CrimeWatch

OAKLAND (CBS 5 / BCN) ― Embattled Oakland Administrator Deborah Edgerly announced Tuesday that she will retire from her post, but denied she was being forced out the door for allegedly trying to protect a nephew who's a reputed member of the city's worst gang.

Edgerly said she would retire effective July 31 after 20 years with the city, and maintained the retirement had been in the works since January.

Edgerly's retirment announcement came just days after she had issued a written statement denying news reports that Mayor Ron Dellums had asked her to retire, quit or be fired. She called the reports "rumors" that were "untrue and unfounded." 

Dellums, who joined Edgerly at Tuesday afternoon's news conference in his office, said her retirement "is not a reaction" to an investigation into Edgerly's conduct late on the night of June 7, when she allegedly interfered with Oakland police officers as they were towing a car belonging to her nephew William Lovan, a 27-year-old meter repairman for the city of Oakland.

Lovan was arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court last week on weapons charges after being one of 54 people arrested as part of a three-month probe of the notorious Acorn gang called "Operation Nutcracker," 

Police Lt. Ersie Joyner said the gang is connected to 37 homicides in West Oakland over the last three years.

According to a police report, Edgerly went to the towing scene and told officers that she was on the phone with Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan and would be contacting the department's Internal Affairs Division over the matter.

Smiling broadly at the large group of reporters who crowded into Dellums' office Tuesday, the 56-year old Edgerly said she was" amazed at how much star power I have."

In the wake of the "serious" allegations against Edgerly that surfaced last week, Dellums' spokesman Paul Rose had said: "Rest assured that he (Dellums) is looking into it and will get to the bottom of it." 
 
Dellums then sent an e-mail entitled "Urgent Notice" to city department heads saying that "effective immediately all departments and agencies are to report directly to me regarding city matters."

But Edgerly said Tuesday that she and Dellums reached "an understanding" and she wanted to "make it clear" that she was retaining her full powers as the city's top official until she leaves at the end of July.

Pointing to the door to Dellums' office, Edgerly said, "When I walk out that door I will have all the duties and responsibilities that come with being city administrator."

Dellums and Edgerly refused to take any questions from reporters.

When reporters tried to ask him questions, Dellums said, "The press conference speaks for itself. It has its own imperative and that's what it is."

However, his spokesman had to call reporters after the news conference to clarify what Edgerly said about her powers.

Rose said that all department heads except Police Chief Wayne Tucker would now report to both Dellums and Edgerly.

Rose said Edgerly no longer has oversight over the Police Department and Tucker will only report to Dellums.

Rose said that prior to last week, department heads only reported to Edgerly, not to Dellums.

Dellums said he and Edgerly decided back on Jan. 28 that she would retire in July but agreed to keep that decision secret for nearly five months.

Calling her "my friend," Dellums thanked Edgerly "for her extraordinary efforts" and for "her generosity and service to the city."

Although Dellums said the decision about Edgerly's retirement was made months ago, he said the search for her successor hadn't even started yet. 

The mayor said he has put out requests for proposals for search firms to begin a nationwide search for a new city administrator at some point in the near future.

Edgerly said she decided to retire because her husband and other family members have been urging her to retire for several years.

She said that in the five years that she has been running the city she's never gone home before 10 p.m. and has been "the last person to leave City Hall every night."  After she retires, Edgerly said she planned to take a vacation cruise.

Meantime, sources told CBS 5 that an internal police investigation into the Edgerly incident continued. In addition, sources said there was also an FBI probe underway involving the city of Oakland, but it was unclear whether that investigation targeted Edgerly's conduct.

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