ANAHEIM : D.A. Undecided on Inquiry Into Hiring

The district attorney’s office has yet to decide whether to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by three City Council members during the selection of a new city manager.

Mayor Fred Hunter and Councilman William D. Ehrle asked for an investigation after the council’s 3-0 vote to promote Assistant City Manager James Ruth to city manager.

Hunter and Ehrle, who favored the city manager of Toledo, Ohio, for the top post in Anaheim, claim their fellow council members conspired to give Ruth the job.

Hunter and Ehrle also accused their colleagues of forcing the retirement of recently departed City Manager Bob Simpson.

The two say council members Tom Daly, Miriam Kaywood and Irv Pickler held secret meetings in violation of state law and the council’s code of ethics.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Wallace Wade said Tuesday that it is “too early” to know if an investigation is in order, and would not speculate on when a decision could be made.

“It’s not something you want to make a snap decision on,” he said.

The controversy surrounding Ruth’s selection has worsened relations among City Council members, who were prone to bickering before this incident.

Kaywood said bad feelings fostered by the selection are like “a poison in the cake. . . . It makes it very difficult to work.”

She maintains there was nothing wrong with the way the council voted to promote Ruth. “There’s nothing to investigate,” she said.

Hunter, who formally requested the investigation, said his colleagues probably think he’ll drop the matter, but “it’s not just political hoopla. I think they thought we were just bluffing or making a political move. We’re not.”

Ehrle and Hunter contend that the council agreed on March 10 to hire Toledo City Manager Philip Hawkey.

They say the three council members met secretly during the following days and conspired to elect Ruth instead.

The three council members have repeatedly denied that the decision was made in the manner Ehrle and Hunter describe.

Both Kaywood and Pickler will be up for reelection in November, and Hunter will again run for the open mayoral seat, possibly against Pickler.

“There’s no question in my mind” that the controversy was promoted for political reasons, said Pickler, who lost a closely contested mayoral election to Hunter in 1988.