More Than 100 Seek to Head Charter Panel

More than 100 applicants have thrown their names into contention for the post of executive director of the city’s elected charter reform commission. With the deadline for submissions set for 5 p.m. today, resumes have flooded the Los Angeles city clerk’s office from local and national candidates.

However, no application has been received from former Assemblyman Mike Roos, who now heads the LEARN educational reform campaign, and who has been nominated for the executive director’s job by three commission members, including allies of Mayor Richard Riordan. In fact, when the deadline for applications was extended from last Friday to today’s close of business, there was some grumbling that the change was to accommodate Roos.

But commissioners dismissed such speculation, saying the extra time ensured proper consideration of several qualified candidates, including former Assemblywoman Barbara Friedman.

Whoever is picked for the post will be responsible for guiding the commission in drafting changes to the city’s 72-year-old charter. A rival charter reform commission, composed of appointees of the City Council, is engaged in the same process, and named its director, political scientist Raphael J. Sonenshein, in February.