Rizzo concealed huge Bell raises, Spaccia testifies

As prosecutors began their cross examination of Bell’s second-in-command Thursday, Angela Spaccia stuck to her story that Robert Rizzo was to blame for concealing annual raises of more than 40% for them at the same time the city was having trouble funding its pension plan.

The contracts were not included in any City Council agenda and never approved by the council, Deputy Dist. Atty. Sean Hassett said.

“I had no involvement in the agenda,” Spaccia repeated over and over.

She said the salaries were included in the 2005-2010 budget plan that the council approved.

When Hassett asked her to find Rizzo’s salary in the document, Spaccia initially pointed to a page that listed all the positions in the city. Then she went to another page in the budget that listed a salary for the chief administrative officer position. When Hassett asked if that was Rizzo’s salary, she pointed to another column that showed the figure listed was only 35% of his actual pay.

When Hassett again asked how someone could find out Rizzo’s salary, Spaccia replied, “This is where it gets complicated.”

Spaccia said they would have to look at another city document, called a personnel action report, which was not part of the budget packet.

Spaccia said the 12 employee contracts were covered in the budget resolution that the council passed under the phrase “supplemental revisions or amendments.”

Spaccia said that she filled out the contracts, including hers and Rizzo’s, using salaries that her boss gave her and then gave them to Rizzo to include with the agenda package that council members would get.

After being shown a copy of the agenda package, Spaccia agreed that the contracts were not included.

Spaccia testified that Rizzo told her the day after the May 2005 council meeting that the panel had approved them.

Asked why the employees would get these raises at the same time the city was having trouble covering pension costs, Spaccia replied, “I don’t know what Mr. Rizzo did,” she said. “I was not involved in creating the agenda.”

She also said she was forbidden from talking with council members. “That was a very clear instruction,” she said.

Spaccia insisted she didn’t attend council meetings until mid-2006, so she couldn’t have seen how the council dealt with the raises or mentioned the contracts to council members.

Hassett, however, pointed out that three other witnesses, including former City Atty. Edward Lee, said she had been attending council meetings for years.

“Is your July 2005 contract employment anywhere in the certified May 2, 2005, agenda packet?” Hasset said.

“Probably not,” Spaccia said.

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