Panel Warned Not to Fire Whistle-Blower

In a stern warning to the Private Industry Council, Mayor Tom Bradley said he does not support a plan to fire a whistle-blower who filed a series of allegations against the president of the troubled job training agency, it was learned.

Bradley, in a letter mailed Thursday to the board of directors, said he believed that any discipline against Private Industry Council Vice President Arthur P. Lawson would be considered “retaliatory,” according to sources who disclosed the text of the letter.

The mayor added that the city would seek damages from the individual board members if Lawson was fired and filed a successful lawsuit.

‘Aware of Their Liability’

“We want to make sure that the PIC members are aware of their liability in carrying out (Lawson’s dismissal) because they could be bringing down some kind of court action against themselves,” Deputy Mayor Grace Davis said Friday.

Lawson, 54, filed an inch-thick whistle-blower’s complaint in October against Dominick J. Ramos, the president of the Private Industry Council. The complaint contained numerous allegations of mismanagement, including claims that Ramos mishandled a $160,000 marketing contract, solicited political campaign contributions from employees and harassed Lawson.

Ramos has since been forced to resign his $76,572-a-year job, effective April 30. The council administers $42 million a year in federal job training funds.

On Friday, the Private Industry Council executive committee voted to change Ramos’ contract to include a provision that would allow him to spend $400 a month in car allowances for his 1986 Lincoln Continental. An audit had revealed that Ramos improperly used job training funds to purchase the automobile in 1986.

‘Cleaned Up the Contract’

Robert J. Clark, the chairman of the Private Industry Council, said Friday that the board “cleaned up the contract” at the request of the city attorney’s office. However, the contract amendment does not “cure” the audit finding that Ramos improperly purchased the vehicle, according to a city attorney’s memo distributed to board members Friday.

Clark said he could not comment on the board’s interest in firing Lawson because it is a private personnel matter.

In his letter, Bradley said he was “greatly concerned over the PIC’s expressed intent to take action” against Lawson.

Lawson’s attorney, Tom Hunt, said, “I’m glad to see that the city realizes what the realities are of the situation, and hopefully the Private Industry Council will take this to heart and not do anything.”

Lawson, who earns approximately $50,000 a year as the vice president in charge of operations and marketing, is one of 12 employees whose future employment is uncertain since Bradley announced last week that he plans to eliminate the job training agency’s $1.1-million staff budget.

Under a reorganization plan released to the City Council on Friday, Bradley is recommending that the employees receive personal services contracts through the rest of the year.