Hedgecock Aide Becomes Second in Week to Resign

Becoming the second top aide to leave Mayor Roger Hedgecock’s staff this week, Michel Anderson, Hedgecock’s assistant for business and economic development, announced his resignation on Thursday to “move on to other things.”

“It was a tough decision because we’ve been through some good times and some rough times together,” Anderson said. “But it’s like in poker. You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. This just happens to be a good time for me to fold ‘em.”

Anderson’s announcement Thursday came two days after Elizabeth Brafford, Hedgecock’s press secretary, disclosed her plans to leave the mayor’s staff on March 8. And, like Brafford, Anderson insisted that his planned March 15 departure from City Hall is unrelated to Hedgecock’s trial on felony conspiracy and perjury charges, which ended last month in a mistrial with the jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of conviction. Hedgecock is scheduled to be retried on the charges in May, but attorneys on both sides say they doubt that the case will begin until this fall.

“I know that there will be those who will try to make this look like it has to do with the mayor’s legal problems,” Anderson said. “But even if the trial had ended with an acquittal, I’d probably have made the same decision and be saying the same thing today. When I joined Roger’s staff, I didn’t plan to stay forever. This is a good time for me to look at other opportunities.”

A 32-year-old Cincinnati native who moved to San Diego in 1976, Anderson said he has “no firm job offers lined up,” but might seek to become a development consultant, work similar to that he did before joining Hedgecock’s staff in the spring of 1983. Prior to his city service, Anderson worked for 4 1/2 years as the assistant to the president of Shapell Industries, one of the largest development firms in San Diego.

As Hedgecock’s chief liaison to the business community--a sector that has viewed Hedgecock with considerable skepticism throughout his public career because of his strict controlled growth policies--Anderson was involved with a handful of major issues, including expansion of the San Diego Trolley, the proposed downtown convention center, the controversial La Jolla Valley development and the recent annexation and planned development of Otay Mesa.

“When I think about my tenure at City Hall, I’ll think about the good times,” Anderson said. “Many of the goals Roger and I talked about before I decided to join his staff have come to fruition.”

Anderson added that he believes that he also “had a hand” in promoting “increased mutual respect” between Hedgecock and the business community.

“I think the relationship now is based more on fact and reality than just suspicions or inaccurate images,” Anderson said. “That will continue regardless of whether I’m here. We’re all expendable.”