Making a tough call

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Just when you thought it was safe to delve back into city

politics, the ugly battle between City Clerk Connie Brockway and City

Administrator Ray Silver resurfaced this week.

This is one of those things that no one wants to touch with a

10-foot pole. I’m no different, but here goes.

First, I’m learning from Silver’s mistakes and have no intention

of taking on Connie Brockway. She’s sweet, helpful and everyone loves

her. All of this makes her a powerful adversary. Ray, however, seems

to be coming off as the big bad wolf and that’s not fair either.

This began last fall when accusations flew back and forth.

After behind-the-scenes miscommunications about the posting of a

job, Brockway put a late communication item on the City Council

agenda, while Silver, who is to approve all agenda items, was out of

town. The communication accuses Silver of not following city codes

and said he is preventing Brockway from doing her job properly

(accusation No. 1). She asks that the search for an information

services director be suspended.

Silver was upset -- by Brockway’s actions while he was away and by

her suggestion that his search be halted .

“There was no need to suspend [the search],” he said.

“There would have been a loss of my best applicants.”

So he responded with a rather angry letter to her and the council

in which he accuses her of trying to influence the personnel process,

which is a violation of the municipal code (accusation No. 2).

It’s like any argument. She threw a zinger, and he threw one back.

But this was not a zinger Brockway was prepared to take lying

down. She wanted a retraction.

He could have called her stupid or anything else, she said at

Monday’s council meeting, but not corrupt.

So the issue has now shifted from the proper hiring process, a

battle Silver basically won, to a war of words.

The two were directed to have a closed meeting with all involved

parties and come out friends again. It took more than that. Brockway

hired a lawyer to join her in the meeting. Over the next several

weeks, the lawyer helped hammer out a joint statement by Brockway and

Silver in which the two said they were sorry and would respect each

other in future.

The end. We thought.

Until she presented the council with a bill Monday night asking

that her attorney fees be paid.

Naturally, the whole ugly, convoluted mess was rehashed.

Unfortunately, the meeting focused on the skirmish more than the

request.

The question was, should the legal fees be paid. Just as former

Mayor and Councilman Dave Garofalo’s were not paid, Brockway’s should

not be, the council decided. There is no precedent, and the council

was right not to set one.

I commend the four who voted against it. It meant separating the

desire to help Brockway out, which I’m sure they all wanted to do,

with the cold hard facts.

The issue, however, should not have even been discussed at that

meeting. Several council members complained that they had just

received the information from Silver and the city attorney’s office,

so they should have postponed the matter and come back to it at the

next meeting.

Although she should probably drop it, and let this go, I think it

is a matter of principle for Brockway.

She will likely continue this battle for that reason.

Unfortunately, I didn’t catch her in time to find out for sure.

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)

965-7170 or by e-mail at danette.goulet@latimes.com.