The "Harry Jones/ DSS Fraud" problem lies deeper than what Charlotte Observer staff writers have exposed in their articles about this mess.
The real problem lies in Charlotte-Meck's Corrupt Board of County Commissioners. Especially Jennifer Roberts. (She's Current Chairperson of the Board)
They are the individuals who hold Charlotte-Mecklenburg County's destiny in their hands.
They have Legal Authority to take care of this issue by not only replacing Harry Jones but also straighten out DSS Management and DSS Finances.
However....because they are either Arrogant, Conceited, Delusional, Greedy or all four they refuse to do what's best for Charlotte-Meck. Constituents.
Our current County Commissioners are also too dependent upon Straight Ticket Voting by Black Voters who DON'T research what issues Political Candidates stand for when running for Public Office.
(i.e. Low Income, West Charlotte Voters)
Thus our current County Commissioners think that no matter what Harry Jones or DSS Management does, they will maintain their seats of power.
The ONLY way this mess will be corrected is to vote the current County Commissioners out next election.
And Oh!
By the way I'm African-American.
However I don't vote based upon ethnicity and with God's help, I never will.
I'm not perfect but I'm also NOT serving in Public Office.
When someone becomes a Public Servant they are TOTALLY Accountable to their Constituents.
I guess Harry Jones and our current Charlotte-Meck. County Commissioners forgot about this fact.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Manager (Harry Jones) suspends County Audit Director
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones on Friday said he has suspended the county's internal audit director and will find a permanent replacement in hopes of improving the credibility of county government.
Cornita Spears this week admitted an error in an audit report of how more than $162,000 in donations were spent through a charity meant to buy gifts for needy children. County officials had ordered the audit after allegations of possible misspending.
Spears still works for the county but is on non-disciplinary suspension with pay, Jones said. Spears could not be reached for comment.
Former county Finance Director Harry Weatherly will oversee the audit department as a consultant for up to 90 days. He'll get $80 an hour, the same fee he has received for other work with the county, Jones said.
Chris Waddell, another auditor in the department, will lead day-to-day operations.
Meanwhile, the county's human resources department has been asked to recruit a new department director. Spears would not be considered for the position, Jones said.
Jones first announced the changes in a memo to county commissioners and some staff. He told the Observer he hopes the moves will improve the department's credibility among county management, commissioners and the public.
The county has faced months of scrutiny and criticism from the public following an investigation into the Giving Tree charity, and fiscal practices across the Department of Social Services.
Some commissioners supported the move to replace Spears, but said it doesn't resolve other questions raised in past months.
"I think it's a needed step, but I don't think it's the final solution," said commissioner Neil Cooksey, who recently suggested the county appoint an ethics officer.
The changes come days after Spears issued a revised report about spending within the Giving Tree charity, which was run by DSS. She told commissioners Tuesday that an employee returned more than $33,000 to the county earlier this year, but the money hadn't been properly accounted for until last week.
The county hasn't said publicly who returned the money, just that it was an employee who worked with the Giving Tree for about 10 years.
The Giving Tree program spent more than $162,000 last year. Spears said this week that the $33,000 that was returned helps explain about $23,000 that a June report said was unaccounted for. It also includes $10,000 the employee received in the current year, which wasn't covered in the audit review.
Even with the returned money, however, the county said it still can't offer complete assurance that no money was misspent because of problems with receipts or other documentation for more than $108,000.
Some commissioners said they were disappointed about the new report, saying the county had faced months of scrutiny and criticism by the public. Jones said the error left him embarrassed and was unacceptable.
"It has damaged the credibility of the Internal Audit Department and Mecklenburg County as an organization," Jones wrote in the Friday memo. "I have determined the credibility of the Internal Audit Department cannot be restored with the current management of this department."
Jones told the Observer the error was a failure on the part of the auditor to consider information that had been available before the June report.
Commissioners Vice Chair Harold Cogdell said he thinks Jones had no option but to make personnel changes within the department. "Unfortunately, that was an error that should have been picked up on months ago," he said. "It created some real confusion."
Commissioner Bill James said the management changes were a good step. But he doesn't think they explain whether money was misspent within the Giving Tree program, or address his belief that county auditors should report directly to the board's Audit Review Committee and not county management.
Jones said he plans to meet with Weatherly soon to outline specific goals for his work with Internal Audit. But he said it could include, among other things, recommending what resources are needed in the department and crafting job descriptions for the new hires.
Since leaving his director post, Weatherly has worked with the finance department on issues such as a tax review, software contract and MEDIC.
The Giving Tree study was part of a broader investigation into accounting practices within DSS. Auditors cited numerous lapses within the department's finances.
Since June, the county has announced multiple steps to address the problems, including retraining DSS staff on financial policies and procedures, and putting the department's finances within the county finance office's control. In addition, a review of financial practices within all county departments is under way.
The county also has sought to bolster the internal audit department by agreeing in August to hire more auditors. The board also added two commissioners to its Audit Review Committee and removed county staff as members.
Cogdell said it's important the county make sure it has enough safeguards in place to ensure financial compliance within all county agencies.
Cooksey suggested the ethics officer position earlier this week, and commissioners have said they will study the idea. Cooksey said it is common in the private sector, and said it would keep Jones and other managers out of investigations.
$33,000 repaid to Charlotte-Mecklenburg DSS but overlooked
Mecklenburg County's investigation into alleged misspending at a Christmas charity for children took a surprising twist Tuesday: Officials said a county employee returned more than $33,000 months ago, but auditors didn't account for it.
