie confirmed Gatling is still interested in buying the theater, he has yet to submit anything in writing. “He’s not ever withdrawn his offer. That was the discussion today. His offer is a verbal offer. That’s the only thing he’s done, made it a verbal offer. There is no compensation and no written document, didn’t anything come from it. He had requested to meet with us.”

Doughtie said he suspected Gatling would like to stop someone else from buying the venue but said of the other offer, “We’re moving forward.”