CITY HALL : LAWNDALE : Plan to Bar City Hall Nepotism
The Lawndale City Council will consider a proposal to prevent nepotism among city employees.
Under the proposed law, the city could not hire the spouses, family members, in-laws or any other person related by blood or marriage to an elected or appointed official. The ordinance also would apply to relatives of department heads and the city manager. Current employees would not be affected.
The council has scheduled a vote on the proposal at its meeting April 7.
Councilman Norm Lagerquist, who conceived the measure, said the city has had a history of nepotism. However, Lagerquist could not cite a clear-cut example of favoritism in hiring.
“I have heard claims, but I couldn’t attest to it from firsthand,” Lagerquist said. “There have been some questionable hirings, which I think disrupt City Hall.”
Other council members, though supporting the proposal, said they are not aware of a problem. “I don’t know where the need is,” Mayor Harold E. Hofmann said. “I haven’t seen nepotism around here myself. But maybe this will prove to be a bit of foresight.”
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