The finding raised new questions about the months-long probe, including why it took so long for administrators to learn about the money and why so much had been advanced to a county employee. Auditors said the worker had spent some of it on personal items.
County Manager Harry Jones said he was "damned embarrassed" by the latest information.
Commissioners, stunned by the revelations, said scrutiny of the Department of Social Services has eroded public confidence. They ordered a study of how to improve ethics throughout county government.
"I can't help but be baffled," Commissioner Dan Murrey said. "What we have done is confuse the public more."
The county's internal auditor told commissioners it was not until the past week that officials realized the returned money helped explain some of the $162,000 spent on the Giving Tree program that had not been fully accounted for.
But the auditor stood by her earlier report that said officials can't be certain where the bulk of the money went.
"I'm disappointed that we did not catch this earlier," Jones told county commissioners.
The county frequently advanced money to employees to help buy gifts for needy children, with receipts expected to document how the money was spent.
It wasn't immediately clear how much the employee who returned money had been given in the past, but it included at least two $10,000 checks made out in December and January, according to an internal memo released to commissioners Tuesday.
The money returned by the employee in February and March helped cover those checks, the memo stated, as well as other unspent money or funds meant to account for "personal purchases that were inadvertently included amongst receipts."
The employee also returned earrings and a DVD player whose costs drew concerns from management, and reimbursed the cost for the items.
The county did not identify who returned the money, only saying it was a former employee who had worked with the Giving Tree program for about 10 years.
A police investigation into the Giving Tree program is ongoing.
Murrey said an accounting error has unnecessarily harmed public perceptions about county government.
Commissioner Karen Bentley and other commissioners said they had received numerous complaints from citizens about DSS in recent months. Bentley reassured residents that she would look into concerns and seek answers to questions about accountability.
Commissioners Bill James said Tuesday's news only raises more questions.
James suggested that the employee only returned the money to escape punishment. He alluded to widespread problems with missing and altered receipts and said the county should investigate whether wrongdoing occurred in previous years.
Worker raised questions
The Giving Tree probe started earlier this year after a DSS employee raised questions about "large dollar" checks that had been written to a worker who managed the program, the county has said.
Two workers connected to the Giving Tree effort were suspended with pay. One was reinstated this summer, while the other had been put on medical leave.
Cindy Brady, a former DSS supervisor who collected donations for the Giving Tree program retired in August. But county officials have never said whether she was one of the two suspended employees.
Reached Tuesday, Brady said she had been advised by an attorney not to comment about the DSS issue.
In June, county auditors said they'd collected about $138,978 in receipts related to the Giving Tree.
But the county said they couldn't provide complete assurance that the money was spent properly because more than 99 percent of the receipts had problems, including information that had been altered or whited out.
That left about $23,310 that officials said they could not account for.
On Tuesday, Internal Audit Director Cornita Spears told commissioners that she received "clarifications" about how much money the employee had returned to the county.
Spears said the county had previously recorded some money the unnamed employee had returned to reimburse money used for personal items.
However, Spears said she learned last week that more money had been returned, but determined it had not been properly recorded in the earlier Giving Tree review.
Spears said the new information didn't change the overall findings of the June report.
Jones said that while he believed the county had made an "unacceptable error," he said county management had called for the various DSS audits, recommended changes and had not hidden information about the probes.
READER COMMENTS:
pintobeans wrote on 11/21/2009 07:34:00 AM:
Mecklenburg County- Consistently ineffective.
DEMAND CONSOLIDATED LOCAL GOVERNMENT NOW!!
J wrote on 11/21/2009 07:10:50 AM:
"It has damaged the credibility of the Internal Audit Department and Mecklenburg County as an organization," Jones wrote in the Friday memo. "I have determined the credibility of the Internal Audit Department cannot be restored with the current management of this department."
Harry Jones has damaged the credibility of DSS and Mecklenburg County. J wrote in an Observer blog, The citizens of Mecklenburg County have determmined that the credibility of Mecklenburg County cannot be restored with the current manager of this county.
twhitson wrote on 11/21/2009 06:50:05 AM:
Missing money? SOMEBODY CALL THE COPS!!! (and why hasn't a criminal investigation been opened?)
napalminthemorning wrote on 11/21/2009 06:47:11 AM:
Fire Harry Jones. Simple as that. To not even, once, accept some responsibility as the place where the buck stops tells you what kind of man and leader you have. From sending a person's boss an email after they complained about him to throwing everybody but himself under the bus, he has shown no integrity, no leadership and no management skills. Fire Harry Jones, hire someone from the private sector to replace him. You know, someone who had to run a business with the goal of making a profit.
Tash wrote on 11/21/2009 06:33:54 AM:
So the auditor gets her hand slapped and removed for poor performance- but still has a job and still is getting paid!
And the woman who TOOK the $33,000 - but got caught and gave it back, still is not named? Why no arrest? Because you can bet she still has a job and is still getting paid too!
Inept County Manager Harry Jones- who can only cry foul- still has his job, his $200,000 pay check and a $38,000 bonus! YOU WANT CREDIBILITY???
integritymatters wrote on 11/21/2009 06:13:07 AM:
One of the quickest ways to restore integrity and credibility would be for Harry Jones to totally recuse himself from the selection process for the new Internal Auditor. Follow that with having the new IA report directly to the BOCC rather than Harry and you might be on to something. Barring that, we're right back to fox/henhouse.
cedarposts wrote on 11/21/2009 00:33:44 AM:
You have got to be kidding me!
