At a City of West Hollywood gathering held Tuesday evening to introduce local business owners and managers to Nick Maricich, the new Community Development Director said he would have no conflict of interest if and when his work involves Jeff Seymour, the lobbyist who helped select him for the job.
“I don’t know him,” Maricich said. “Various parties come to do business with the city, and they each represent their own interests. Our interests, in terms of the department, are to protect the interests of the city and the community at large, and to carry out the laws of the city.”
Details discovered by Councilmember Lauren Meister about Seymour’s participation in the hiring process have cast a shadow over Maricich’s debut in City Hall, and questions about the appearance of impropriety will likely persist. It behooves Seymour and others like him to foster good working relationships with the Community Development Department, and the department director wields many important levers of power in the process of approving and completing development projects in West Hollywood.
Maricich accepted the position shortly after his predecessor, longtime senior staff member John Keho, retired this summer.
The meeting, held in the City Hall courtyard, drew less than a dozen audience members, though at least one developer was in attendance. It was the first of three meetings being held by the city to let the community meet Maricich. The final two are scheduled for today:
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- At 1 p.m. a General Community Meeting will take place at the West Hollywood Aquatic & Recreation Center in the La Cienega Room, located at 8750 El Tovar Place.
- At 6 p.m., a Resident-Focused Community Meeting will take place at West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard
No Zoom meetings to introduce Maricich to the public are in the works, City Manager David Wilson confirmed, citing the difficulty of hosting hybrid virtual/in-person meetings.
Wilson also introduced the city’s “Executive Team” of department directors and managers, who each spoke about their purviews and goals. All the City Hall executives except Deputy City Manager Jackie Rocco and Public Works Director Steve Campbell wore face masks throughout the meeting, though most were just surgical masks, which the CDC has noted are less effective against the virus than N95 respirators.
“We are following the city’s protocols, which are more restrictive than the county … and anywhere else,” Wilson quipped.
Did the City originally send out an RFP for this position as was done for the City Architect/Urban Design Studio post?
Another person on the city payroll that has no shame.
The masks, the stark grey concrete, the dusk lighting, and the angle of the photograph invoke an eerie scene reminiscent of a dark dystopian future.
“No Zoom meetings to introduce Maricich to the public”. “DIFFICULTY HOSTING hybrid virtual/in person meetings”. Is this beyond the expertise and purview of the a $200,000/yr. Communications Director? What’s really going on here?
When even the City Manager, amidst all the buzz over the hiring fiasco of Seymour, still throws shade at the City’s non-sensicle mask policies, you can be certain it’s merely a compliance test.
Did the dreadful Lindsay Horvath order them all to wear masks? Or was it that buffoon John Erickson? Another overpaid bureaucrat at the most corrupt city hall in California. West Hollywood
Yeah, I don’t get it they’re outdoors and yet they’re wearing masks?
This is not a Nick Maricich issue, this is a David Wilson issue. Wilson erred in having Jeff Seymour on the panel, and in the comma that led reasonably intelligent people to believe that a former city hall staffer, and a resident were two different people when they were in fact one in the body of Joan English. These actions by the city manager were duplicitous, at best, and there is nothing in the timetable to give credence to Wilson’s claim that the city attorney lacks culpability in the execution of this flawed process. Maricich deserves to work under and… Read more »
Although it is not spring, the residents of West Hollywood are deserving of a thorough house cleaning starting from the top. Ethical standards and behavior should be the hallmark of those that work in City Hall. Clean out the deadwood and institute standards clearly known and available to every resident regardless of the issue. Too much incestuous rot that continues to reinfect the entire team and likely need a replacement for Best, Best and Worst who appear likewise complicit.
Absolutely agree! Spring cleaning is in order, but who will do the cleaning? There’s zero ethics accountability, scant city council oversight of serious issues (too focused on pronouns and painted sidewalks to do the sound municipal governance thing), and a feckless city attorney engaged mostly in the work of an apologist for bad ethics, process, and behavior. The best we have is the accountability here in the pages of WEHOville, despite repeated attempts that all in officialdom attempt to discount as “that right-wing blog”–some in officialdom are clearly part of the anonymous band of trolls in commentary. Robust civic engagement… Read more »
Agreed, robust civic engagement using whatever tools available. Our future leaders must emerge speaking with informed substance through intelligent approaches and ethical practices. We the residents are the people the City is obligated to serve NOT unions, scooter companies, public safety ambassador promoters, cannabis empires and indiscriminate developers looking for their gold rush opportunity. The recent leadership appears to have and continues to foster segregation by pitting the alphabet factions against the garden variety residents respectful of old fashioned unity. The original goals of the city founders appear to have been hijacked. Additionally, John Duran’s intelligent suggestion of disbanding Advisory… Read more »
I support this man because he seems completely competent. Looks great too. More of this please, WeHo.
Please tell us what standards you used to measure capability.
This man has no credibility whatsoever. Should get on great in West Hollywood.
Looks like this picture was taken in 2020. It’s 2023 people! and you’re outside!
New COVID Vaccine now available everywhere.