Anaheim building division head Scott Fazekas — whose private firm received thousands of dollars in contract work from the city during his tenure atop the division — is resigning his post with the city effective Oct. 7, Voice of OC confirmed.
Fazekas has faced criticism because his firm, Scott Fazekas & Associates, was given building plan review work after the city contracted with him to head its building division in Sept. 2009.
Fazekas’ company billed the city for at least $18,954 in building plan review work between the date of his appointment and June of this year, according to city records. During that period, Fazekas’ firm received 80 percent of the city’s outsourced plan review work.
A clause in Fazekas’ contract bars him from being involved in any outsourcing decisions. He said others in the building division made the decisions to send plan check work to his firm.
“I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a perception of exactly what you’re talking about,” Fazekas said previously. “We specified that I would have no involvement.”
Tracy Westen, CEO of the Los Angeles-based Center for Governmental Studies, questioned the relationship between Fazekas and staffers working in the building division.
“That doesn’t strike me as a healthy relationship,” Westen said. “If a person’s working for you, they may be under some explicit or implicit psychological pressure to send contracts your way.”
Fazekas declined to comment.
Anaheim Planning Director Sheri Vander Dussen released a statement acknowlegding the resignation.
“I cannot answer for Scott, but I can say Scott has provided quality work for the City of Anaheim,” Vander Dussen said in her statement. “We respect his decision to move on to other job opportunities.”