If the County Commissioners are so inattentive that they fall for this clearly bold attempt to deflect blame by Harry Jones to a subordinate they no longer deserve to retain their elected positions within the community.
The trouble with Mecklenburg County Government is not the audit department or creating an ethics czar for Mr. Jones hire another member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.
The staggering number of six figure salaries alone should have been a red flag. The stunning and wide ranging corruption that now seems to cover every aspect of the Mecklenburg County DSS is just the beginning.
No wonder our tax rates are so high!
Vote on Harry Jone's job preformance at http://cedarposts.blogspot.com
Flatout wrote on 11/20/2009 01:42:04 PM:
mytwocents:
If this is indeed a "common" practice and in line with written and oral county policy, it's really BAD BOOKKEEPING and a BAD POLICY that lends itself to misuse.
Nothing should be on a paid for by county receipt except those things paid for by THE COUNTY.
ANY personal items should be paid for separately....now I know, that may take a few more minutes of county employees time that I assume they are being PAID for. And furthermore, they should not be doing PERSONAL shopping on county time, right?
The whole system is so screwed up and corrupt. I feel the most sorry for the honest, ethical employees who are swimming upstream in the system, trying to do the right thing. (Much like the employees at CMPD, who are constantly being
asked to do things that conflict with their values and integrity!)
mytwocents wrote on 11/19/2009 09:44:59 PM:
About "whited out or altered" receipts. Possible reason-Employee is given $50 to buy gifts for kids. Spends $40 on kids. Also picks up some person items while at the store. Crosses out or whites out those personal items and submits receipt along with $10 change for the $40 of $50 legitimately spent on kids. Nothing illegal, dishonest, unethical. Common practice, totally in line with written and oral County policy and procedure. HOWEVER....depending on what "spin" is given, can be made to look very questionable. Ensuing 9 months of hoopla provides a great sleight of hand diversion...."No, wait...look over here." Is anyone else exhausted yet?
Elohssa wrote on 11/19/2009 07:45:56 PM:
Isn't it irrelevant that 33,000 was returned? If I rob a store and then 1 year later return part of the money is that o.k.? If it is, let me know, it is close to Christmas and I would like to visit DSS to get my share of money and presents. Then again, it is actually everyone's fault in Meck. Co. You elected these people who rip you off, perhaps you're only getting what you deserve.
luvugirl wrote on 11/19/2009 02:47:23 PM:
Replying to mytwocents (11/18/2009 10:42:14 PM):
"" At any rate, there are tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothing, toys, electronics, and gift cards that have been purchased for foster kids, locked in a room at DSS per Ms. Wilson's orders, which she has withheld from the public in addition to the $33,000 that was returned as unspent (not...":
Thank you for your honest post and for exposing some of the TRUTH about the Christmas Items being locked behind closed doors for Christmas 2009 but Wilson chose not to disclose this information. Those items were bought with part of the funds disbursed in January & February!
luvugirl wrote on 11/19/2009 02:00:45 PM:
Replying to mytwocents (11/18/2009 10:42:14 PM):
"" At any rate, there are tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothing, toys, electronics, and gift cards that have been purchased for foster kids, locked in a room at DSS per Ms. Wilson's orders, which she has withheld from the public in addition to the $33,000 that was returned as unspent (not...":
One of the best posts thus far, THANK YOU and you are 100% correct, these items and $$$ have been there all along, but Wilson chose to hide that bit of information, wonder why?
Flatout wrote on 11/19/2009 12:46:12 PM:
Replying to cedarposts (11/18/2009 07:09:51 PM):
"Mr. Jones now suffers from a total lack of public confidence in his ability to command, and he should be relieved at once.":
Absolutely!
And a criminal investigation should be undertaken!
Because if these aren't criminal allegations, then just what WOULD qualify as criminal behavior???
Total lack of any kind of oversight, in particular NO ETHICAL STANDARDS UPHELD AT ALL.
The buck stops with Harry Jones.....do the decent thing and resign.
Because we are "damned embarrassed" by your whole scam.
clutthewindow wrote on 11/19/2009 08:46:46 AM:
I wonder if they sat on this information until after Anthony Foxx was elected?
mytwocents wrote on 11/18/2009 10:42:14 PM:
" At any rate, there are tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothing, toys, electronics, and gift cards that have been purchased for foster kids, locked in a room at DSS per Ms. Wilson's orders, which she has withheld from the public in addition to the $33,000 that was returned as unspent (not misappropriated) in March." Wow, I had to get up and walk around after that one, I was so stunned. You know what's sad? I have no reason to disbelieve this...at all. This whole thing about missing funds came very conveniently at a time when Ms. Wilson was under a lot of public scrutiny. "The best defense is an offense" comes to mind. Was this all a diversionary tactic? If there is truth to what you say, it goes waaaay beyond that though. The overwhelming majority of DSS employees are fiercely commited to serving their clients, and honest to the core. They don't need Harry's frequent reminders about "ethics"; they live it already. Old saying is "it's the chicken that squawks that laid the egg."
