![]() ![]() ![]() “This is a good example of unwatched, obscure government at its worst.” “When you start establishing personal relationships, as these people obviously have, then your judgment gets clouded,” Grindle said. Shirley Grindle, an activist who keeps watch on countywide political activities, said it’s “quite a coincidence” that jobs went to district and company relatives. He also works on the safety committee, according to a company newsletter. He was hired as a full-time employee in December, 1990, and now works as a junior accountant. * Jeff Moshier was given a summer job in 1985 at the district at the same time that his father, Martin Moshier, was a member of Santa Margarita’s board of directors. Hart said Regan never used his influence to get a job for his son. The father signed some of the change orders that made the contract more lucrative for the construction company.ĭistrict spokesman Scott Hart said the elder Regan never knew his son was pursuing a job at Wal-Con until after the young man had already been hired. as a truck driver after the company had been awarded a multimillion-dollar, no-bid construction contract in unusual circumstances. Regan, was hired by Wal-Con Construction Corp. Regan III, 26-year-old son of water district operations director Robert J. The father noted that his son had not worked for the district for several years and declined further comment. ![]() Maranto as he moved to three different banks. The Times has reported that millions of dollars in district funds followed Charles J. Maranto, the district’s former banker, worked for the district between August, 1990, and January, 1991, as a maintenance worker. A spokesperson for MacDonald-Stephens also declined comment, and Danny Stephens could not be reached. After granting one interview to The Times, Knitz has declined all comment. Knitz received $7,240 in gifts from Stephens’ firm, records show. Danny Stephens is the brother of David Stephens, part-owner of MacDonald-Stephens Engineers and a close friend of Knitz. * Danny Stephens, 35, began working nearly five years ago with the water district as an operator at the Chiquita treatment plant. Neither Diana nor her father wanted to comment. DiPietro left the district in February, 1992. DiPietro, was the operations manager for the water district. She joined the engineering company while her father, C.J. * Diana DiPietro has worked for Bein, Frost’s media services division for nearly two years. John Seymour did not return a call seeking comment. Robert Kallenbaugh, the engineering company’s president, confirmed John Seymour’s employment with Bein, Frost and said it started several years ago. * John Seymour, who works in the computer services division of Bein, Frost, is the son of Dave Seymour, the district’s water distribution manager. The blood ties between Santa Margarita and its contractors, however, do not run afoul of the county’s anti-nepotism policy, which only prohibits family members from working directly under the supervision of a county official to whom they are related.Įrnie Schneider, county chief administrative officer, said there would be nothing wrong with his son getting a job with a county contractor, as long as he was qualified and was hired on a competitive basis.īut, he added, “it would be inappropriate for me to call someone up and say, ‘Hey, give my son a job.’ ”īoth Bein, Frost and MacDonald-Stephens have had their official records subpoenaed by a joint law enforcement task force looking into gift-giving to Knitz, Lord and other Santa Margarita officials.īeside Lord, The Times has found the following family connections between the district and its contractors: “In my opinion, it’s a conflict of interest,” said Russell Patton, personnel manager for Orange County. “It winds up looking like you helped a public official’s kid get a job because you are getting contracts,” said Farouk Abdel-Wahed, chairman of the management department at the Cal State Fullerton School of Business Administration and Economics. Some management experts, however, said it creates the appearance of a conflict of interest for the children of influential district officials to secure jobs with companies that have been awarded substantial contracts by the district. There is nothing inappropriate about what happened.” They didn’t get paid any extra money they just got regular wages. “They are both talented, smart youngsters. ![]() Lord’s “kids went through the normal interview process,” Pohlson said. Pohlson, Lord’s attorney, said Tuesday that there was nothing improper about Lord’s children being hired by district contractors. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |