COMRIE-RIORDAN GAP WIDENS; ADMINISTRATOR ASSAILS MAYOR'S CHARTER PLAN.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer A rift widened Friday between Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. and City Administrative Officer Keith Comrie as the high-ranking bureaucrat verbally attacked the mayor and his staff, and said Riordan may have participated in illegal meetings in a bid to expand the mayor's powers. Charging that proposals by the elected Charter Reform Commission are a recipe for bad government, Comrie said the mayor and his staff are pushing dangerous changes that would eliminate checks and balances in government, without knowing what the consequences will be. ``It's a prescription for corruption,'' Comrie said. He said other city managers have the same concerns, but he is the only one close enough to retirement to be able to speak out without being hurt by the mayor's ``brutal'' staff. Riordan declined to comment in detail on Comrie's criticisms, saying, ``Keith has the right, like anybody, to state his opinions.'' But the mayor's spokeswoman took exception to the remarks. ``It's disappointing he has decided to make an issue that impacts the whole city into such a personal issue,'' said spokeswoman Noelia Rodriguez. ``The mayor's not going to engage in pettiness. The mayor expects Keith will conduct himself in a professional and responsible manner for the citizens of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The mayor expects he will rise to the occasion.'' City Council members who heard some of Comrie's comments greeted him in council as a hero Friday, shaking his hand and patting him on the back. ``He reports to us, too,'' said Councilman Mike Hernandez. ``He is a city expert who's expressing an opinion.'' Riordan cannot remove Comrie without concurrence CONCURRENCE, French law. The equality of rights, or privilege which several persons-have over the same thing; as, for example, the right which two judgment creditors, Whose judgments were rendered at the same time, have to be paid out of the proceeds of real estate bound by them. Dict. de Jur. h.t. by the council, which is likely to back the administrator. Comrie first began criticizing charter reform proposals two months ago, telling the elected commission that they were heading toward a New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of style of government. ``This was the mayor's idea, and it's his staff's idea,'' Comrie said. ``They want to assemble all power under him. I think it's a terrible mistake. I don't think any of the mayor's staff involved in this have any background in government or government structure.'' In defending the proposals, the mayor's spokeswoman said the reforms would improve city services The examples and perspective in this article or section may represent an unduly geographically limited view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. because they would make the mayor more accountable. Comrie also said Riordan possibly violated vi·o·late tr.v. vi·o·lat·ed, vi·o·lat·ing, vi·o·lates 1. To break or disregard (a law or promise, for example). 2. To assault (a person) sexually. 3. state law by meeting secretly with charter commissioners to push for more powers for the mayor, but Erwin Chemerinsky Erwin Chemerinsky (born 1953) is a well-known professor of Constitutional law and federal civil procedure, has recently accepted a position at the University of California, Irvine, in the new Donald Bren School of Law, beginning in 2009. , chairman of the elected charter panel, said the meetings were legal and that he also has met one-on-one with Comrie. Chemerinsky also denied a claim by Comrie that the reforms were worked out behind the scenes with Riordan with help from commission staff. Comrie said any mayor can get things accomplished as long as he or she can get eight votes in the council. ``The cure is not to create a dictatorship dictatorship Form of government in which one person or an oligarchy possesses absolute power without effective constitutional checks. With constitutional democracy, it is one of the two chief forms of government in use today. ,'' the veteran manager said. ``A department head has to be responsive to the mayor, to the council and the citizens. If he's only responsive to the mayor, then the citizens will not get the services they need.'' Frustrated frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: in dealing with the mayor's staff, Comrie said he offered months ago to retire, but Riordan never responded. One source close to Riordan said Comrie was asking for too large a buyout Buyout The purchase of a company or a controlling interest of a corporation's shares. Notes: A leveraged buyout is accomplished with borrowed money or by issuing more stock. . Comrie said Friday if commission proposals for greater mayoral powers are placed on next year's ballot, he will delay a retirement he had planned in January long enough to be able to write an analysis of the financial impacts of the reforms. ``Then I'll retire to campaign against it,'' Comrie said. Comrie also vowed to fight the elected commission's proposal to create elected neighborhood councils Neighborhood councils are governmental or non-governmental bodies composed of local people who handle neighborhood problems. They can be found in many cities throughout the world. with decision-making powers. ``I think it would lead to the creation of a very redundant level of government,'' Comrie said. ``Some of the proposals talk about hundreds of new elected officials. I truly believe that would bring the decision-making process to a standstill standstill /stand·still/ (stand´stil?) cessation of activity, as of the heart (cardiac s.) or chest (respiratory s.) . stand·still n. Complete cessation of activity or progress. .'' Comrie said he expects the mayor's staff to retaliate against him, but he hopes to continue to have a working relationship with the mayor. Daily News Staff Writer Rick Orlov contributed to this report. |
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