STLCardsFan wrote on 11/18/2009 10:10:44 PM:
I am not surprised at all! As a County employee for 16 years, the accountability of Finance always worried me, for what reason I don;t know... But any child that comes in the system they wont but new clothes for them, some come w/ nothing...but they can spend money on other things like Jones bonus and holiday parties but not on a foster child a coat for winter! And allow employees to take advantage of community donations for disadvantaged children at Christmas is hideous! SHAME SHAME SHAME Mecklenburg County Gov't!
diggndeeper said...
Okay Harry, next replace Mary Wilson, then Mr Foxx's wife, then Mr. Monroe's daughter, then your daughter and then resign and I might believe you are serious about fixing the reputation of the county. But we all know what you will do. The auditor was offered up as a sacrifice and somehow will be supported by our tax dollars for some time or till they get a new job.
So watch out for who Harry hires and check their background, affliations with Harry's family members, etc.
November 20, 2009 5:29 PM
Anonymous said...
Harry, how can you not take responsiblity for this mess? This action shows a continuing disregard for what is right and wrong with DSS.
We both know it, don't we.
November 20, 2009 5:35 PM
Anonymous said...
Harry, Harry, Harry isn't this pretty much shooting the messenger?
Come on you sack of thoroughbred fertilizer, man up and move on.
Word Verification: Bullitio
Must be Italian for BS?
November 20, 2009 5:44 PM
Karl said...
Harry Jones is simply trying to divert attention on this matter by doing something that should have been done months ago when it was first discovered.
First the whole Lomax debacle and now this...do our locally elected government officials still think they're immune from being held accountable by their constituents?
It's time for a clearing of all Mecklenburg and Charlotte 'leaders'. 2012 can't come soon enough!
P.S. diggndeeper is spot on!
November 20, 2009 5:54 PM
Anonymous said...
That's our county government under Harry. Jake of DSS? Drama, investigation, departure; Personnel Director be4 Kenneth Peek, Drama, investigation, departure; Wayne Weston formerly of Parks and Recreation? Drama, investigation, departure; Now internal auditor? Drama, investigation, departure.
What's the common points?
Drama, investigation, departure, next new hire for the same
dysfunctional culture, and leadership, and Harry.
November 20, 2009 6:15 PM
Anonymous said...
Jennifer Roberts, where are you?
November 20, 2009 6:38 PM
Anonymous said...
This is like the captain of the Titanic blaming and replacing the lookouts for hitting the iceberg. Harry Jones is to blame for this sordid mess. He has been running the county, especially the DSS, as his own little company business, hiring his relatives and friends, with total disregard for the county commission and taxpayers. What else is he hiding???
November 20, 2009 6:39 PM
Anonymous said...
I have to agree with the sentiments here. Make the messenger the scap goat so you don't have to take any responsibility
November 20, 2009 6:44 PM
Harry Jones: No Thought of Resigning
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones has faced intense criticism from some residents on a variety of issues this year, including reported accounting problems in the Department of Social Services and a $38,400 performance bonus given to him earlier this month. Some have even called for his job.
Jones addressed the issues in an interview Thursday on "Charlotte's Morning News with Al Gardner & Stacey Simms" on WBT-AM.
Here are some snippets from the interview:
Q. Have you thought about resigning?
Jones: "No, I have not given any thought to that Al. This has been a good year. You know along the way you are going to make some mistakes. I did make a mistake in forwarding an email. Harry Lomax and I have subsequently talked and I'm taking his position that it was blown way out of proportion. He and I have had lunch together with each other. No, I have not given any thought to it. But I will say, Al, it's been a tough year. It's been a really tough year. But I think it's also been my best year and I told the board of county commissioners that and I'm going to continue to stay where I am unless they decide they don't want me any longer."
Q. As Al was mentioning, though, other county employees didn't get bonuses at all. And it seems to me that with the email as you said you’ve apologized, you've had lunch with the gentleman, but (it was) big blow to public trust there, and with the DSS situation being what it is, why not say, well, I'll accept the bonus if such and so bears out, an ethics investigation, something like that? Because I think a lot of people would question whether this was the best year for county government.
Jones: "I’m going to say this: I earned that bonus. I think the other issues "My board of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Commissioners" factored all of those things in when they considered my compensation. And the position that I will take is that, yes, the email does raise some questions about people's confidence in government. But Al and Stacey, I will say to you that there was no malicious intent, as I have indicated publicly, on my forwarding that particular email. And in that there was no malicious intent, for those people who want to call for my scalp on that one particular action, (they) don’t know Harry Jones and don't know what Harry Jones has done through his career to try to open up government, to encourage more participation. If you want to judge me on this one action, then I would say you're judging me contrary to the real Harry Jones."
Concerned Man's e-mail about Charlotte-Mecklenburg DSS Fraud sent to his employer
As news spread about possible missing money from the Department of Social Services Christmas charity, Harry Lomax and other donors contacted Mecklenburg County leaders to complain.
"I feel duped," Lomax wrote in an e-mail to county commissioners and top administrators.
But Lomax likely did not anticipate County Manager Harry Jones' response.
Jones forwarded the e-mail to Lomax's employer, Bank of America, and wrote, "Do you know Harry Lomax."
A Bank of America vice president replied to Jones about one hour later, writing that she was "embarrassed" by Lomax's e-mail.
"I am tracking it down. I don't know him - I have alerted charles. Will be back to you," she wrote.
Some commissioners and ethics experts now say the actions by Jones and the bank official were improper because they could stifle free speech and blur the lines between employment and citizenship.
