Observations Regarding the Kim Day Resignation
On Monday we all got the "official" press release regarding Kim Day's resignation from LAWA.In a letter to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Board of Airport Commissioners, Day said she wished to resume her career as an architect and requested her resignation be effective October 7, 2005.So, the Daily Breeze writes this article entitled "Director of L.A. airports abruptly steps down." Abrubt would be an understatement.
After following up on more than a few tips, here are a few questions that have been raised, using snippets from the above article...
Day could not be reached for comment. A spokeswoman for Villaraigosa said the mayor would move quickly to find her interim replacement.Read this post from back on July 19th or this one July 13th for who's name is getting the most attention via the rumor mill so far this week as a replacement.
Villaraigosa's mayoral win also touched off weeks of speculation among airport workers and contractors that Day would soon be replaced.Obvious due to the Mayor's different tact and position on the aiport expansion.
It was the worst-kept secret in the whole area," said lobbyist Barna Szabo, who represents companies that bid on airport contracts. "It was a question of when. I don't think anyone was going to be surprised by a change at the top of the ticket."
Here's the troubling part....
"It's my understanding that it's Kim Day's decision," said his spokeswoman, Janelle Erickson. "And the mayor accepted her resignation."Day released her resignation letter just hours after she led a long study session on airport policy for new airport commissioners. She gave no indication during that meeting that she was on her way out, officials who were there said.
Why didn't she give any indication? Because she didn't know. The Mayor's office hasn't been responsive to her calls for weeks, a pattern that many others around City Hall have also commented on. That day she received notice from the Mayor's office that Marcus Allen was being dispatched to meet with her and that she needed to clear her schedule. The meeting takes place and TA-DAH, she abruptly announces her departure.
Why not just call a spade a spade. I applaud Day for towing the company line, but let's face it. She was asked to leave from the Mayor's office because she had alternate views to his. That is his right and is in the best interests of both parties. I'm not arguing that. Just don't give us the company BS about returning to her previous work. It wasn't "her decision"
Posted by Anonymous @ 9/29/2005 07:30:00 AM
31 Comments:
What incredible insight. Did you put this all together by youself? Amazing.
Hell, it's not like the LA Times would ever investigate and report on what really happened. When it comes to MAV, just accept and report the party line.
The LAWA Executive Director's job has been politizied since Clifton Moore retired in 1993. Jack Driscoll was put in as a parting gift from Mayor Bradley- even though Driscoll had no aviation experience. Driscoll and the other Executive Directors who have followed him- Lydia Kennard and Kim Day- have all left over the politics of the LAX Master Plan. It is a cursed project and all who push it get pushed out of office- just ask Dan Garcia, John Agoglia, Ted Stein, Troy Edwards, Mayor Hahn and David Voss (the Westchester sell-out)
Let's just have an airport that is stuck in the 80's and see if we can get the 2012 olympics as it is so desired.
probably not the wisest use of the "spade" comment in the same graf as marcus allen.
How about the 2016 Olympics in Los Angeles? 2012 will be in London.
If AV was serious about bring the Olympics to LA, he should be modernizing the airport rather than this political grandstanding. If there's a regional plan that's fine, such as building high speed commuter rail on existing Metrolink tracks bringing or a regional Flyaway bus system. These small items can be included it as an addendum item to the current document and just like that the addendums will improve the entire document.
Duh! Antonio has done it again.
Duh! The crook has taken the pot.
Hey, it was a good move. Kim is a nicely trained architect and a seemingly decent person.
That said, she had no vision of her own, nothing was happening at the airport because there was no leadership.
Antonio or Kim or both made the right decision. Some people just aren't fit for the job they have. It isn't that they are bad people, good people, etc. It just isn't right for them.
In this instance the above was the case. She wasn't hired by Hahn because she was the most skilled. She was hired by Hahn because she would tow Hahn's, Edward's and Stein's line the most.
Time to move on. Welcome back Lydia. Paul Green and the rest of the staff, keep up the good work.
Phil Depoian.....wake up !!!!!!!
"She was hired by Hahn because she would tow Hahn's, Edward's and Stein's line the most."
And she was fired because she WOULD NOT tow Villaraigosa's Line.
