Bradley Ousts Holden from Transit Board : Politics: Absenteeism and a bad attitude led to the firing, mayor says. Councilman calls it political revenge.

Mayor Tom Bradley on Friday removed one of his most outspoken critics, Councilman Nate Holden, from the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, citing Holden’s poor attendance record and a combative style that “denied the city effective input” on the powerful transit board.

“I simply cannot accept Nate Holden’s failure to show up at meetings, to do his homework, to vote on key contracts and to be a moving force in the battle to reduce traffic congestion,” Bradley said in unusually blunt remarks at City Hall.

In Holden’s place, Bradley appointed one of his closest political allies, City Councilman Richard Alatorre, who vowed to use the commission position to bring light rail transit to his Eastside council district and the San Gabriel Valley.

Holden--who ran a bitter campaign against Bradley in last year’s mayoral election--lashed back at Bradley on Friday, charging he was fired because “I would not be a rubber stamp” for the mayor’s policies.

Holden did not deny missing five of 19 commission meetings in the last year, but he contended his removal by Bradley was a political move in retaliation for his criticism of the Metro Rail project’s massive cost overruns and his opposition to the mayor’s plan for reorganizing the troubled subway project.

“This doesn’t bother me at all,” said Holden. “I’ve made my point. Yes, I make noise, but the people need and deserve a voice.”

Bradley said he had been urged by some members of the 11-member board--whom he would not identify--to replace Holden. In part, those requests were prompted by Holden’s sometimes caustic and personal approach to debate that Bradley called “ad hominem attacks on fellow LACTC members and staff.”

“To the extent that you employ this latter practice, I do not believe that you are advancing the transportation needs of the region,” Bradley said in a letter to Holden.

Christine Reed, chairman of the commission, said in a prepared statement, “It has been interesting and sometimes controversial to serve with Nate.”

In his defense, Holden said he was “more courteous to commission members than to my own colleagues” on the City Council, where his finger-pointing and blame-laying speeches are nearly a daily event.

While Bradley maintained that his decision was not political, he had earlier attempted to deny the post to Holden altogether.

It has been a City Hall tradition since 1976 for the mayor to appoint the chairman of the City Council’s Transportation Committee to the commission. But after Holden was named chairman of the committee in 1987, Bradley balked for a year at giving him the appointment to the LACTC. The mayor relented only at the urging of City Council President John Ferraro.

On Friday, Ferraro said he was disappointed by the mayor’s decision. “I think Nate represents a view that must be heard.”

Ferraro said Holden’s attendance record at the City Council is among the best, and he confirmed Holden’s contention that some of his commission absenteeism was caused by obligations to remain at City Council meetings.

Still, Councilman Michael Woo, who preceded Holden on the commission and missed just two meetings in a year’s time, said he did not see council meetings as an obstacle to attending commission meetings.

Bradley’s two other appointees had superior attendance records. Chamber of Commerce President Ray Remy missed three of 19 meetings, and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy official Carol Stevens missed none of the 10 commission meetings held since she was appointed in July.

One commission member--John La Follette, who represents county Supervisor Mike Antonovich-- missed eight of 19 meetings, but in each case arranged for an alternate to appear in his place.

Holden did not arrange for his designated alternate to replace him.

While Holden’s firing was sudden and unexpected--Ferraro and Holden only learned of the mayor’s intention a few hours before the public announcement--Bradley had been planning the change for some time.

“I’ve been considering it, but I wanted an adequate basis upon which to make the decision. And when I got all that information, I took the action,” Bradley said.