Why is the Inglewood City Manager Refusing to Sign Staff Reports

Inglewood City Manager Artie Fields is missing in action.  This weeks jam packed city council agenda includes another round of important documents being signed by his Deputy Yakema Decatur and not her $300,000+salaried boss.  Decatur’s signature is signed in every place designated for Fields’ signature, on the majority of staff reports on the December 11th council agenda, for the police, finance, public works and parking services departments.  

Based on an analysis of Decatur’s signature, she is distraught that she has to sign these legal documents for the mayor and city council to approve.

Related:  Fight intensifies over proposed arena for Clippers in Inglewood

The documents range from approving additional billboards for Mayor Butts’ campaign donor WOW Media, an amendment to agreement 16-035 to relocate existing WOW Media billboards and increase the lease option an additional (10) years, transferring nearly $400k in Caltrans funds to the South Bay Cities Council of Governments who just elected Mayor Butts chairman of Metro,  granting a three year consulting contract to SMF Consulting for an annual amount of $320k for accounting work.

Executive Assistant to the Mayor and City Manager Melanie McDade took over duties as the director of the parking and enterprise services department yet Decatur is signing documents on her behalf too.

It is unclear if Decatur has the capacity to approve the documents she is being forced to sign or if she is aware of the potential legal ramifications either.

City Manager Artie Fields was present at last week’s December 4th city council meeting, where residents trash rates were increased, and it is unclear why he has been unavailable to sign staff reports for the last month.  Fields’ signature was missing from the staff report requesting the increase.

Related: Inglewood City Council Raises Trash Rates

2UrbanGirls hopes Ms. Decatur is documenting all of this.  City Manager Artie Fields has TWO deputy’s that report to him, however, the important duty of signing his name on legal documents and staff reports seems to always fall on Ms. Dectur’s shoulders.

Calls to Inglewood’s Administration office have gone unreturned.

You can review the entire agenda by clicking here.