Ethics panel wraps up confidential Rivera investigation

The city’s ethics commission has completed its investigation of Mayor Lionel Rivera, who has been under fire for negotiating a contract awarded to one of his former clients.

And despite calls for more transparency, the findings of the investigation will be confidential and shared only with the City Council.

The two members of the three-member Independent Ethics Commission who have been investigating the conflict-of-interest allegations against Rivera plan to hold a public meeting this week, possibly Wednesday, Commissioner Mal Wakin said Monday.

“In terms of (Chairman Stephen Hook) and me doing our job, we’re through with our investigation,” he said. “It’s just a matter of having the meeting and making a few announcements and then we’ll probably go into (executive session) to actually write the report for the City Council.”

The ethics investigation was initiated by Ron Johnson, president and CEO of Central Bancorp, who has ties to one of the losing bidders for the now-defunct contract to build a headquarters and other facilities for the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Johnson accused the mayor of unethical behavior because of his lead role in the deal and how it went to LandCo Equity Partners and its chairman, Ray Marshall, who used to be one of the mayor’s clients at UBS Financial Services.

Wakin declined to say what the investigation revealed.

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to get that from the City Council,” he said.

Under its rules of procedure, the commission must issue a “confidential written recommendation” to the council.

“Our report is to them, and it would be wrong to tell somebody else before,” Wakin said.

It is unknown if the council will make the recommendation public.

Last week, Councilman Darryl Glenn said he wanted the ethics complaint to be resolved before voting on a new agreement between the city and the USOC.

“While I personally don’t think there was anything wrong, the question is still out there,” he said during a special council meeting Friday.

The mayor agreed.

“I think the ethics commission needs to have the report completed and done prior to council taking a vote,” he said.

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