It's unclear how Jones knew Lomax worked at Bank of America. Lomax sent his message from a personal account and did not mention the bank by name.
"It is not appropriate," said Diane Swanson, a professor of business ethics at Kansas State University. "If this happened all the time, what kind of world would we have?"
The Observer obtained the e-mails from the county through an open records request. They provide a glimpse into how top Mecklenburg administrators reacted to reports of misspending and accounting lapses at the Department of Social Services.
Worried donors wrote to commissioners and county executives after auditors disclosed that they could not account for tens of thousands of dollars from a charity designed to buy Christmas presents for needy children.
Some county commissioners said they do not understand why Jones forwarded the e-mail from Lomax to his employer when he was speaking as a citizen and not on behalf of the company. They said they would question Jones about it.
Public officials publish their phone numbers and e-mail addresses to allow constituents to voice concerns and ask questions. They also set aside time during public meetings to listen to comments from constituents.
"Citizens are able to vent frustrations without thinking that (county) management will get their employer to engage in some retribution," Commissioner Bill James said. "This makes the county look bad. It makes Harry look vindictive. It makes Bank of America look like the county's hatchet man."
Jones did not respond to interview requests from the Observer. A county spokesman referred a reporter to a statement the county released, but it does not directly address questions about Lomax's e-mail.
Nicole Nastacie, a spokeswoman for Bank of America, said "on their personal time, employees are free to express personal opinions" to government officials about any issue that is not related to the company.
Betty Turner, the bank's government liaison who responded to Jones, suspected that Lomax's e-mail involved issues related to the bank and appropriately looked into the situation, Nastacie said. When she determined Lomax was speaking as a private citizen, there were no further discussions, Nastacie said.
Lomax declined to comment.
The e-mail
On July 7, Lomax sent his e-mail to commissioners, Jones, DSS Director Mary Wilson and County Finance Director Dena Diorio. He wrote that he had planned to speak during a commissioners meeting the same day at the urging of Commissioner Neil Cooksey.
Lomax wrote that he left before speaking and decided to e-mail his comments.
The e-mail criticizes county management for failing to prevent accounting failures and accuses some commissioners of a "flippant, hands-off response" to the issue. "There seems to be a need for a wholesale cleanup of many county agencies, and I think that starts from the top down," Lomax wrote.
A week after receiving the e-mail, Jones forwarded it to Turner.
Commissioners respond
Commissioner Karen Bentley said Jones should not have sent the e-mail to Bank of America.
"It should have no bearing on his job," Bentley said. "That's his right."
Commissioner Dumont Clarke called the move "unusual."
Clarke and some other commissioners said they would need more information to judge whether Jones acted appropriately.
"It's not a good practice for the manager to do," Clarke said.
Commissioner Chairman Jennifer Roberts said she would try to contact Lomax to speak with him. "I don't read anything into this," Roberts said. "Maybe Harry was trying to make sure Bank of America didn't feel duped."
Four business and government professors reviewed the e-mails for the Observer. Three said Jones did not have a valid reason to forward Lomax's e-mail since he did not mention his employer by name or present himself as a representative of the company.
"Given these circumstances, one would expect a public official to respond directly to Mr. Lomax and not contact his employer," said Denis Arnold, a professor of business ethics at UNC Charlotte.
Winthrop professor Marilyn Smith disagreed.
Considering public outcry over alleged misspending in DSS, Smith said it understandable that Jones would contact Bank of America. The bank also reacted appropriately, she said.
"To a certain extent, we represent our employers 24/7," said Smith, a professor of management. "We like to think it's my own personal opinion. Companies are judged by how their employees behave, fair or not."
In response to "$33,000 repaid to DSS but overlooked" (Nov. 18):
Observer forum: Letters to the editor
Posted: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009
Glad Jones is 'embarrassed,' but it's now time for heads to roll
I'm glad County Manager Harry Jones was "damned embarrassed" with the latest scandal within the DSS, but isn't it time to quit being embarrassed and start making changes?
Any private company that couldn't account for tens of thousands of dollars would see heads roll and people fired. Unfortunately, government-run black holes of tax dollars aren't held up to the same scrutiny.
Trigg Cherry
Charlotte
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg DSS Fraud mystery: Where did money go?
Internal e-mails reveal new allegations of misspending at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services, raising more unanswered questions about what happened to money intended to help needy children.
Some of the more than 1,000 e-mails the Charlotte Observer obtained through a Public Records Request provide the most detailed account to date about the agency's accounting fiasco.
E-mails show:
Officials suspected an employee wrote $80,000 in checks to herself from donations.
An administrator questioned why other donations were used to buy $340 diamond earrings, leather coats and a $300 DVD player.
A top executive complained that a senior fiscal administrator frustrated co-workers with her "inability to explain the simplest concepts of revenue and expenses."
After nearly a year, officials have never said who was at fault for $162,000 that disappeared or whether anyone was disciplined.
No one has been charged in an ongoing police investigation and a county report says officials cannot be certain where the money went.
Meanwhile, donors are left to wonder whether their generosity ever helped buy Christmas gifts for those in need.
In one e-mail, a woman describes calling the county in 2007 to give $900 for single mothers at Christmas. The person who answered the phone told her to make a check payable to the worker's sister.
The donor said she grew suspicious and made the check out to the county, but the idea that it may still have been misused is "like a kick in the stomach."
In another e-mail, a founder of Second String Santa said he was concerned whether kids received the more than 50,000 toys his group had donated since 1989.
