Controversy surrounding city leader ‘doesn’t amount to a hill of beans’

Huntington Beach’s top pick for city administrator, still working as city manager in San Bernardino, faced accusations online and in print this week about his behavior in the wake of a scandal in the Inland Empire city.

But San Bernardino officials of several factions called the city’s top hired official Fred Wilson an honest man who had misspoken, calling claims against him scurrilous.

“It doesn’t amount to a hill of beans,” San Bernardino mayor Pat Morris said. “It’s an insult to suggest that Fred is anything but the most honorable man.”

Both the San Bernardino County Sun and a blogger on conservative site Red County wrote that Wilson told reporters and investigators the wrong date when asked about an internal e-mail that touched on a local scandal. The e-mail concerned rumors that an administrator of a city-run community center had molested a minor.

Blogger Joseph Turner, who wrote “Wilson clearly lied to the DA…check that…I mean ‘misspoke,’” is an employee of the San Bernardino Police Officers Assn., which is in tough negotiations with the city over a proposed $1.3 million budget cut.

But Wilson has told media he confused the date of the e-mail with that of a conversation with the police chief, and San Bernardino City Atty. James Penman backed him up.

“People often make mistakes on dates, and he corrected it,” Penman said. “There was no attempt at dishonesty or anything like that. The DA knows that, and we all do. Lots of dates were flying around, and it was confusing to people.”

Wilson, 49, was announced this week as Huntington Beach’s pick for city administrator after a half-year search, beating out 19 other candidates who had the proper qualifications.

Huntington Beach City Councilman Keith Bohr said that while the accusations hadn’t happened when the council interviewed Wilson on June 20, he talked it over with Wilson when they surfaced. The charges are irresponsible, Bohr said.

“I’ve read them, and I’ve talked to Fred about them,” he said. “I think it’s a big to-do about nothing, especially with the blogosphere where people can take quasi-anonymous shots for whatever reason.”

San Bernardino officials called Wilson a dedicated public official with a strong sense of fiscal restraint.

“One of his greatest strengths is his ability to balance the budget and keep expenses in check, even in disastrous circumstances,” Morris said.

Over his 21 years with the city — 12 as city manager/administrator, 9 in assistant positions — Wilson also demonstrated the ability to balance the requests of elected officials who often found themselves in bitter opposition, officials said.

“Fred has done an excellent job trying to make all of the elected officials happy, and that’s a very difficult job in this city,” San Bernardino City Councilwoman Wendy McCammack said.

The Huntington Beach City Council is scheduled to vote on Wilson’s contract Monday. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 2000 Main St., Huntington Beach.