By Clarence Cromwell
After investigating complaints against Monte Sereno's building inspector, City Manager Carolyn Lehr concluded last week that he is innocent of any misconduct in making improvements to his Los Gatos driveway.
Lehr said that she did not speak to the contractors who made the allegations against building inspector Manny Kadkhodayan or two other individuals who had first-hand knowledge of the incident in question.
General Contractor Chris Barry of C.M. Barry Construction and Ted Dexter, superintendent for R.W. French Construction, accused Kadkhodayan of using his authority to threaten them and to cajole two R.W. French workers into fixing Kadkhodayan's driveway without the proper permits.
Kadkhodayan called the allegations false and said the accusers want to disparage him because of personal disputes.
Dexter fired the two workers after he learned they did the uncontracted work on company time. The employees had been contracted by San Jose Water Co. to move Kadkhodayan's two water meters, a job that did not include work on the driveway.
The contractors complained to the town that Kadkhodayan failed to file a second permit for driveway work he and the two laborers did June 29, after San Jose Water Co. finished its work.
Los Gatos officials later determined that both jobs could be done under one permit.
Lehr said she didn't find "any evidence at all" that Kadkhodayan tried to influence the two contractors or that he asked the workers to work on the company clock.
She said her investigation consisted of conversations with Scott Baker, Los Gatos director of building and engineering services, and Ray Hutchings, vice president of R.W. French construction.
"He [Hutchings] told me that the fired workers never made any mention of Manny's requesting them to work on company time," Lehr said. "I'm fully satisfied."
Lehr said that she didn't speak to the two employees, whom R.W. French has declined to identify.
Lehr said Chris Barry, one of the contractors, didn't return her telephone calls, even though she paged him several times. R.W. French didn't allow Dexter to speak to Lehr or the Weekly-Times after one interview, saying he's not a company spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the town of Los Gatos won't require a permit in Kadkhodayan's name for the driveway work but asked for a letter declaring that he had the work done, Baker said.
Town Attorney Larry Anderson explained that the town needs a record of who completed any project in the public right of way, in case a liability claim should arise later.
Kadkhodayan said that, when he hired workers to fix his driveway, he thought the water company's permit to work on the sidewalk in front of his property would be sufficient for him to demolish and rebuild the adjacent apron of his driveway.
Baker said Kadkhodayan's work can be included under the water company permit. Kadkhodayan paid the water company to do work in front of his address.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, July 24, 1996.
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