By Irving Leemon, Contributing Columnist
City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo appears to have evolved into one of those self-serving lawyers who run for political office to achieve the power and financial gains that the offices can generate. He seems to have forgotten that he was elected to represent the City, the City Council, and it’s employees, and not himself.
If he were truly interested in helping the City to get the crime rate lower AND save the tax money in, and due to come into the City’s coffers, (which is currently shrinking), he would welcome the chance to help him do this by an ‘outside and semi independent ’ audit. Instead, he has insisted on fighting such an audit in court, and costing the City additional moneys. This has caused several other City employees to request, and to receive from the Council, funds to hire independent lawyers to represent them.
This indicates to me that they do not trust him to do so in a diligent and professional manner. Delgadillo and his wife were driving their cars without proper insurance for a year. Never mind that she did not have the right to drive a City vehicle when she got into an accident, and that before then she was cited for driving with a suspended license. Delgadillo un- successfully attempted to have the City pay for the damage to the City vehicle. In addition, his wife was running a business from their home without a City permit, and, it is assumed, was not paying the City taxes for that business.
It has also came to light that he received about $430,000 worth of free billboard ads when he ran for re-election. He has not aggressively pursued the billboard companies when they have been breaking the law with the size and placements of their product, or the placements of advertising carts in the City streets. His excuse for not pursuing the carts is that it would cost the City too much. Have any accidents occurred because of them? If not, it’s only a matter time before that happens.
Then, when the City is sued, will it be financially advisable to pursue the violators in court? This from a man who was elected to uphold and enforce the City’s laws, and to refer violations of county and state laws to the district attorney? He and his wife haveshown no respect for the law. No elected official is above the law. I would vote against him, and campaign against him, if he ran for any office again. Agree, Disagree? Email me at: ileemon@ socal.rr.com