*The longtime (but now former) assistant to Inglewood Mayor James Butts has accused him of harassment and stalking.
The allegations emerged as the city moves to terminate Melanie McDade for alleged misconduct, NBC Los Angeles reports.
McDade claims Butts retaliated against her after she broke off their eight year romance last year, according to a response to the city filed by her attorney, Carl Douglas, the report states.
Via NBC Los Angeles:
Butts yelled, cursed, and threatened McDade in the office, and texted her messages such as, “you ruined my life,” according to Douglas.
Butts confronted McDade on her personal time at a Lakewood beauty salon, and more than once used a garage door opener he kept from before the breakup to enter her home during the middle of the night, in one case frightening her teenage daughter, Douglas said.
An attorney for the city of Inglewood Friday denied the allegations.
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Inglewood Mayor James Butts accused of harassment by former executive assistant https://t.co/rmTeBZBLgy
— L.A. Times: L.A. Now (@LANow) December 20, 2019
McDade was suspended and escorted from City Hall last July for reasons that have not been made public due to personnel privacy protections that prevent the city from disclosing the allegations against her. But in her 26 page response, McDade defends herself against accusations of “having underlings run errands, a staffer change state and federal deductions and after her suspension, violating an order not to contact anyone employed by the city,” NBC Los Angeles writes.
“Things that they say Ms. McDade has done, we say Mayor Butts has done more or even worse,” Douglas said.
A decision on whether she will be terminated is expected within a week.
If so, Douglas intends to sue for her job back, but “in an environment free of pervasive harassment.”
Meanwhile, LA-based civil rights activist and critic of Butts, Najee Ali, has voiced his support for McDade (pictured above with the mayor).
“I fully support The MeToo movement and the coalition of Inglewood residents, stakeholders and activists in calling for Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr to resign immediately. Butt’s having sex and being in a physical relationship with his former assistant Melanie McDade-Dickens – who I know personally – and is very credible, is now accusing Butts of harassment, and abusive conduct. The fact that Butts was dumb enough to even put himself in that position demonstrates he’s not fit to lead. He’s potentially putting Inglewood taxpayers at risk of losing millions of dollars if McDade Dickens files a lawsuit against him. There are a number of highly qualified Inglewood residents and stakeholders such as Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza, Gloria Gray and Earl Ofari Hutchinson who all have a demonstrated history of excellent leadership,“ stated Najee Ali of LA-based Project Islamic Hope.
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