Altadena Town Councilman Keith "Sarge" Gibbs gave Altadenablog an exclusive interview Thursday, answering the criticisms against him at the most recent Town Council meeting.
Council chair George Lewis said at Tuesday night's meeting that he would appoint a committee to look at council ethics after it was brought to the council's attention that some of its members are contractors with Pasadena Unified School District, and that could be construed as a conflict of interest. Gibbs particularly was singled out, as he teaches "boot camp"-type courses at Blair IB High School, and is chair of the council's education committee. Gibbs said he was not at the meeting, as he was attending his child's graduation.
First, Gibbs said, "they made me chair (of the education committee) because I had a relationship with PUSD." Gibbs has been teaching these extracurricular courses at Blair and other schools for three years -- frequently, he said, not for pay. Even though, he said, as an Altadena town councilman, "my position is not a paid position," he denied that his decisions as a member of the education committee were to give advantage to his business.
"We've only had two meetings," he said. "Mostly ... we're trying to find out what the community needs ... none of the decisions I made on the education committee has any effect on my business at all." Or vice-versa: "When I represent myself to schools, I don't say 'I'm Sarge and I'm chair of the education committee.'"
Gibbs also said he has persuaded area businesses, such as the Lockheed Credit Union, to donate for programs and activities for Washington Middle School and Loma Alta Elementary, and has paid $8,000 of his own money to that 22 children could attend his boot camp program, and is personally training "three overweight people" at no charge as private boot camp clients.
"They attacked me in the council and I wasn't there to defend myself," Gibbs said. "All the stuff I do is for the community, and how much I give back to the community."
6:30 AM Update: Councilmember Michele Zack,who also has a PUSD contract, has responded in the comments section.
