Riordan Assailed for Use of Ex-Deputy Mayor

Los Angeles City Council members blasted Mayor Richard Riordan Friday for employing a controversial former deputy mayor to consult on his campaign to create a government reform panel.

Mike Keeley, an attorney who acted as Riordan’s chief operating officer, resigned in May after admitting he had leaked confidential information to lawyers on the opposing side of a contract dispute with the city.

In April, the council gave Keeley a vote of no confidence, pressuring him to resign or become a liability to Riordan.

In an interview, Keeley confirmed Friday that he has been a legal consultant on Riordan’s petition drive to create an elected panel that would rewrite the 71-year-old charter that serves as the city’s constitution.

“I am fortunate once again to have the opportunity to assist the mayor in his charter reform efforts and I believe that meaningful, citizen-driven charter reform is critical to the future of the city,” he said.

But in a statement, Councilman Nate Holden, a vocal critic of Riordan’s campaign, criticized Keeley’s involvement in the campaign.

“How can the citizens trust any initiative managed by Mike Keeley, when he has been cited for unethical conduct?” Holden said. “‘It is simply another attempt by Mr. Keeley to get back in the thick of things involving city government.”

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, the author of a measure to create a competing charter-reform panel that was adopted by the council, said she was not surprised to learn Keeley was involved in Riordan’s latest campaign.

She said Keeley and Riordan’s longtime political guru, Bill Wardlaw, are always behind the scenes on most of Riordan’s major endeavors.

“It’s the same old team: Wardlaw gives the orders, Keeley carries out the work and Riordan signs the check,” Galanter said.

Rick Taylor, a political consultant who is heading Riordan’s petition drive, declined to comment on the matter.