WESTMINSTER : $50,000 May Be OKd for Lawsuit Defense

The City Council today will consider a request for $50,000 to pay for the cost of defending a lawsuit filed against several city officials by members of the Westminster Firefighters Assn.

Assistant City Manager Donald S. Anderson also is seeking council approval to hire the law office of Ferguson, Praet & Sherman to represent the defendants, which include Mayor Charles V. Smith and three council members.

Last month, fire union officials filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, stemming from the firing of union President Paul Gilbrook and the suspension of union director Mike Garrison.

The union lawsuit alleges that Gilbrook’s firing and Garrison’s suspension were in retaliation for a union-supported recall of Smith and council members Craig Schweisinger, Charmayne S. Bohman and Tony Lam.

Smith, Schweisinger, Bohman and Lam will face voters on June 7.

In their suit, Gilbrook and Garrison said that they should have their jobs back and they should be compensated for lost wages and damages to their reputation.

Gilbrook was fired in February for allegedly driving a firetruck without a valid driver’s license and cashing out sick leave improperly. He insists that he has done nothing wrong and wants court-ordered arbitration on the matter.

Garrison was suspended in January for alleged “unprofessional” public comments about a fatal fire that was under investigation. He has since been issued a termination notice from Fire Chief John T. DeMonaco Jr., allegedly for improper use of overtime.

In addition to Smith, Schweisinger, Bohman and Lam, named in the lawsuit were City Manager Jerry Kenny, acting City Manager Robert J. Huntley and Anderson.

The other defendants are DeMonaco, City Atty. Richard Jones, Finance Director Brian Mayhew and other unnamed city officials.

A hearing has not been set, officials said.