Dick Murphy

There was a lot of nasty fallout from San Diego’s infamous pension mess of the early 21st Century, starting with the political demise of Republican mayor Dick Murphy, who abruptly quit office in April 2005 when Time magazine called him “one of the three worst mayors in the country.” That was just months after his controversial victory over ex–city councilwoman Donna Frye’s mayoral write-in bid.

But the city’s financial debacle has now become a résumé highlight for one Manhattan lawyer. A February 16 news release noting the appointment of Carolyn Lisa Miller as executive director of the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board notes that Miller was “a member of the legal team at Willkie Farr that served as counsel to the Audit Committee for the City of San Diego, which was responsible for investigating and reporting on deficiencies by the San Diego City government in protecting the financial integrity of the City’s pension system.”