Local News in Brief : Council Extends Contract

The Irwindale City Council has extended the contract of Charles Martin as city attorney and city manager for a year and hired two criminal lawyers to represent him during an investigation by the district attorney’s office.

City spokesman Xavier Hermosillo said attorneys Robert Z. Corrado of Fullerton and Bradley Brunon of Santa Monica have been retained for Martin. In addition, he said, the law firm of Dickstein, Shapiro & Morin will serve as counsel to other city employees who may be targets of the district attorney’s investigation.

City officials earlier disclosed that the district attorney’s office has been looking into conflict-of-interest questions raised by an article in The Times on Sept. 24. The article disclosed that officials had steered millions of dollars in city contracts to private businesses that they owned or had a substantial interest in. The investigation, according to Martin, also has focused on his fees for a $395-million bond sale in 1984 for a proposed trash-to-energy plant.

Hermosillo said Martin, who has been employed by Irwindale for 23 years, will receive $113,970 under a one-year contract for work as attorney and as city manager and executive director of the Redevelopment Agency.