El Segundo City Treasurer resigns amid allegations of an affair

City Treasurer Chris Powell has resigned his post after the husband of school board trustee Laura Gambel sent an email to city officials detailing what he alleged was an affair between his wife and Powell.

The email was sent Nov. 24, the day after Gabel allegedly discovered his wife and Powell together in what he described as a “third strike” that marked the end of the couple’s 17-year marriage. He wrote to the City Council and City Clerk that he felt it was important to clarify rumors related to other elected officials in El Segundo.

“I also believe it is important for each of you to understand the integrity of those in which you conduct business, or those that actively represent your city departments and community,” Gambel wrote.

In the email, Gambel said he first discovered last January that Powell – who previously served on the El Segundo School District school board for a dozen years – was “so much more than a mentor” to Laura Gambel, who was elected to the school board in November 2011. Gambel wrote that after a second discovery months later, he and his wife underwent counseling in an attempt to save their marriage on behalf of their two children. The email alleges that the illicit affair was sometimes conducted under the guise of school board business, including at a state conference.

Powell submitted a one-sentence letter of resignation on Nov. 26, stating that he was unable to continue as City Treasurer “due to personal and family matters.” Powell, 55, is a Certified Public Accountant and CFO for a construction company. He most recently served on the school board on an interim basis from 2010 through 2011. Laura Gambel, 42, was formerly an accountant but has been a stay-at-home mother since the birth of her second child in 2000. She is a longtime PTA activist and continues to serve on the school board.

The City Council on Tuesday night agreed to accept applications through Dec. 27 for the City Treasurer vacancy, normally a part-time elected position that entails overseeing city investments and pays a salary of $1,200 monthly along with a $1,200 stipend can be used as either salary or for health insurance. The council will hold a special meeting in the second week of January to conduct interviews with applicants and will make an appointment shortly thereafter.

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