With the chief of the Department of Public Works, Ed Reiskin, moving over to head the Municipal Transportation Agency, the number one spot at the DPW just opened up. Appointing the new DPW chief is the task of the City Administrator, the job formerly held by Mayor Ed Lee. Lee appointed Amy Brown to be acting City Administrator but her selection of Mohammed Nuru to be acting DPW chief is raising some eyebrows.
Nuru has been the Director of Operations at the DPW since 2000, when he was appointed by then-mayor Willie Brown. Nuru’s aggressive tactics when cleaning up graffiti and clearing sidewalks have earned him the love of some merchants and neighborhood groups, but other elements of his history in the department are not so flattering.
Prior to his appointment as director at DPW, Nuru ran a nonprofit called San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG). When he moved over to the DPW, Nuru oversaw significant grant funding to SLUG, which continued to flow despite serious concerns about the group’s financial shenanigans. A searing 2004 audit by the City Controller accused the SLUG of nonexistent accounting protocols and states, “$62,508 of SLUG’s contract funds were improperly used by Public Works to buy a portable building for itself.” (Audit here: Download Audit.)
Also in 2004 City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s office undertook an investigation of allegations that SLUG improperly used employees to engage in campaign activities and did so during working hours. While Nuru declined to be interviewed for the investigation, the resulting report found that in 2003 Nuru had “participated in directing – in alleged instance, coercing – SLUG workers in some of their campaign activities” for (Willie Brown-endorsed) candidates Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris during working hours. (The report: Download ShowDocument1)
WEBSITE BONUS: My favorite part of the report?
One of these witnesses reports having eventually refused to engage in the [campaign] activity, inasmuch as he was a strong Gonzalez supporter and already felt profoundly cheated by having been coerced into voting for Newsom on 2 December on pain of losing his day's pay. When he refused to do more work, according to the witness, Nuru reportedly told him to "get off your ass and get to work." The witness alleges that he did not do as Nuru instructed, instead just sitting in a chair in the Russia Street office for the remainder of the shift.
[This would be funnier if these folks weren't being paid by tax dollars. And if it didn't sound so familiar.]
As an interim appointment, Nuru’s promotion might have been a blip. (The next mayor can appoint a new administrator who can replace Nuru.) But now that Lee is a candidate for a full term, his ethics and close ties to Willie Brown are under scrutiny. On Monday, mayoral candidate Dennis Herrera accused Leeof “cronyism, politics and poor judgment” in allowing Nuru to take over the helm of the DPW.
Welcome to the race, Ed.
WEBSITE BONUS: Fun facts that got cut - (1) Amy Brown was the Director of Real Estate in 2008-2009 when SLUG was winding down and had to give property to the DPW to settle over $120k in debts to the city for grant money it improperly billed for and/or failed to return. (Resolution No. 189-10.) (2) Ed Lee was the head of DPW when Nuru joined as Director of Operations in 2000. Lee left the DPW in 2005 to be City Administrator.
The web version of this story is SO much better...
Posted by: vansmack | August 16, 2011 at 11:26
Somebody needs to fire these pigs.
Step 1:
In November we have the opportunity to fire Corrupt puppet Ed Lee by voting against him and for pretty much any other candidate.
Send a message to Willie Brown and Rose Pak by sending Ed Lee back to them with NO job.
Not Mayor, not City Administrator.
Nothing.
As a bonus, maybe we'll end up with a Mayor who has not been bankrolled by mainland China.
Posted by: Chas. Mellon | August 16, 2011 at 19:02