Will Miller said he believes some of the toys reached children, but he's not sure about the rest.
"Will we ever know? Probably not," he said.
Two Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Commissioners said they have asked County Administrators for a full accounting of what went wrong at DSS but have yet to receive answers. County officials have never explained who was responsible, they said.
"To fix it, you have to admit all the stuff that is messed up," Commissioner Bill James said. "They don't want to do too much digging."
County administrators declined interview requests. Instead, a county spokesman released a prepared statement saying appropriate fiscal controls have been installed in response to an outside audit and an internal investigation.
"Our review of the e-mails we provided and your follow up questions did not reveal any new information that would suggest any change in the audit findings or in management's response to those findings," the statement said.
Some commissioners said they have been told that the employees involved have either left county government or been placed in new positions.
Unusual spending patterns
DSS spends $176 million annually and employs 1,200 workers to assist Mecklenburg's poor and neglected. The agency administers everything from food stamps to foster care and child protection services.
Last spring, DSS Director Mary Wilson ordered financial audits following reports of suspicious spending.
Auditors looked at multiple spending programs and financial practices in the agency. They found a $10,000 check made out to an employee, missing and altered receipts and money for kids spent on office supplies.
County leaders responded by suspending the programs, putting DSS finance under direct county control, training workers on accounting procedures and ordering a review of financial procedures in each county agency.
The Observer reviewed e-mails dating from December 2008 to July 2009 for seven current and former county administrators, including Wilson, County Manager Harry Jones, County Finance Director Dena Diorio and Internal Auditor Cornita Spears.
E-mails show county officials noticed unusual spending patterns as early as last December but did not disclose problems to the public until March.
On New Year's Eve, Wilson told staff she had suspended a voucher program the agency used to purchase clothes and other items for clients at local stores. She wrote that officials were worried about a lack of oversight and a spike in spending.
One monthly retail bill leapt from between $5,000 and $6,000 to more than $20,000 in October 2008, the e-mail says. Employees turned in receipts only 30 to 35 percent of the time, she wrote.
At one time or another, workers possessed or had access to numerous credit cards and gift cards, including some to Bath & Body Works, Bass Pro Shops, Macy's, the Cheesecake Factory and Outback Steakhouse.
Outside auditors verified for county administrators that DSS workers possessed county-issued credit cards, including 10 credit cards for Sam's Club, three for Harris Teeter and an online charge account with Amazon.com
In February, county officials asked internal auditors to look into questionable spending, including purchases of diamond earrings, leather coats and a DVD player.
An e-mail to one of the auditors from a human resources consultant said the purchases raise "many questions and concerns."
According to the county's statement, most gifts were typical children's items such as toys, clothes and books. More expensive items such as diamond earrings and leather coats were approved purchases for foster children who reached special milestones like high school graduation, the statement says.
"Receiving a gift of some significant value was viewed as an incentive for other children who were in foster care to set goals and accomplish them," the statement said.
Commissioner Harold Cogdell said he spent part of his early childhood in foster care and believes the gifts are a good idea.
"It makes sense to me to show the kids some love," Cogdell said.
A new Accountant
DSS has endured multiple management shakeups in recent years. The latest came when Wilson reorganized the agency after she was hired in July 2008.
She laid out the reasons to hire a new finance director in a February e-mail.
Wilson wrote that the senior fiscal administrator who managed DSS finances failed to provide reports about oversight, alienated staff and lacked the ability to conduct productive discussions with senior county executives. The e-mail does not name the senior fiscal administrator.
DSS later hired accountant Angela Hurlburt to oversee its finances.
James, the commissioner, said he has asked for the names and background information on Hurlburt's predecessors. He wants them to answer questions from the Board of Commissioners' Audit Review Committee, which investigated accounting lapses at DSS.
He said administrators have failed to respond to his requests and complained that officials "keep us in the dark."
Other Charlotte-Mecklenburg Commissioners disagreed.
Chairman Jennifer Roberts and Commissioner Dumont Clarke said county leaders have already put in place reforms that will protect taxpayer and donor money.
"The highest priority" is implementing new financial controls, Clarke said.
Shifting the Finances
Auditors from Cherry, Bekaert & Holland reviewed DSS and found that Mecklenburg officials responded appropriately. The county's Audit Review Committee came to the same conclusion.
But DSS Director Wilson bristled at one of the major reforms.
Leaders put DSS finance under the direct control of the county's main finance department after allegations of misspending surfaced.
In April, Wilson sent an e-mail to County General Manager Michelle Lancaster to complain. Calling the decision "premature" and "shortsighted," Wilson said there are emergencies when DSS workers must write checks immediately, including occasions when the agency takes children in custody who need clothes, toiletries and school supplies.
"I understand the urgency at the time, but there was a reason DSS had check writing capability and I think we threw the baby out with the bathwater instead of fixing the underlying issue, which is documentation and accountability," Wilson wrote.
Donors left with questions
Past supporters of the DSS Christmas charity include Young Lawyers, employees of Wachovia and Bank of America, and Project Joy, the holiday fund drive initiated by Observer columnist Tommy Tomlinson. The Christmas charity, known as the Giving Tree, is now run by the Salvation Army.
The donor who gave $900 e-mailed the county in July after learning about accounting failures from news accounts. She attached a picture of the check copy she made around Christmas in 2007.
She wrote that she did not remember the name of the woman she spoke with on the phone.
