Attorneys to Eye LAX Award Deal
Posted on: Friday, 9 May 2008, 03:00 CDT
By Art Marroquin
The Los Angeles airport commission's Audits and Ethics Committee hired a team of attorneys to look into whether at least one contract was improperly awarded, airport officials confirmed Thursday.
The investigation was ordered by the three-member panel during a closed-door meeting April 23, just a few days before the Daily Breeze first published a report detailing how Los Angeles-based DMJM was selected to oversee more than $5 billion worth of upgrades at Los Angeles International Airport.
Airport officials said the investigation involved "a personnel matter" and declined to go into specifics. The name of the law firm was not disclosed.
Airport Commissioners Michael Lawson, Joseph Aredas and Valeria Velasco sit on its Audits and Ethics Committee, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The full airport commission awarded a one-year, $25 million project management contract to DMJM in March.
An anonymous e-mail that made its way through LAX and City Hall last month as well as and several airport executives who had requested anonymity alleged that LAX Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey had improperly influenced the selection of the DMJM team.
Its leader, Loren Smith worked for Pasadena-based Parsons Corp. when he oversaw more than $3 billion in improvements at Seattle- Tacoma International Airport while Lindsey was in charge there.
A selection committee of five airport executives had initially selected San Francisco-based Bechtel Corp., according to airport records.
Airport insiders have alleged that Lindsey ordered a second round of interviews. Airport executives who sat on the selection committee said they requested the subsequent set of interviews.
Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick launched her own probe last week. A report is due in about three weeks.
art.marroquin@dailybreeze.com
(c) 2008 Press-Telegram Long Beach, CA.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Press-Telegram Long Beach, CA.
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