The Latest on Kennard Departure
A few days ago this blog made a 2007 predicition of a "major managment shakeup at Los Angeles World Airports." We knew what the full story was at the time we posted the predicted. However, since this old, dead Republican Mayor likes Lydia Kennard, I wanted to let her to confirm the story herself through the normal channels. Good luck to you, Lydia. Just don't buy up properties on Century Boulevard!Here's the inside scoop: top candidates inside LAWA to replace Kennard are two Deputy Executive Directors- Samson Mengistu and Jim Ritchie. Mengistu's LAWA portfolio includes Adminstration and Finance. LAWA's website notes, "He also serves as assistant executive director, deputized as Executive Director in Ms. Kennard's absence. " Ritchie's portfolio covers Planning and Development. Ritchie has been LAWA's front man for the highly controversial LAX Master Plan. Mengistu probably has the inside track as he is well liked both inside and outside of LAWA and has a squeakly clean record. Ritchie is seen as "very political" and carries the stigma from the "Pay to Play" scandal during Ted Stein's reign of terror as Airport Commission President. Ritchie, along with former Hahn Deputy Mayor Troy Edwards, had been called before the Grand Jury to testify about airport contractors being solicited for campaign contributions to stop Valley secession.
Stay tuned!
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 1/04/2007 12:07:00 AM
5 Comments:
Lydia Kennard is good but one has to believe she has solid people under her to accomplish what she did. MAV would be smart to take a hard look inside before venturing outside. I know it sounds good to do an international search blah, blah, but it is a good bet either of the two guys Mayor Sam identified can do the job.
Wow did you do an unfair hatchet job on Jim Ritchie. If any one thing can be said of the man it is that he is of the absolute highest of integrity. He has impecable qualifications in both experience and education.
LAWA is fortunate to have candidates of such high caliber available for promotion within the ranks. LAWA would be well served to promote internally. Any outsider would lack the history, background and institutional knowledge that is critical at this juncture and would have no credibility with the surrounding community. Hopefully the choice will be made on merit, not political expediency.
8:50 A.M.
When is telling the truth about someone a "hatchet job"? Nobody said he was dishonest. He just would be the political choice.
We in Orange County would not want Jim Ritchie as the next LAX Executive. Ritchie seems to have been the "go to" guy for all things El Toro. After all, when he was in the Marines, he shut it down. After that, he went to go work for LAX. LAX has tried to takeover El Toro three times and failed. Our home values in El Toro stagnated for many years due to the threat of an LAX-operated airport near our homes. Now instead of getting an airport, we are going to get LAX's Riverside Fairy Shrimp, not something you'd find on the menu at Joe's Crabshack on PCH in Newport.
Mayor Sam, you don't have any idea about what is happening at LAWA.
Neither Sampson nor Jim are in the final three.
Whoever is providing you with information needs to check their sources a little better. Neither was even interviewed in round one.
Then who was interviewed in Round One? Jamie?
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