Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Mobile-Home Park Managers Quit, Cite Pressure Over Election : Lancaster: Officials deny that the city asked the couple or a company hired to operate the facility to relax their style. Move is called a campaign ploy.

The managers of a city-owned mobile-home park resigned Thursday, saying they were told to avoid enforcing rules so that park residents would not get angry with council members seeking reelection next week.

“They’re trying to avoid upsetting the people so they can get their votes,” said Dale Gillman, who until Thursday managed Brierwood Mobile Home Estates with his wife, Judi.

Irvine-based Newport Pacific Capital Co. was hired in December to manage mobile-home parks recently purchased by the city of Lancaster. The Gillmans were managers under the former owner and were hired by Newport Pacific.

On Thursday, the Gillmans produced a memo from a Newport Pacific manager to Judi Gillman stating: “In reiteration of what we just discussed, please maintain a conservative approach in your dealings with the residents in order to prevent telephone calls to the city--especially the mayor.”

The April 6 memo continues: “Keep in mind that this is a temporary arrangement and for the sake of the upcoming election.”

City officials deny that the city asked the Gillmans or Newport Pacific to relax their management style for the sake of Tuesday’s election, in which three incumbents and 10 challengers are vying for three seats.

“This is a campaign ploy,” said Steve Dukett, head of Lancaster’s Redevelopment Agency, which oversees the three city-owned mobile-home parks.

“We don’t make judgments on major housing projects like this on the basis of election time,” City Manager Jim Gilley said.

Lancaster Mayor Arnie Rodio, who is seeking reelection, said the only contact he has had with the mobile-home park was a call from a Brierwood resident who wanted to arrange a flexible space rent payment plan. He referred the caller to a city staff member.

“That was it,” Rodio said. “I did not do anything but turn it over to staff. Period. That’s my job.”

Councilman George Root, also seeking reelection, said: “The park managers, it appears, were put up to this stuff by (council challenger) Deborah Shelton. I think it’s strictly a campaign ploy.”

The Rev. Henry Hearns, another councilman seeking reelection, could not be reached for comment.

Mike Sullivan, Newport Pacific executive vice president, said there were residents at Brierwood who wanted to use the election to obtain concessions from the city. He would not say what the residents were seeking but that his company was trying to prevent the park from becoming embroiled in local political battles.

He said the memo was “a communication to our resident manager that we’re trying not to have anything escalate into a political situation. I don’t know the names of the people running for election out there and I don’t care.”

The Gillmans had been resident managers at Brierwood for three months before the city bought the park from a private businessman. They said Thursday that they had been thinking of resigning since the city took over.

Sullivan said the couple had a hard time adjusting to the city’s policies, which were more flexible than those of the prior owner.

In a written response to the Gillmans’ press conference, Newport Pacific said: “Whether it is dinner time, springtime, election time or milking time in Lancaster, the Gillmans had been asked to be more flexible in dealing with their residents and to adhere to the management philosophy and tone that both Newport and the city of Lancaster wished to see at Brierwood.”

Sharon Moeser is a correspondent and Phil Sneiderman is a Times staff writer.