Mark my words the person who will fill Kim's seat will be some representing the Florida Airport Concessions that AV got a nice fat contribution from
Dan Garcia had a fall out with Lydia Kennard and hated her since he was bounced off the commission by Riordan. Jack Driscoll screwed up the airport and was Ted Stein's boy. Whateve Ted wanted, Jack Driscoll was there to make it happen. Driscoll had no backbone and didn't have a clue about aviation. And for Phil Depoian, what a do nothing guy. All Phil does is take trips and get fat. If you don't want something to happen, you assign it to Phil and it will be sure to die from nothing. Lydia was also a do nothing person. Lydia couldn't control the staff, she's asleep at the switch. You know she's not very bright, but very vendictive. You cross Lydia and she'll come after you. Lydia had favorites to give contracts to, see how may contract Earl Gayle has from the airport. Why hasn't the DA looked at Lydia, or even Dan Garcia for URS and all the others. Dan Garcia from what we hear has taken from the Consultants. What was that guys name Jeff???? the consultant that did whatever Dan wanted. And for Ted Stein, he was the worst. A big Tyrant, bossing everybody around. We're all lucky that Ted lost the City Attorney's race. This boy is viscious and would go after his own mother. Cooley is a pussycat compared to What Ted Stein would have been as DA. Poor Kim Day is out of a job, what did she expect from AV, AV wants his own person in there, so he can control all the concessions coming up. Watch and see what happens.
Damn another stupid e-mail blast from DONE but this time Antonio is talking. This only tells many of us that he's not getting the rsvp's they thought. Obviously on this e-mail he needs others to do his work cause he doesn't have a clue. This is 6 this week.
Date: September 29, 2005
To: Neighborhood Council Leaders
From: Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Dear Neighborhood Council Leaders:
Developing the city’s budget may be the most important and complex responsibility that the mayor has to perform. It means making difficult choices between what we would like to do and what we can afford to do.
I need and value the insight, viewpoints, and recommendations of the neighborhood councils.
Oh come on - can you say severance - that was her choice. It may not have been her choice of timing but she chose to go $$$
Welcome back Lydia - I just so hope you get rid of some of the same losers you put in place.
And what is the deal with Paul Green? He is just some two bit bean counter who has no clue he works at an airport. So what that he watches the bottom line like a hawk - many creative solutions are lost with that approach - but then we are talking LAWA. Creative - NOT
Poor Green. He's been comatose since Kim beat him to the top spot, not once but twice. She must have felt sorry for him to have kept him around even as his work diminished steadily. His good days are behind him.
I don't feel sorry for Green or Day.
Remember when they used 911 as the reason to force out middle managers that they didn't like and tried to call it a layoff.
To hell with them. What goes around comes around.
Bob Hertzberg at Airports. You heard it here first.
Why would Hertzberg want the airports?
As a commissioner, he'd be barred from doing business with the city of LA.
As a paid employee, he'd go broke; the man lives the high life and has some payments to make to an ex-wife.
Bob is young enough to be Mayor after AV leaves. He may want to be City Attorney, but Rocky has to get elected AG to make it soon, and Jack Weiss is waiting in the starting blocks.
I see no place for Bobzilla at the Airports, except in a first class seat going on a pleasure trip. I doubt that he wants to work for Antonio.
All these deals made. Disgusting. I wish I was the fly on AV's deal making room, it would have been interesting to see you bend over.
OK Guys and Gals, this is the word out of the Mayor's Office.
The Mayor and Airport Commish will announce on Monday that Lydia Kennard will be the Executive Director of the Department of Airports.
She's Baaaaaaaack!
I'm not surprised. This is AV's way of saying a gracious Thnak You to Richard "Take Advantage of LA" Riordan. He's got Robin Kramer, Jaime De La Vega, and couple of Riordan's old staff secretaries.
Think about it, Why would a Republican in Richard Riordan endorse a hardcore Liberal like Villaraigosa. To screw this city over.
I agree with the last poster. Why the hell is AV aligning himself with so many Riordan staffers and supporters? What is this new mayor thinking? This will be trouble later. Lots of trouble later.
Nothing could be worse for LA than to have that dirty, dirty Rocky as AG.
Hertzberg at the airport? Too funny. He won't be mayor ever and neither will Parks. Nobody ever heard of Hertzberg before his run for mayor and nobody will ever hear of him again. If you think the average voter knows who the Speaker of the Assembly is - I double dog dare you to go survey your neighborhood.
I guess Earl Gayle and DMJM will be getting most of the work at the airport, now that Lydia will be reappointed as ex. Director. What is AV thinking about, Lydia is as dumb as they come, so what she has credential, this doesn't make her smart. Look at her last tenure there. Didn't she get a big buy out from the Riordan Administration. I think this forefit her from coming back to the airport. Someone should look into the legal aspects of this. What a mess, AV will have pleasure in cleaning this one up. Oh, you know Lydia can't stand Phil Depoian. How will Phil handle this one? Oh, right, he's protected by civil service and will just do nothing as usual. Do nothing Phil will have another free ride. Phil Depoian's major accomplishments is nothing, except help Bradley lose the Governor's race. We all know Phil screwed up Bradley's campaing for Governor. Boy oh Boy?
