CommentsSOUTH OF THE 10--The former executive assistant to Inglewood Mayor James Butts has finally confirmed what he has refused to publicly acknowledge.
Melanie McDade-Dickens worked by the side of Mayor Butts, as his executive assistant, since 2011 and was recently notified of the city’s intent to terminate her last month.
Up until now, not much was known about the specifics of her being walked out of City Hall in July.
2 Urban Girls was able to interview nearly a dozen current and former city contractors and employees with knowledge of McDade and Butts’ consensual relationship, which McDade was allowed to leverage against city of Inglewood employees.
Many of those employees and contractors were able to answer those questions.
The city conducted an administrative investigation where all parties interviewed acknowledged the personal relationship between McDade and Butts.
Because of this relationship, and fear of being fired, whenever McDade came to certain employees for requests, they routinely did what she asked of them.
The Payroll Manager admitted to undermining the IRS and Franchise Tax Board at McDade’s direction. McDade’s wanted to reduce her tax withholding’s so she could show capacity to pay her mortgage, as she was preparing to be approved for an approximate $700,000 home loan. McDade didn’t provide the required IRS W-4 forms to validate her request.
Unable to come up with the entire down payment, McDade submitted documents alleging an eviction, to gain early access to funds in her retirement account.
She coerced certain employees to loan her money and make purchases on their personal credit cards, some purchases allegedly without their authorization, for home furnishings. McDade is alleged to have leveraged these personal loans due to getting their spouses work on the mayor’s re-election campaign.
McDade also altered one of her bonus checks to make it appear as though she received more than one, which she might have submitted to obtain her mortgage loan.
All these actions came to a head when McDade’s assistant threatened to resign her position citing stress. McDade’s assistant was being made to handle her personal business: personal banking and at some point, being coerced into agreeing to co-sign on McDade’s home, then changed her mind.
McDade went further by baiting her assistant with the promise of winning a position on the housing lottery list, since McDade was over the Inglewood Housing Authority, at the time.
Once the city became aware, McDade was walked out, on allegations of abusing her position, for personal gain, which she probably learned from the mayor himself. It didn’t help matters when McDade was routinely rebuffing Mayor Butts’ requests to get back together.
Despite the Payroll Manager’s admittance of committing fraud, on McDade’s behalf, and direct knowledge of her and the mayor’s relationship, she faced no consequences.
Instead, the Manager tried to convince McDade to work out her issues with the mayor, despite knowing McDade caught the mayor, with another city employee, around Christmas 2018, months after their “alleged” breakup. There was also discussion between the two that McDade should obtain a breast augmentation with the Payroll Manager suggesting a reconstructive professional, used by her daughter.
During McDade’s interview, the city made her aware of her Lybarger rights, which assured her she wouldn’t face criminal prosecution related to the answering of their questions, on any of the above. McDade repeatedly “pleaded the 5th ” or outright refused to answer. This deemed her to be insubordinate of City Manager Artie Fields.
Fields’ role is peculiar because a compensation report, details McDade was granted merit and salary increases, twice a year, between 2014 and 2018.
The last entry made on 10/30/2018 showed she was earning an hourly rate of $102.68. Nearly seven months after McDade alleges she “broke up” with Mayor Butts.
All the while, McDade submitted to several depositions, where she refused to be truthful about the state of her relationship with Mayor Butts.
McDade has since been given a notice of intention to be terminated. She is now alleging Mayor Butts “physically threatened” her and has resorted to what is commonly known as “staking”. This mirrors a similar claim made in 1993 by Butts’ former wife, Minnie Butts.
The former Mrs. Butts alleged that her then husband choked her into unconsciousness. Last year, Butts told a long-time critic of his, to “choke herself” during the end of a regular city council meeting.
Mayor Butts continues to demonstrate a bizarre pattern of behavior where he doesn’t respect women.
McDade appears to be able to corroborate her claims with eyewitness accounts and text messages. It appears she has dropped claims of sexual harassment due to her failure to report any instances, through the proper channels, as outlined in her annual sexual harassment class certifications.
This is a sad state of financial affairs, for city employees and residents, as the mayor is engulfed in at least a half dozen lawsuits, that will cost millions of dollars to litigate and possibly settle.
As a direct result, residents just saw their water rates increase, which projects to yield the city $2 million in additional annual revenue.
Employees now share it is rumored that the mayor is currently involved with no less than three women who work within city hall, two of which McDade shared “friendships” with.
Will a class-action lawsuit follow?
Word on the streets is when McDade pulled this EXACT stunt on the former Executive Director of the 100 Black Men of Los Angeles, she walked away with over $300,000.
(2UrbanGirls IS A City Watch contributor and has been cited in the Compton Herald, Daily Breeze, Daily News, Inglewood Today, Intersections South LA, KCRW, KPCC, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, LA Watts Times, Mercury News, Orange County Register and The Atlantic.)
-cw
