LONG BEACH – City Hall critic Norm Ryan – bitter over a city lawsuit entanglement of more than a year – said Friday he has decided to move to Northern California, where he’ll take up an administrative job.
Ryan said he will become chief executive officer of the Humane Society in Shasta County on May 7. His wife and four sons will join him after the school year, he added.
“It’s time to move on,” said Ryan, whose political activities included being a board member of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California, fighting for cuts in the city’s utility tax and running unsuccessfully for mayor.
However, aside from his roller-coaster civic activities, the public finance adviser said the city attorney’s office lawsuit accusing him of illegally obtaining public money during his 2002 mayoral race was the “last straw” for him, because it affected his family.
In the lawsuit, City Attorney Robert Shannon accused Ryan of refusing to turn over documents demonstrating the candidate was entitled to receive nearly $60,000 in matching funds.
Ryan countered that the city had no authority to audit his campaign, and he repeatedly refused to turn over his banking records to the city auditor’s office.
Shannon’s lawsuit was filed in August 2005, when Ryan was seeking the 3rd District council seat.
Ryan blamed the lawsuit for creating a cloud over his failed council campaign, and for his unsuccessful re-election bid to the Water Replenishment Board.
The case, Ryan said Friday, made it difficult for him to get endorsements and campaign contributions. He added that friends also shunned him.
“People thought I was guilty of fraud,” Ryan added.
The lawsuit was dropped March 1, when an independent accountant ruled Ryan had complied with the city ordinance and was entitled to matching funds, according to Shannon. He added the lawsuit was aimed at getting the necessary finance records from Ryan.
At the time the case was dismissed, Ryan said the city attorney’s office had not asked for the documents, but Shannon countered that the auditor’s office had demanded the records three times in writing.
Among his civic activities, Ryan was a former Public Safety Advisory commissioner; Local Agency Formation Committee member; Water Replenishment District of Southern California treasurer; Lowell Elementary School PTA president; and chairman of Citizens United to Cut the Utility Tax.
“I’m very proud of the things I’ve done here in Long Beach,” Ryan said.