I guess Earl Gayle and DMJM will be getting most of the work at the airport, now that Lydia will be reappointed as ex. Director. What is AV thinking about, Lydia is as dumb as they come, so what she has credential, this doesn't make her smart. Look at her last tenure there. Didn't she get a big buy out from the Riordan Administration. I think this forefit her from coming back to the airport. Someone should look into the legal aspects of this. What a mess, AV will have pleasure in cleaning this one up. Oh, you know Lydia can't stand Phil Depoian. How will Phil handle this one? Oh, right, he's protected by civil service and will just do nothing as usual. Do nothing Phil will have another free ride. Phil Depoian's major accomplishments is nothing, except help Bradley lose the Governor's race. We all know Phil screwed up Bradley's campaing for Governor. Boy oh Boy?
Lydia favor DMJM? Where do you get your information?
It was Kim Day who was affiliated with DMJM, and who favored them. Lydia should be just the opposite or neutral at best.
Whoever thinks Lydia is stupid doesn't know the lady. She has a B.S. in Urban Planning from Stanford, a Masters in Urban Planning from M.I.T and a J.D. from Harvard. They don't give those out on the Internet.
Her shyness can be mistaken for lack of knowledge, but it is always better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and confirm it beyond question.
Lydia was in a difficult spot with Ted Stein running rampant at the Airport; no one could get along with him except a sycophant. She has a relationship with this administration that is much better than she had with the wishy-washy Hahn bunker mentality group we just got rid of.
Kim Day, on the other hand, showed great disrespect for Councilman Villaraigosa in a public forum, and has paid the price for her foolish political behavior.
The new LAWA Commission is smarter and has more leaders who can think, and will be much easier for Lydia to work with, and I predict good things there.
Phil Depoian is a survivior; he will get along with her, or go back downtown and "advise" from there. If he's as smart as I think he is, he'll stay clear of her if she is really mad at him.
Book smart doesn't mean your street smart or politically savvy. No one is sayining Lydia can't read a book, she just can't see the trees from the forest. She has no political instincts and will treat this job as a 9 to 5. You can't do this in this environment. Sure Phil Depoian will survive, he has a civic service protected positon, the very few allocated for a Deputy Executive Director. Bradley made sure of that when he left office. Phil's got instincts, he's just lazy and tired, and should just retire. AV will get himself in trouble in a matter of time.
Keep it up Antonio. Clean house before they stab you in the back. Next, get rid of Bruce Seaton, at the Port. He has no intention of supporting your initiatives.
Lydia is by far the most politically astute person in the WHOLE damn administration. Kim Day, on the other hand, is politically challenged and lacked charisma.
Put Lydia in charge of a combined Airport/Port Department, like San Diego has.
Sorry 5:18 San Diego’s Lindbergh Field is no longer administered by the Port of San Diego, it was split in 2003. As for Bruce Seaton not implementing the Mayor’s initiatives 3:55, which one are you talking about? Cleanup up the environment or increasing business?
Sorry 7:19, I meant to say "had" not "has". Another example is the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which runs the ports and airports. But my main point was that Lydia is a competent manager that the Mayor trusts and should put to greater use - as compared to that ethically-challenged & incompetent administrator, Bruce Seaton. Mr. Seaton, by the way, shares neither the environmental goals of our new Mayor, nor his commitment to open, transparent government.
Who ever takes the job should look into the robbery going on with the Airport "Traffic Meter Cops" They are issuing tickets to the public for parking violation the public have not committee. Is this robbery the way the Airport commissioners and staff get their salaries? Or is this the way to fund the airport expansion?
I recently was issued a ticket for parking in the red while picking up a friend at the airport. I NEVER PARKED MY CAR!!
When fighting the ticket the reply, after administrative review was your guilty.......Guilty of what driving at the airport? I was never given the opportunity to present my case.
Is this the way the Airport makes its money, issuing tickets to unsuspecting tourist leaving town who find it to much hassle to argue the ticket and off the backs of poor people who cannot take time off work to fight a ticket for a crime they did not commit?
Now this is an airport issue that needs immediate addressing!
12:08 interesting idea but can the Mayor get the charter changed and get the other changes necessary to do it, such as combining the Airport and Harbor Commission, getting permission from FAA and the State of California, changing the enabling legislation etc., before the Mayor runs for Governor or the Senate?
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