The key to corruption is the mayor and his cronies
Wednesday, January 12, 2005 Los Angeles Daily News
Pay-to-play makes current city system a washout
By S. David Freeman Guest Columnist
I worked inside city government as the general manager of the Department of Water and Power from 1997 to 2001, when Dick Riordan was mayor. Because of this, I think I can shed some light on what has happened on Mayor James Hahn's watch.
During the current pay-to-play scandals and corruption probes at City Hall, I don't think there has been enough focus on the crucial role the mayor plays in selecting commissioners, general managers and even the deputy mayor, who acts as a liaison to each agency.
Make no mistake about it - the mayor is responsible for what goes on in city departments and commissions. He names the key people who run the departments and he appoints the commissioners. He must be held responsible for their actions.
Unfortunately, corruption at the DWP is not limited to pay-to-play. It is also pay-to-keep-playing. On the one hand, contractors want extensions without competition, lenient enforcement of contract provisions and cost overruns rubber-stamped. On the other, they also know that there will be consequences if they do not give campaign contributions. With a wink and a nod, the contributions flow to Hahn's campaign.
None of these contractors will speak up in public because they know that if they do, they will be punished. The consequence for not playing ball is to be shut out of the game.
Another feature of the corruption that has gone largely unnoticed is that most of the decisions are made in secret. This is contrary to the intent, if not the letter, of California's open meeting law, the Ralph M. Brown Act.
The mayor's liaison person - for years it was Troy Edwards, his campaign fund-raiser - meets with DWP staff before each commission meeting and decides what goes on the agenda. If the mayor, through his designated representative, doesn't agree with an item, it doesn't go on the agenda.
To be sure, the mayor is entitled to voice an opinion (even on specific contracts if he wishes), but this should be done in public - not in secret. The approach used by Hahn allows the mayor to issue a veto in secret. And it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that under this system, political favoritism and pay-to-play will creep in. It hasn't always been like this.
There was a world of difference between Kelly Martin, who was Riordan's liaison with the DWP when I was general manager, and Hahn's liaison, Troy Edwards. And that's reflected in their current situations: Martin is being considered for a top job at City Hall, and Edwards has been a target for law enforcement agencies now investigating corruption allegations at City Hall.
The key to cleaning house at City Hall is held by the mayor. No new laws are needed. The mayor just needs to keep political cronies with no knowledge of the subject matter out of city government. Would it really be all that hard to select commissioners, especially commission chairpersons, on the basis of professional knowledge, honesty and integrity and not by how much money they raised for the mayor? Would it really be all that hard to leave commissioners alone to do their jobs once the mayor makes his general policy objectives known?
We don't need new laws to cure the corruption. Just a responsible and honest mayor who won't allow it in the first place.
S. David Freeman is a partner in the Renewable Resources Group in Los Angeles. He is the former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Pay-to-play makes current city system a washout
By S. David Freeman Guest Columnist
I worked inside city government as the general manager of the Department of Water and Power from 1997 to 2001, when Dick Riordan was mayor. Because of this, I think I can shed some light on what has happened on Mayor James Hahn's watch.
During the current pay-to-play scandals and corruption probes at City Hall, I don't think there has been enough focus on the crucial role the mayor plays in selecting commissioners, general managers and even the deputy mayor, who acts as a liaison to each agency.
Make no mistake about it - the mayor is responsible for what goes on in city departments and commissions. He names the key people who run the departments and he appoints the commissioners. He must be held responsible for their actions.
Unfortunately, corruption at the DWP is not limited to pay-to-play. It is also pay-to-keep-playing. On the one hand, contractors want extensions without competition, lenient enforcement of contract provisions and cost overruns rubber-stamped. On the other, they also know that there will be consequences if they do not give campaign contributions. With a wink and a nod, the contributions flow to Hahn's campaign.
None of these contractors will speak up in public because they know that if they do, they will be punished. The consequence for not playing ball is to be shut out of the game.
Another feature of the corruption that has gone largely unnoticed is that most of the decisions are made in secret. This is contrary to the intent, if not the letter, of California's open meeting law, the Ralph M. Brown Act.
The mayor's liaison person - for years it was Troy Edwards, his campaign fund-raiser - meets with DWP staff before each commission meeting and decides what goes on the agenda. If the mayor, through his designated representative, doesn't agree with an item, it doesn't go on the agenda.
To be sure, the mayor is entitled to voice an opinion (even on specific contracts if he wishes), but this should be done in public - not in secret. The approach used by Hahn allows the mayor to issue a veto in secret. And it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that under this system, political favoritism and pay-to-play will creep in. It hasn't always been like this.
There was a world of difference between Kelly Martin, who was Riordan's liaison with the DWP when I was general manager, and Hahn's liaison, Troy Edwards. And that's reflected in their current situations: Martin is being considered for a top job at City Hall, and Edwards has been a target for law enforcement agencies now investigating corruption allegations at City Hall.
The key to cleaning house at City Hall is held by the mayor. No new laws are needed. The mayor just needs to keep political cronies with no knowledge of the subject matter out of city government. Would it really be all that hard to select commissioners, especially commission chairpersons, on the basis of professional knowledge, honesty and integrity and not by how much money they raised for the mayor? Would it really be all that hard to leave commissioners alone to do their jobs once the mayor makes his general policy objectives known?
We don't need new laws to cure the corruption. Just a responsible and honest mayor who won't allow it in the first place.
S. David Freeman is a partner in the Renewable Resources Group in Los Angeles. He is the former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
posted by The Gadfly at 8:51 PM
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