Opa-Locka City Manager Places Himself On Leave Amid Investigation
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- David Chiverton, the embattled city manager of Opa Locka who has been under federal investigation for soliciting bribes from a local businessman, has placed himself on a medical leave of absence.
Chiverton, 51, has worked for the city for nearly four years, including a stint as assistant city manager. He took over as manager last year after the commission fired his predecessor, Steve Shiver, because Shiver alerted state officials to spending irregularities.
"Please be advised that as of today, May 18, 2016, I will be taking a temporary leave of absence for medical reasons," Chiverton wrote to the mayor and commissioners. He named Assistant City Manager Yvette Harrell as the acting manager and said he would help her "to the extent I am able." He gave no timeframe on when he might return.
Related: Opa-Locka Facing Financial Collapse, Corruption & Complete Shutdown
Chiverton is one of several city officials under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office, delving into what appears to be wide-spread corruption at almost every level of city government.
Among those being investigated: Mayor Myra Taylor, Taylor's son, City Commissioner Luis Diaz, and Chiverton. No one has been charged and everyone named has denied wrongdoing.
Earlier this month CBS4 News broadcast the first and only television interview with the FBI's inside man in Opa Locka, Frank Zambrana, who for nearly two years wore a wire and recorded a variety of officials allegedly shaking him down for bribes to get a city business license.
Zambrana told CBS4 News that he made at least four payments to Chiverton – all caught on camera, he said. At one point, Zambrana claimed, Chiverton asked him for $25,000 to fix his immigration status – even though Zambrana was in this country legally.
Following the story, Chiverton paid himself more than $40,000 for unused sick and vacation time. The payments to himself came amid an ongoing financial crisis that has the city teetering on the verge of bankruptcy.
Although Chiverton submitted his memo to the mayor on Wednesday, by late Thursday most folks in City Hall had no idea the city manager was gone. Late Thursday afternoon, city officials dispatched Police Chief James Dobson to speak to a reporter about the manager's abrupt leave of absence.
"The city is moving, everyone is still coming to work, everyone is still doing their jobs," Dobson said. "Nothing has changed."
Asked when he learned the city manager was gone, Dobson said he was told moments before he was sent to talk to the press.
