Embittered Mayor Steps Down Early Amid Council Rift : * Politics: During a special meeting, Louis Heine is selected as the new mayor.

Amid swirling rumors and behind-the-scenes maneuvering, a bitter Mayor Robert Henning last week unexpectedly gave up his seat as mayor, charging that “a lot of corruption is getting ready to let loose” in the city.

Henning, who lost in the Nov. 5 municipal election, was to serve his last day as mayor on Dec. 3. But he decided last week to step down immediately, saying he does not like the changes on the council.

Council members held a special meeting early Thursday and selected Councilman Louis Heine as mayor. Henning, who did not attend the meeting, said he does not plan to attend the remaining regular meeting this month. New council member Louis Byrd will succeed Henning when the council meets Dec. 3.

Heine, 73, who was elected Nov. 5 to his second term, pledged to work with his fellow council members to unify the city’s political and racial groups. Henning, who served eight years on the council, was accused during the campaign of polarizing the city’s black, Anglo and Latino communities with a brusque political style and intimidating manner.

Councilman Paul H. Richards II told the council that Henning said he wanted to step down early because the bitter election campaign may have left the town divided and “he wanted to do all he could to expedite the peace process.”

However, a defiant Henning said in a telephone interview later that he did not believe the town was divided and that keeping the peace had little to do with his decision.

“This is not a peacekeeping thing as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “For some people, keeping me off the council will keep the peace, and I agree with that. But I was always looking at who is controlling the council and I just couldn’t deal with what was happening. They (council members) can do what they want to do now. They are in the power chair now.”

Henning accused his arch-rival and former planning commissioner Lee Samson of influencing the council. Samson, a local real estate agent who is well-known in city politics, ran a half-page ad in a local newspaper just days before the election. It urged residents to vote for Byrd and Heine.

Henning and Samson have fought each other since 1985, when Henning accused Samson, then a planning commissioner, of a conflict of interest involving the purchase of property. Samson denied any conflict, but he left the Planning Commission, saying that he would be involved in a future development that might pose a conflict of interest. He and Henning have been sparring ever since.

Henning predicted that under Samson’s influence the council will become embroiled in scandal and shady land deals. Samson scoffed at Henning’s accusations.

“I have nothing to do with the council. I’m just a concerned citizen,” Samson said. “It’s a real tragedy that Henning has to stoop to such low-level politics, but I’m not shocked. This is typical of him.”

Councilmen Armando Rea and Richards bridled at the suggestion that anyone would control their votes.

“No person or organization has ever, or will ever, exercise undue authority over my decisions on the council,” Richards said.

Councilwoman Evelyn Wells could not be reached for comment.

Rumors that Henning was giving up his much-beloved mayoral title and that the council would reorganize before Byrd was installed swept the city’s political circles late Wednesday, surprising some council members themselves. Byrd and some council members said they were bombarded with phone inquiries from curious residents.

“I don’t know what is going on,” an angry Heine grumbled Wednesday afternoon.

A disgusted Rea said there was no good reason to reorganize the council before Byrd was installed. “It should have been pulled off the agenda,” he said.

Rea said he was surprised when Henning did not show up at the special meeting Thursday and when Richards nominated Heine as the new mayor. Until late Wednesday, some council members had been discussing a plan by which Richards would chair the meetings until the council was reorganized and a new mayor selected.

Richards, who has established a reputation as the negotiator of the council, said he thought he could help mend relationships among council members and between the council and the community. However, Richards said that late Wednesday night he had decided against such a move because rumors were circulating that he wanted to become mayor to further his own political ambitions. Richards is considering running for the seat of state Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles), who is not seeking reelection.

“I thought it would be a good thing to mediate the healing process, but the rumors tainted the idea,” Richards said. “I could not help the city heal and fight rumors at the same time.”

Heine, who was the top vote-getter in the Nov. 5 election, will become mayor for the first time in his tenure. The positions of mayor and mayor pro-tem are traditionally rotated among the five council members, and though Heine was nominated once before, he did not receive enough votes. During Thursday’s meeting, Heine’s three colleagues pledged their support and vowed to work together. Byrd also has expressed his support for Heine.

In December, the council will select a new mayor pro tem.