COSTA MESA : Council Turns Down Amburgey’s Claim

The City Council rejected a $16,000 claim by former Councilman Orville Amburgey for defense attorney fees in a conflict-of-interest case.

The charges that Amburgey voted in 1987 to change the city contract with Copley-Colony Cablevision of Costa Mesa Inc. while also doing work for the cable company were dropped last month.

Amburgey contends that the city should pay for his legal costs because the vote that was called into question was taken while he was a city councilman and therefore on behalf of the city.

But the council rejected the claim and Amburgey now says he will consider further steps against the city.

Shortly after the charges against him were dismissed, he had threatened to sue the city and City Atty. Thomas Kathe for turning over the investigation to the Orange County district attorney’s office. He claims Kathe was politically motivated to turn over evidence to officials shortly before last November’s election, which Amburgey lost.

Mayor Mary Hornbuckle has said that Kathe decided to turn over the information because he believed, as a city employee, that it would have been a conflict of interest to investigate a councilman.