Mayoral "double-speak" on HACLA

 Ooops! Caught in an act of political double-speak again.

Mayor Antonio Villar's HACLA Commission President "out source" the mayor's true knowledge of Rudy Montiel's $1.2 Million Dollars "Hush Contract".

We have a mayoral administration implosion in progress........

What started as a political exercise in sanitizing a dirty political scandal has now morph into a toxic clean up operation of Super Fund proportions. Make no doubt that the Mayor Antonio Villar Administration had choreograph the acts of sanitizing the most recent scandal at the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), terminating commissioners of ill repute, terminating the highly-paid Executive Director Rudy Montiel, have the City Controller on stand by to conduct a "white-wash audit and asking an acting CEO to fall on the sword in the name of reform. But funny things happen when the role players don't stick to the political script.

First, someone leaks the details of former HACLA Executive Director Rudy Montiel's Golden Parachute/Hush Deal/Retaliation Settlement that netted the latest axed head of HACLA $1.2 Million, to the Los Angeles Times. This settlement between the mayor's HACLA commissioners and Montiel, prompted the Villar Administration to deny any knowledge of the settlement via Deputy Mayor Sarah Sheahan.

Second, in a flash of conscience, HACLA Commission President Mitch Kamin deviated from the script and told the Times "the mayor's staff was advised of the proposed terms." Further, Kamin stated ..........

"The mayor, when he appointed me to this position, asked me to move this agency forward and oversee a turnaround," Kamin said. "The settlement was part of that, and the mayor's staff was advised before the settlement was finalized. And I know we have his full support for the settlement decision (you may have lost future support after outing Villar)."       

Third, acting HACLA CEO Ken Simmons was asked by Mayor Villar "to fall on the sword and resign in the best interest of HACLA" . This after the latest KCET So Cal Connected expose on dubious financial spending under his watch. But Simmons only agrees to vacate the Acting CEO position and return to his original COO job. In addition, he confirms that the Villar Administration was involve in the settlement proceedings with Montiel, yet another deviation from script.

Fourth, now with both Kamin and Simmons straying away from the political choreograph conclusion, Deputy Chief of Staff Matt Szabo has to make this stunning admission

Deputy Chief of Staff Matt Szabo, was quoted by KCET-TV as saying the mayor was "absolutely aware and authorized the settlement in this matter," according to the station's website. Sheahan subsequently acknowledged that she had been "misinformed (or Sheahan was the only role player to stay on script)." 

Thus, it seems that "this political play" needs its conclusion crafted by some outisde investigated agency.

Your thoughts ................
Scott Johnson in CD 14