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Eddie Olivo.
By Brian Hews
In their regular council meeting tonight, the Commerce City Council has fired long-time City Attorney Eddie Olivo. The report was made out of closed session.
Olivo has been the city’s attorney since 2013.
This is the second go-around for Olivo, in 2008 council voted to terminate his contract.
The action was initiated by then-Councilwoman Rosalina Lopez with a vote of 3-1.
EGP reported in 2008 that Olivo’s appointment in 2007 helped spark a recall election during which recall campaigners alleged that not only did two members of the council use public funds in a self-serving way, they also hired an attorney with a questionable past.
Olivo’s past association with a former public official convicted of corruption meant that he could not be trusted, the recallers said.
Lilia Leon, who ran to replace then-Mayor Tina Baca Del Rio, presented this as one of the reasons Del Rio and Councilman Robert Fierro needed to be recalled.
Fierro survived the recall, but Del Rio lost her seat.
While Olivo did work with the now-jailed former public official Albert Robles who was accused of trying to take over the city of Vernon, he himself was never convicted of corruption by the court, both Del Rio and Fierro pointed out.
After the election, Leon was appointed Mayor Pro Tem, with then-councilman Hugo Argumedo becoming Mayor.
They both voted with Councilwoman Lopez to fire Olivo and to bring in Attorney W. Anthony Willoughby as the interim city attorney.
Fierro gave the dissenting vote, while Councilman Joe Aguilar was absent because he was out of the country on city business.
