Monrovia Public Works Director Out - Is It About Halloween Costumes?

Public Works Director Carl Hassel is no longer working for Monrovia.

Yesterday I got an email from an anonymous and quite upset person who said he (or she - I don't know which) is a city employee. This person said Hassel has been let go because he "did not encourage Public Works Staff to compete in the City staff Halloween Costume Contest".

This is a personnel issue and by law the city is very limited in what it can say, but still I checked and confirmed that Hassel is no longer working for the city and Community Services Director Tina Cherry is now, as my anonymous source said, the acting public works director.

Here is what Human Resources and Risk Management Division Manager Danielle Tellez wrote back:

Mr. Hassel is no longer employed by the City of Monrovia as the Public Works Director effective Monday, December 8, 2014.

Ms. Tina Cherry was appointed to an interim position of Acting Public Works Director effective Tuesday, December 9, 2014. In the interim, all public works projects are proceeding without interruption. There will be no disruption in public services.

City staff was notified first thing the morning of Tuesday, December 9, 2014 of the staffing change. As you acknowledged below [in my email], this is a personnel matter and the City cannot comment on the reasons for separation.

UPDATE: City Manager Oliver Chi denies that a Halloween party had anything to do with it: http://goo.gl/Tvbytt

- Brad Haugaard