The donor said she and her family all pitched in to raise the money so she could assist women like her who had struggled as single mothers.
When she heard there were allegations of misspending in a DSS charity program, "It's like your stomach just drops."
READER COMMENTS:
Anonymous said...
The most condesending employee in Mecklenburg County. Why should he resign, he is riding the gravy train. Now, if he had morals, it would be another story.
November 19, 2009 5:41 PM
diggndeeper said...
Well said!
November 19, 2009 5:59 PM
Anonymous said...
Quit picking on this strong intellegent black man.
November 19, 2009 6:04 PM
Anonymous said...
'strong intelligent' ??? don't forget articulate - "..had lunch together with each other..". Yes Mr. Jones this has been a good year, FOR YOU!! The rest of us have been losing jobs, not getting raises or bonuses, you know, fun stuff like that.
November 19, 2009 7:02 PM
Anonymous said...
What does race have to do with this, you racist?
November 19, 2009 7:03 PM
Anonymous said...
Such arrogance. Does he think we are ignorant? The county commissioners could fire him with a simple single vote.
The integrity of the entire county is at stake.
Time for the guillitine...
November 19, 2009 7:11 PM
Anonymous said...
Keep voting for Democrats Charlotte. And this kind of crap will continue until all the people who have made anything of their lives will abandon it to this d-bag's "clients".
November 19, 2009 7:12 PM
Anonymous said...
Mr. Jones, as "LEADER",should resign for the mess he oversees. If he does not, he should be fired. But those that make the choice are his allies, they are truly responsible.
Race should have no bearing on hiring or firing, performance has to be the scale.
November 19, 2009 7:19 PM
How system failed 15-year-old girl gunned down at a Charlotte, NC School bus stop
Tiffany Wright stood alone in the dark, waiting for her school bus.
It was just before 6 a.m., and her foster grandmother had walked back home to get Tiffany's water bottle.
Tiffany, 15, was eight months pregnant but determined to stay on track in school. She wanted to be a lawyer. And after just a few weeks at Hawthorne High, she had impressed teachers as smart and ambitious, despite a difficult childhood.
At 5:51, Tiffany sent a text.
"Wheres the bus?"
One stop away, replied her friend, already on the bus.
At 5:55, as the bus lumbered toward Tiffany's stop, people began calling police to report gunshots.
A school bus dispatcher radioed Tiffany's bus driver: Change course - something's happening ahead.
Tiffany lay dead in the road, shot in the head, that morning, Monday, Sept. 14. Her baby girl was delivered at the hospital and lived a week, but died Sunday.
Nobody's charged in the killings, but police call Tiffany's adoptive brother, Royce Mitchell, a "person of interest."
In the months before she died, local agencies took steps aimed at stabilizing her home life and keeping her safe. But her story exposes failures in the system that was supposed to protect her.
Among the missteps:
•In February, a Mecklenburg court clerk appointed Mitchell as Tiffany's temporary guardian — even though he was a felon who served time in federal prison. He was also tried in 2006 for murder, but found not guilty. And last year, he was accused of domestic violence, though the case was dismissed.
•In July, social workers told police that Mitchell, 36, might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany, but police didn't question him about it for seven weeks, and didn't charge him with the rape until after Tiffany was killed.
•This month, Mecklenburg social services failed to cut off communication between Tiffany, who was in foster care, and Mitchell, said a source close to the investigation.
On the day of Tiffany's killing, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police jailed Mitchell for statutory rape and indecent liberties with a child, naming Tiffany as the victim.
Police defend their work, saying they followed the industry's best practices - which takes time. Police didn't feel a need to rush, they say, because they believed Tiffany was secure, hidden in a foster home with no threat to her safety.
Police say it's hard to prove statutory rape: Of the 262 reports of statutory rape police received over three years, only 16 percent - 42 cases - were accepted by prosecutors.
Experts say statutory rape cases are complicated because they involve victims ages 13, 14 or 15 who often consider themselves voluntary participants in sex with someone at least six years older. So victims can be reluctant to help police.
But child advocates say in cases like Tiffany's, police should act more aggressively. An immediate arrest sends a signal to a suspect and can persuade them to stay away from victims.
"The cases may be difficult to win, but they're not difficult to charge," says Brett Loftis of Charlotte's Council for Children's Rights.
UNCC criminologist Paul Friday says: "Often, nothing is done in these kinds of cases because they're based on improper assumptions about the rationality of someone that age. But the minors are often unaware of disease, birth control and they can be exploited by someone."
Adopted by foster mother
Tiffany first entered the child welfare system as a toddler in Buffalo, N.Y., when her mother lost custody.
She was adopted at 4 by her foster mother, Alma Wright, an older woman with eight grown children, who was excited about raising another child.
One of Wright's grown sons was Royce Mitchell, a star quarterback in high school who'd gone on to play for a semi-pro team in Buffalo. But Mitchell also was indicted in 1999 as part of a drug trafficking ring and went to federal prison.
While he was in prison, authorities also charged Mitchell with an earlier murder, but a jury found him not guilty.
In 2004, Alma and Tiffany left Buffalo for North Carolina, settling near Kings Mountain. Tiffany made friends easily at school and church. She ran track at Bessemer City High School.
In 2007, Mitchell was released from prison and followed his mother to North Carolina.
But last fall, Alma Wright got sick. Friends at church helped out with Tiffany, inviting her for dinners and weekends. Tiffany spent time with Mitchell and his wife, too.
