When Antonio Villaraigosa’s Chief of Staff, Jeff Carr, resigned unexpectedly on Wednesday, “to return to the non-profit world” there was much speculation about whether or not the resignation was entirely voluntary.
Dennis Romero of LA Weekly wrote:
Interestingly, he said he didn’t have another job lined up, but that he wanted to return to the nonprofit world. (No “more-time-with-the-family” for this guy, apparently).
Carr, if you remember, was the city’s first Gang Czar before being elevated to be the mayor’s top guy.
The LA Times’ David Zahniser reported Carr’s upcoming exit with more detailed speculation:
Villaraigosa supporters offered differing accounts as to whether Carr had been encouraged to leave. Carr himself denied receiving any pressure. But others in the mayor’s orbit said Villaraigosa, who will be forced out by term limits in June 2013, wanted a change in management that would allow him to complete key goals.
“The mayor’s got two years left. He’s got a lot of stuff he wants to do,” said one source close to the mayor who would only comment if not identified because Villaraigosa did not grant permission to speak. “It just felt like there’s enough time left to get the house in working order better, to finish strong.”
{SNIP]
Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., said Carr “did his best” in a city suffering from a bruising recession, a string of budget shortfalls and a badly decaying infrastructure, particularly streets and highways.
“The chief of staff is supposed to keep the trains running on time. And I don’t believe there’s anyone in the city who would say the trains in L.A. are running on time,” he said.
Discord over Carr’s leadership also could be found within the mayor’s office.
One person familiar with Carr’s departure said members of Villaraigosa’s staff went to Carr last week to express concerns about his management style. That person also would not speak if identified, saying the mayor had not given authorization to discuss the staffing changes.
Based on what my sources have told me, David Z. has it right- about a group going at first to Jeff Carr but then, feeling unsatisfied with the outcome of the meeting, to the mayor. This was reportedly combined with the fact that Villaraisgosa has the intention to do a reboot of his administration and his political trajectory—a process into which presumably Jeff Carr was no longer seen to fit.
NEW TOP MAYOR’S GUY (OR GIRL)?
Joseph Mailander of Mulholland Terrace is having a good time speculating. Check out his List of Six.
HEADED OUT FOR A TWO-WEEK ROAD TRIP THIS (THURSDAY) MORNING….
For the next few days, keep an eye on the WLA Twitter feed, on the right of the page here. ——>
And, yes, I did see the story about the guy in Yellowstone who was attacked an killed by a griz on Wednesday.