Officials Charge High Fees for Public Records Relating to Alleged Retaliatory Dismissal of City Empl

AN ANALYSIS OF credit card charges made by Washtenaw County employees between 2012 and 2014 shows multiple charges for luxury lodging, meals out and even a $1,600 trip to the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas charged by Greg Dill, the county’s infrastructure management director who earns $101,000 per year.
In 2005, Mr. Dill took a $52,000 buy-out from Washtenaw County cheap car rentals new york city and then hired on as the Oak Park Public Schools chief of staff. The Detroit cheap car rentals new york city News reported in 2008 that Dill was placed on paid administrative leave and asked to resign from his job “after having a private shower facility and luxury gym built at the Oak Park Preparatory Academy.” The room included showers, tile floors, cherry cabinets, a luxury gym and a big screen television. Dill said he paid for the renovations with his own money and that some of the items were added by the contractors without his knowledge. In 2008, he was re-hired by Washtenaw County.
Mr. Dill was not the only county employee to charge stays at Las Vegas casinos to county credit cards. Patricia Denig a county Planning and Operations cheap car rentals new york city Director earns $108,000 per year. She works in the Employment, Training and Community Services Department (ETCS). On May 1, 2012 Denig charged cheap car rentals new york city a $1,200 airplane ticket to Miramar, Florida, cheap car rentals new york city on May 2, 2012 racked up three $201 charges at the South Point Hotel Casino and Spa in Las Vegas and on May 3, 2012 charged a $468 ticket to Miramar, Florida.
Mechelle Hardy is a management assistant in the county’s Information Technology Department. Hardy earns $54,500 per year. Between November 20-25, 2013 credit cheap car rentals new york city card records indicate Hardy made multiple purchases at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Hardy charged one cab ride on November 20 and another on November 25. She purchased meals and Starbuck’s at the Luxor Hotel and Casino on November 20, 22 and 25. Credit card records show Hardy purchased airplane tickets on Delta Airlines on November 18 ($25 and $50 charges), November 21 ($25 charge), November 22 ($100 charge, which was refused by county officials). On November 25, Hardy used her county credit card to pay $125 to Metro Airport Parking.
On February 3, 2014 Hardy used her county credit card to pay for two $330 charges at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. On February 6, 2014 county officials refused one of the two $330 charges.
Dale Vanderford cheap car rentals new york city is a county Information Technology manager who earns $88,000 per year. Between August 26 and September 1, 2011 Vanderford cheap car rentals new york city charged $200 to his county credit card at the Luxor Hotel and Casino and $765 on September 1, 2011 for charges cheap car rentals new york city at the Venetian Palazzo cheap car rentals new york city Hotel in Las Vegas, described as a “five diamond Las Vegas resort.” In total, Vanderford cheap car rentals new york city charged $1577.34 to Las Vegas hotels and restaurants in 2011.
Other charges for hotels, resorts and luxury lodging include two charges for $946 paid to the Boston Plaza Hotel on September cheap car rentals new york city 9, 2013 by a management assistant in the Washtenaw County Mental cheap car rentals new york city Health Department.
Fleet Services Inspector Robert Mossing, who earns $71,000, charged $771 for a stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Denver, Colorado in June 2012 and $929 for a stay at a Hilton hotel in June 2013. Between June 26, 2013 and August 26, 2013 Washtenaw County employees racked up $2,504 worth of charges at Michigan’s Crystal Mountain Resort.  Drain Comissioner Evan Pratt, who earns $100,000, cheap car rentals new york city charged taxpayers for stays at the Crystal Mountain resort in both June and July 2013. Water Resources Senior cheap car rentals new york city Environmental Manager Harry Sheehan stayed at the resort in June and July 2013, as well. Four months later, Sheehan charged taxpayers for a $938 stay at a Hyatt hotel.
On August 1, 2013, Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton’s Executive Assistant Katherine Wyatt used her county credit card to pay for a $712 charge at the Four Seasons Hotels. Wyatt said she paid for the stay on behalf of someone else. When asked who that person was, Ms. Wyatt said, It was a charge for a training event. Ms. Wyatt then suggested that Washtenaw Sheriff Jerry Clayton would be better able to answer questions about such credit card charges.
County staffers have stayed at Hilton hotels across the country including the Hilton in New Orleans, Washington, DC, Cinncinati, Columbus, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina. Between 2011 and 2013, Washtenaw County employees charged over $10,200 to their credit cards for charges at Hilton hotels.
Washtenaw County employee credit cheap car rentals new york city card receipts reveal charges at the Mission cheap car rentals new york city Point Resort, Grand Traverse and Shanty Creek Resorts, the Cadillac Sands Resort and the Marsh Ridge Resort in Gaylord, Michigan.
While  Washtenaw County managers enjoy expensive stays  at fine hotels, resorts and casinos, most county employees’ credit card receipts revealed purchases pertinent to their jobs. There were dozens of charges for materials purchased at the local Ace Barnes Hardware store by Parks Recreation employees and charges for hotels and short-term stay apartments made by employees who work for the county’s Veteran’s Services Department.
A Washtenaw County employee told City Council in January 2014 that Ann Arbor’s homeless men, women, cheap car rentals new york city children and families could use a variety of public buildings during the day to escape temps. that plummeted to -20F. One of those facilities was the Downtown Library. Incident rep
Officials Charge High Fees for Public Records Relating to Alleged Retaliatory Dismissal of City Employee (0) ANN ARBOR CITY Administrator Steve Powers, hired in 2011, has sent an email to a City Council member claiming that high fees assessed for providing public records are justified because “ there is a direct benefit provided to the requestor, including cheap car rentals new york city media outlets, that requires the expenditure
ACCORDING TO THE City of Ann Arbor’s log of FOIA requests submitted between January 2013 and May 2014 519 FOIA requests were submitted to the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s office. Thirty-three of the 519 requests came from The Ann Arbor News and the online news site AnnArborChronicle.com
cheap car rentals new york city @oprickniki This article was the result of an original investigation. Almost 14,000 credit card charges were examined and analyzed in order to do this piece. If you want to know what The Ann Arbor News covers and what it doesn t ask Paula Gardner, who is in charge of content. She s very willing to dialog with members of the community who have questions about the site s editorial mission.
Why isn t any of this reported on in the Ann Arbor News or any of the Detroit media outlets? Where are the County, State, and Federal prosecutors? Just good old boys and girls looting the public coffers.
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