INGLEWOOD – Despite an ongoing lawsuit against Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. his ex-aide has broken her silence after posting messages to friends and family on her social media account describing what she’s been going through since her employment ended with the City in December 2019.
Melanie McDade served as the mayor’s campaign manager prior to joining the City after he was elected in 2011. Their relationship was well known throughout City Hall, the police department, and those in political circles.
The relationship ended after allegations swirled that the mayor was involved with several women working in City Hall. Text messages between McDade and Assistant Human Resources Director Leonca Cahee appear to corroborate HR’s knowledge of the ongoing issues McDade complained about.
According to insiders, Cahee was caught “babysitting” one of McDade’s children in her City Hall office when the mayor showed up to work and found them there early the following morning.
Others on the ninth floor of City Hall say Claudette Matthews, was also aware of the relationship and is alleged to have accepted a job as Management Analyst after her boss, Ralph Franklin, declined to run for office in 2020.
It is also believed Matthews has first hand knowledge of one of the councilmembers being involved with one of the city’s planning commissioners.
“We believe Claudette took the job as a payoff of sorts,” said a source with knowledge of the situation.
Despite the ongoing lawsuit, the Saturday after Super Bowl 56 was held at SoFi Stadium, the mayor presented himself at a local businesses grand opening where he commandeered newly hired police officers to “shut down” the party allegedly after senior officers on the force refused to go. Sources who were at the party shared the scene was caught on video via a Ring door camera. The mayor found out about the event through one of the council liaisons.
The City refuses to disclose the amount taxpayers are paying for the exorbitant legal fees associated with defending him citing “attorney-client privilege”. Legal fees appearing on the weekly warrant register provide no description of what services are being provided, which department they are being charged to and for which case we are being billed for. The City has also declined to release records (invoices, billing memos, etc.) that are disclosable and fall outside of the attorney-client privilege.
Mayor Butts has sat for two depositions in the ongoing lawsuit with McDade and is scheduled for another next month.
Lawsuits related to his hitting a parked LAPD motor officer remains unresolved as well.
Why are the Inglewood city council members voting in favor of charging Inglewood taxpayers for Mayor Butts’ personal indiscretions that he brought into the workplace?
