Story Created:
Dec 17, 2009 at 10:49 AM PST
Story Updated:
Dec 17, 2009 at 10:49 AM PST
MONTEBELLO — The changing of the guard at City Hall here continues as the new City Council majority last week voted to oust the interim city administrator and hire their own interim administrator.
Randy Narramore, who served as the interim city administrator here from April 2007 to January 2008, was hired as interim city administrator last Friday, replacing Nick Pacheco, who held the interim post for two weeks before being dismissed Dec. 9.
The vote to dismiss Pacheco was 3-2, with Mayor Bill Molinari and new council members Art Barajas and Frank Gomez voting in favor of the move and Councilwoman Kathy Salazar and Councilman Robert Urteaga opposing it.
Salazar, Urteaga and ousted Councilwoman Rosemarie Vasquez had voted to hire Pacheco to replace Richard Torres, who retired at the end of November.
One of Narramore’s first official acts was to place Police Chief Dan Weast on paid administrative leave on Monday.
Weast, who was appointed chief in February 2008, was named in a $30 million discrimination claim filed by 13 police officers last July, who accused the chief of being a racist and only promoting his “white friends.”
Narramore, who was police chief in Ridgecrest and Huntington Park after a 17-year career with the El Cajon Police Department, appointed Capts. Greg Willsey and Ralph Newcomb to lead the department, reporting directly to Narramore. Willsey is one of the officers who filed the claim against Weast.
In addition to the claim, which is the usual precursor of a lawsuit, the Montebello Police Officers Association issued a no confidence vote on Weast last August.
Molinari said no final decision on West is expected until after the first of the year.
The appointment of Weast was controversial at the time. Molinari said it was political payback because Weast, who was then head of the Police Officers Association, and the association had endorsed Salazar and Urteaga in their run for the City Council in November 2007.
At the time of his appointment, Molinari questioned Weast’s educational credentials, since he has no college degree.
Narramore’s first stint as interim city administrator came after a former council majority had fired Torres in March 2007. He was relieved of his interim duties nine months later when a new council majority rehired Torres.
He served as police chief in Huntington Park from 1995 to 2006.
Narramore received his bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from San Diego State University. He also successfully completed the FBI National Academy, an 11-week course in management.
Narramore has earned a lifetime teaching credential and obtained six management certificates from the Peace Officer Standards in Training program.
RSS Feeds 
