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Was the executive assistant to Inglewood Mayor James Butts escorted out of City Hall to deceive the public about their alleged affair?
It has been widely reported that Melanie McDade-Dickens was paid an exorbitant amount of taxpayer funds due to her close and alleged intimate relationship with Mayor Butts. So much so, she was being compelled by the courts to explain the nature of their relationship in an ongoing legal matter involving the Mayor, city of Inglewood and Madison Square Garden. (Photo above: Apr 15, 2019; Inglewood, CA, USA; Inglewood mayor James Butts aka James T. Butts (right) and Melanie McDade-Dickens pose at the LA Stadium & Entertainment District construction site.)
McDade’s departure from City Hall came during the same week of a scheduled July 9th hearing related to Butts and McDade answering additional questions about their relationship. In a prior deposition, Butts allowed McDade to sit in on his questioning and to avoid perjuring himself, he refused to answer questions about their relationship.
This is not the first time a sitting mayor was involved in a scandal related to allegations of being involved with a high ranking member of their staff.
In 2008 Beatty was forced to resign her position as a result of criminal charges being filed against her related to perjury. Both Beatty and Kilpatrick testified during a whistleblower lawsuit that they weren’t in a relationship, but text messages between the two determined that was a lie.
Beatty was found guilty and faced several months in jail and restitution.
According to McDade’s attorney, Carl Douglas, a criminal defense attorney specializing in police brutality cases, McDade is still on the city’s payroll but her job is in limbo. One would wonder why McDade would need an attorney when she is still being paid by Inglewood taxpayers.
Douglas, partner in the firm Douglas Hicks, cites numerous examples of cases they’ve litigated, with cash settlements, and only two listed are related to a severance package and/or wrongful termination lawsuit.
Douglas, has also worked with another campaign/city of Inglewood consultant to Mayor Butts, who has served as Douglas Hicks spokeswoman for police brutality cases.
Douglas shed some some light as to why McDade hired him versus an attorney primarily focused on employment law.
“When you hear the whole story, there is no doubt in my mind that you will understand completely why she felt the need to hire lawyers.”
McDade is no stranger to seeking hefty paydays from her former bosses. She previously filed sexual harassment claims against Anthony Samad, while working as a secretary at 100 Black Men of Los Angeles. She settled for an undisclosed sum.
Does McDade need Douglas to answer questions about her relationship with Mayor Butts, to attorneys representing the Forum, or is she potentially facing other charges as a result of her relationship with the mayor of Inglewood?
Inglewood residents feel McDade is fed up with telling falsehoods of the truth to benefit Mayor Butts and has lawyered up to protect herself or is this an orchestrated ruse to deceive the public?
(2UrbanGirls are CityWatch contributors and have been cited in the Compton Herald, Daily News, Inglewood Today, Intersections South LA, KCRW, KPCC, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, LA Watts Times, Mercury News and The Atlantic.)
-cw
Tags: 2urban girls, James Butts, Mayor Butts, Inglewood, affair, McDade-Dickens, city hall
