Compton : Council Explains Firing

Mayor Walter R. Tucker has sent a letter to former City Manager Laverta Montgomery, officially explaining that she was fired on Oct. 28 “based on a pattern of repeated, willful and intentional failure to carry out the policy decisions of the City Council, and your willful abandonment of duties.” The letter was required by provisions in Montgomery’s three-year contract, which was extended after a council vote of confidence only last July.

Montgomery was dismissed by an unexpected 3-2 council vote, with Tucker and Councilwoman Jane D. Robbins opposed. Council members charged that she had been chronically absent from her post. In an interview later, Montgomery declared that she expects to be paid the balance of her $73,452 annual salary over the remaining years of her contract.

Within seven days of receiving Tucker’s letter, Montgomery can request a hearing before the council to appeal the firing.