Michael Molina
A high-ranking executive at Los Angeles International Airport voluntarily resigned his position for allegedly sending sexually explicit text messages on a city-issued cell phone, officials confirmed Thursday.
Michael Molina stepped down last week as the airport's deputy executive director of external affairs after he was directly asked about sending the graphic messages, said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of LAX.
"It's an incredibly sad situation and I honestly believe Mike used some bad judgment by mixing professional and personal comments," Lindsey said. "We are very sorry to see him go under these circumstances because he's a talented guy and a very valuable member of the team."
The nature of the explicit messages was not immediately disclosed. It was also unclear who received the messages and how many were sent by Molina, who earned more than $192,000 annually.
Molina, 48, did not return four phone calls placed to his Harbor City home seeking comment.
Lindsey said she had not viewed the text messages, but was alerted to the matter June 3 by a city employee.
Molina voluntarily resigned June 7 after he was asked about the messages, Lindsey said. He will not receive a severance for his three-year tenure at LAX, but will be paid for an undisclosed number of unused vacation days.
The matter will not be investigated, Lindsey said.
"The fact is we stopped looking into it," Lindsey said. "If
there's a resignation, it's the end of the story."Asked about his resignation earlier this week, Molina said he was stepping down to join an undisclosed public relations firm in Los Angeles. The text messages were first reported Wednesday evening by CBS2/KCAL9.
Several city sources said Molina quickly resigned from LAX because he had wanted to avoid media scrutiny and protect his wife and their teenage son, who graduated last week from junior high school.
"It's hard for me to leave so soon, but this opportunity to return to the private sector is a really good chance to challenge myself in new and exciting ways," Molina, 48, said in an email sent last Friday to his co-workers.
Known for his jovial demeanor, Molina started working three years ago as senior director of government affairs for LAX, then was promoted last year to deputy executive director of external affairs.
Before that, Molina worked for seven years as chief of staff to Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who is running for Congress. Hahn declined comment on Molina's departure from Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that operates LAX.
However, City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes LAX, said, "I'm truly shocked, I'm saddened and I'm sorry to hear this.
"The Mike Molina I've known has been an asset to the city and someone I've always perceived to be a good guy," Rosendahl said. "This is very sad news for me."
Molina's personal use of a city-issued cell phone is emblematic of a wider problem in Los Angeles, according to an audit released last month by City Controller Wendy Greuel.
While city employees should only use the phones for work-related issues, there was a lack of oversight and accountability regarding personal use, said Greuel, who recommended that the city's Information Technology Agency enact stronger protocols.
Molina's alleged indiscretion coincided with the resignation Thursday of Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who sent sexually suggestive text messages and photographs to several women.
The practice, known as "sexting," reveals personalties of "grandiosity, arrogance and narcissism," said Moe Gelbart, a psychologist and executive director of the Thelma McMillen Center at Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
"It's a form of harassment, cyber-bullying and distorted power by bosses and politicians who think they can get away with this," Gelbart said. "They believe that they are so important that you will want to see these unsolicited images, even if you don't really want to."
Source: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18288487?source=rss
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