Money alone couldn't buy the connections Frank Vellar had within Wollongong City Council.
From the top down, Mr Vellar had connections which included councillors, the general manager, a senior manager and a planner.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption painted a picture of a man who manipulated various personalities inside Wollongong City Council's Burelli St headquarters to promote his developments.
During caffeine-fuelled meetings or over the phone Mr Vellar would lobby for his proposals.
One meeting with councillors in October 2006 did not go to plan.
It was 10am at Wollongong's Flame Tree cafe which was only a five minute walk from the city council's offices on Burelli St.
Waiting for Mr Vellar was then deputy mayor Kiril Jonovski, his fellow ward councillor Zeki Esen and Dapto-based councillor Frank Gigliotti.
Mr Vellar planned to discuss with the councillors the troubles he was having with his $3.5 million plan to redesign the North Beach Bathers' Pavilion.
The coffee spot was a favourite of council staff and councillors.
Over coffee Mr Vellar discussed his pavilion proposal. According to the ICAC findings released this week, the three councillors offered their political support , but at a price.
Based on an intercepted phone call, ICAC believe the councillors asked for a $20,000 donation to a political slush fund in exchange for their support for Mr Vellar's pavilion proposal.
Mr Vellar said: "Excuse me I am not accustomed to this style of business. I will have a think about it."
The meeting finished about 11.14am at which point Mr Vellar called his wife.
"(For) the first time in my life I have been, ah, put into a position of ah, of yes or no in terms of a, a bribe. I'm not going to talk over the phone too much, but (the councillors said) you give me this and we'll approve that," he said on the phone.
"Anyway first time, first time in my life have I been, normally it's done really discreetly. First time in my time that, ah, not one but two of them hit me up for it."
Mr Gigliotti denied the meeting ever took place and all three denied soliciting a bribe. Nevertheless, ICAC accepted that a bribe offer was made and all three councillors could now face criminal charges for their actions.
But Mr Vellar's connections within council extended beyond just the councillors.
Between 2000 and 2006 Mr Vellar met former general manager Rod Oxley on 34 occasions.
Mr Oxley has strongly refuted ICAC's findings that he acted improperly in his dealings with developers.
Telephone records and diary notes indicate the pair were in semi-regular contact.
In a telephone conversation on October 4, 2006 Mr Vellar told Mr Oxley about his plans to build a department store.
Vellar: We've had success today and ... it's all systems go there.
Oxley: Okay, okay, that's good.
Vellar: Just under, well just under $40 million of construction... and at least it's happening, So it's a hundred per cent go.
Oxley: Yeah, good on you. Well done.
ICAC in its report found Mr Oxley abused his position "in order to favour Mr Vellar".
In the council's organisational structure underneath Mr Oxley sat manager of development, assessment and compliance John Gilbert, with whom Mr Vellar shared a passion for motorcycles, shooting and red wine.
On a Friday in December 2005, Mr Vellar, Mr Gilbert and former planner Beth Morgan lunched at the Flying Fish, described as "Sydney's premier fine dining waterfront seafood restaurant with breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour".
The bill came to $713. Mr Vellar paid.
The trio also travelled to Mr Vellar's Oberon farm in September 2006 and on occasion Mr Gilbert would invite Mr Vellar and Ms Morgan for a Friday dinner with his wife.
This week Mr Gilbert was found to have engaged in corrupt conduct in his approval of Mr Vellar's development applications, "because of his friendships with both Mr Vellar and Ms Morgan and his desire to please Mr Vellar."
This week he said "I don't believe in my heart of hearts that I did anything corrupt".
Of all Mr Vellar's council contacts he held a special place in his heart for Ms Morgan.
"I promised you my life, this I will honour I too have/will lose a lot but I am prepared to suffer a great deal more to be with the one I really love, the one that gave me her heart," he wrote to Ms Morgan in an email in October 2006.
The pair first met in 2000, but it would take four years later for the relationship to steam up. In March 2004 the pair were reaquainted over coffee at the North Wollongong cafe, North Beach Kebab, and soon after were sleeping together.
In Ms Morgan, Mr Vellar had a contact willing to bend some rules and break others in order to facilitate the passage of Mr Vellar's proposals.
The relationship completed Mr Vellar's circle of contacts and was by far the most important.
With her intimate knowledge of the council's computer systems, planning guidelines and an understanding of the personalities in the council, Ms Morgan could manipulate the system to push Mr Vellar's proposals.
"Between mid-2004 and late 2006 Ms Morgan deliberately abused her position and exploited opportunities provided by it for the personal benefit of Mr Vellar and herself and he actively encouraged and assisted her to do so," ICAC Commissioner Jerrold Cripps said.
The ICAC found Ms Morgan and Mr Vellar had engaged in corrupt conduct and has asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider prosecuting Ms Morgan for 27 criminal offences and Mr Vellar 19 offences.
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