On a Split Vote, Lawndale Rejects a Code of Ethics for City Officials

The Lawndale City Council voted 3-2 Thursday to reject a code of ethics for elected and appointed city officials. The vote was followed by a heated exchange in which former Planning Commission Chairman Gary McDonald accused three city officials of unethical conduct.

McDonald, who resigned from the commission in June to run against Mayor Sarann Kruse next April, also objected to some provisions of the code, saying they were directed at him.

McDonald runs a consulting business for developers, and the proposed code would have prohibited city officials from engaging in such work.

Kruse, who last month asked the city staff to draft the code, said it was not aimed at any individual and that she has wanted the city to adopt such a code for years.

Kruse and Councilwoman Carol Norman voted for the proposal, but it was opposed by Councilmen Dan McKenzie, Harold E. Hofmann and Larry Rudolph.

Before casting their votes, McKenzie and Rudolph said the measure was not necessary and would be useless because it did not provide penalties for violations. The code would have prohibited officials from:

* Lobbying the council or Planning Commission on behalf of a developer within one year of leaving office.

* Providing consulting services while in office to developers operating within the city.

* Representing individual views as those of the entire council or commission.

* Sending out mailers that are not related to an election campaign or that do not specifically state that the views expressed are those of the individual.

* Remaining in office after being convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude.

* Accepting honorariums and other personal gifts by virtue of being a city official.

During a heated exchange after the vote, McDonald objected to provisions of the code that he said were aimed at him and said some city officials are themselves engaging in unethical conduct.

McDonald said City Clerk Neil K. Roth is working to sell the mayor’s house, and he questioned whether Roth had been negotiating the deal from City Hall.

“It is wrong for the city clerk to be the agent to sell the mayor’s house without disclosing it to the public,” McDonald said.

Roth acknowledged that he is working for the real estate company that is trying to sell Kruse’s house but said he is guilty of no conflict of interest.

He said he was offended by McDonald’s allegations and accused McDonald of grandstanding for cable television cameras and other media.

Pending Lawsuit

McDonald also accused Norman of talking with city officials in Hawthorne about traffic issues that are the subject of a pending lawsuit filed by Lawndale against that city. Norman, who is acting housing director for the city of Hawthorne, said she has not met with any city officials on the issue.

McDonald also said that Kruse had accepted campaign contributions from developers with business pending before the city. Kruse said there was nothing improper about the contributions and that they have been reported in her financial statements.

Kruse adamantly defended the ethics code and accused McDonald of political mudslinging.

Although Kruse said during the meeting that the code was not aimed at any specific person, she acknowledged Friday that some of the provisions were prompted by what she believes are two cases of conflict of interest involving McDonald.

One occurred in February, when McDonald took a Lawndale developer’s plans to the county Fire Department for a ruling on sprinkler installation. McDonald, who was then chairman of the Planning Commission, obtained the ruling, made a note of it on the plan and affixed his signature.

$220 Gold Coin

In addition, McDonald had received a $220 gold coin from the same developer last December.

McDonald has acknowledged in the past that it may have been a mistake to help the developer with the project while serving on the Planning Commission. He has said, however, that he does not view the gift as a conflict of interest.

Rudolph said Friday that he opposed the code because it was aimed at specific people--including McDonald. But he said the code was also useless because it did not provide a penalty for officials who violate its provisions.

During an interview Friday, McKenzie said that most of McDonald’s accusations “are just politics. I’ve heard all that stuff before.” But he agreed with Rudolph’s criticisms of the proposal, saying a code of ethics “without teeth” is pointless.

Hofmann could not be reached for comment Friday to elaborate on his vote.