Alma Wright died Jan. 25, and Tiffany moved in with the Mitchells in Charlotte.
On Jan. 30, Royce Mitchell asked a Mecklenburg court to appoint him and his wife as Tiffany's guardians.
On his application, he wrote: "We are seeking guardianship because we were requested to do so by Mrs. Alma Wright before she died."
He wanted to transfer Tiffany to West Mecklenburg High School.
The court set a hearing for Feb. 5 and appointed a child advocate to study the situation and look after Tiffany's best interests in court.
There's no transcript of what happened in court, and the clerk who handled Tiffany's case declined to discuss his decision.
Frederick Benson, a Mecklenburg assistant clerk of superior court, appointed Mitchell the temporary guardian of Tiffany's welfare.
It's unclear if Benson, a lawyer, knew about Mitchell's criminal background. Court clerks are not required to perform background checks in guardianship cases, says Clerk of Superior Court Martha Curran. It's up to each clerk to decide what checks are necessary, and they often rely on court-appointed child advocates to advise them in such cases.
Tiffany's advocate, lawyer Martha Efird, declined to discuss her actions in the case.
It was in the weeks surrounding the Feb. 5 court hearing that Tiffany got pregnant, if hospital estimates are accurate.
But friends say Tiffany, who started at West Mecklenburg High in February, wouldn't realize for four or five months that she was pregnant.
On Feb. 27, clerk of court Benson ordered DSS to conduct a "home study" of the Mitchell household. Officials won't release their findings.
But Mitchell didn't keep custody long, according to several of Tiffany's friends in King's Mountain.
In late March, Mitchell left Tiffany at a group home called With Friends in Gastonia, according to Marlene Jefferies and Cruceta Jeffeirs, two adult family friends who watched Tiffany grow up.
The group home wouldn't confirm that. But the friends say the home reported to social services that Tiffany was abandoned. And she was soon back in foster care.
On March 31, Jeffeirs, a Shelby pastor, wrote a letter to Benson seeking custody of Tiffany: "My desire is to see Tiffany accomplish all the goals that she has set for herself and I believe she can do that in a stable environment with lots of guidance and love."
DSS officials in Gaston and Mecklenburg won't discuss Tiffany's case or answer questions about what steps they took to protect her.
But friends and family say Tiffany was eventually placed in the care of foster parent Susan Barber, in a townhome off Mallard Creek Road in Derita.
By July, it was clear Tiffany was pregnant, friends say.
Barber tried to shield Tiffany from talking to those she believed might be bad influences, according to Tiffany's cousin Brittany Page. But a source close to the investigation said Tiffany and Mitchell continued communicating.
Despite repeated attempts, Barber could not be reached.
As the school year approached, Tiffany prepared to change schools again, this time to Hawthorne High in Charlotte, which offers a special program for pregnant students.
Delayed Investigation
On July 27, social workers reported to police that Royce Mitchell might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany.
It took eight days for a detective to look at the case, and three days more for it to be officially assigned to Teresa Johnson, a detective with CMPD's youth crime and domestic violence unit.
Another 12 days passed before Johnson interviewed Tiffany.
It's unclear when detective Johnson discovered Mitchell's background, but it wasn't enough to ramp up the investigation. Investigators say they believed Tiffany was safe in a foster home and faced no threats from Mitchell.
Police say their performance in the case followed procedure and met standards.
Police interview alleged victims immediately if the crime has occurred within the previous 72 hours, so they can gather evidence that may remain. But in cases like Tiffany's - where months had elapsed since the alleged offense - police try to arrange just one interview when children and teen victims of abuse are involved.
Police acknowledge that strategy takes time but minimizes trauma and reduces the chances that young victims might be led into inaccurate testimony by repeated questioning.
Police also let such victims decide when they want to be interviewed at the county's child-victim center called Pat's Place. There, specially trained interviewers talk to victims, while social workers, psychologists, police and others watch from another room.
Tiffany chose an Aug. 19 interview. She didn't say much during the formal interview. But later that day, Johnson won her trust and obtained enough information to move forward with the investigation.
No response from Royce Mitchell
The next day, Aug. 20, the detective made her first call to Mitchell to ask him about the charge, she says. Johnson left a message and gave him a few days to call back.
When Mitchell didn't respond, she made calls over the next two weeks to social workers and a federal probation officer to ask Mitchell to come talk to police.
Police say they didn't immediately arrest him because they believed they could get better information if he talked voluntarily.
On Sept. 9, a federal probation official told Johnson that Mitchell was not coming in.
On Sept. 10, a team of social workers, police and other agencies held a standard follow-up meeting to discuss how to proceed in Tiffany's case.
On Friday, Sept. 11, detective Johnson phoned Mitchell's wife and left a message. She asked her to call back to discuss Tiffany, Johnson says, but didn't give details of the rape allegation.
That Monday, Tiffany was shot and killed.
As emergency vehicles rolled to the scene, Tiffany's school bus was diverted from its normal route. But the students could see flashing lights. Tiffany's friends on the bus, Cimone Black and Tamia Corpening, began to worry.
"I kept texting her phone...," Cimone said. Then she started calling, but all she got was voice mail.
The bus continued on to Hawthorne. For Tamia, the hourlong ride was excruciating.
Nobody said a word.
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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, WBT, Poll Daddy, Charmeck.org, Youtube, Google Maps
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