…”Today’s Example Of Greed Over Principles.”
I’ve been following the continuing Eden Prairie GOPer Mayor Phil Young Scandal; Part 5 (which has links to parts 1, 2, 3 and 4) is here.
And I’d like to reiterate what I told the Eden Prairie City Council on June 15th:
THIS MATTER IS ABOUT A MAYOR THAT FALSELY SIGNED DOCUMENTS FOR AT LEAST 26 MEETINGS – THERE MAY BE MORE.
Yesterday, the Strib published an Editorial regarding Mayor Young. On their webpage, they excerpted one question and answer between Detective Hultgren and Mayor Young. I also submitted a Data Practices Act Request with the Plymouth Police Department, and have read the entire investigation that is public information. The final 4 pages are here (page 45) and here (page 46) and here (page 47) and here (page 48). It starts with Detective Hultgren describing how he was assigned to the case, and the facts he found. Make no mistake — Detective Hultgren found perjury, plain and simple. From page 48:
On 6/11/2010 (City Prosecutor) Renz contacted me and asked that I (Det. Hultgren) again send this case to the County Attorney for possible felony perjury charges. Renz believed this was the most obvious charge after he reviewed the facts.
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On 7-12-2010 Renz advised me that his office was declining to charge Mayor Young with a misdemeanor.
OK, so why didn’t City Attorney Renz prosecute Mayor Young under misdemeanor perjury? Because he can’t; perjury by definition is a felony. That explains Renz’ cryptic press release: “…though there may be provable charges at levels or in forums over which Mr. Renz does not have jurisdiction.”
After reading through the whole Plymouth Police Investigation, it’s obvious: Young knew when he filled out all those forms that included the phrase “I declare under penalties of perjury…” the information Young filled in was not true.
And Young did it over and Over and OVER. Just one time – just ONE TIME – is perjury; the Plymouth Police Department clearly proved Young did it over and Over and OVER.
One can easily surmise Young would still be doing just that, had he not been caught. It’s a shame he won’t be prosecuted.
Stay tuned!
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
…”Today’s Example Of Greed Over Principles.”
I’ve been following the continuing Eden Prairie GOPer Mayor Phil Young Scandal; Part 4 (which has links to parts 1, 2, and 3) is here.
Last Tuesday, as noted here, I addressed the Eden Prairie City Council. One thing I said is this:
THIS MATTER IS ABOUT A MAYOR THAT FALSELY SIGNED DOCUMENTS FOR AT LEAST 26 MEETINGS – THERE MAY BE MORE.
And it sure looks like there are!
The City Of Eden Prairie appoints a Council Representative to a local non-profit, the Eden Prairie Foundation. The current Board make-up of that non-profit is here. On that page, you will see the City Council’s appointed Representative is Kathy Nelson – NOT Mayor Phil Young.
And if you link to the January 8th, 2008 City Council Minutes here, you’ll see on Page 5:
J. APPOINTMENT TO EDEN PRAIRIE FOUNDATION
Neal noted the Eden Prairie Foundation is a local philanthropic organization in the City. He said this appointment is approved on an annual basis, and Council Member Nelson is currently serving on the foundation.
Young recommended Council Member Nelson’s reappointment. (emphasis added)MOTION: Aho moved, seconded by Butcher, to approve appointment of Council Member Nelson to the Eden Prairie Foundation. Motion carried 5-0.
I you link here to the January 6th, 2009 minutes, you’ll see Council Member Nelson again appointed as City Council Representative to that non-profit – and, again, on a 5-0 vote.
Everybody got that? Council Member Nelson is entitled to receive Meeting Attendance Reimbursement from City taxpayers for attending meetings with this very, Very, VERY worthy non-profit – NOT Mayor Phil Young.
So, what does GOPer Mayor Young do, on February 5th, 2009?
Turn in a handwritten “City Council Meeting Attendance Claim Form” – under the penalty of perjury – for a 27 January 2009 meeting with that non-profit.
And he did it again and Again and AGAIN — claiming reimbursements for allegedly – ALLEGEDLY – attending meetings with that non-profit on 23 February 2009, 20 March 2009, and 29 May 2009.
And I say allegedly, because the meeting room that non-profit almost always meets at (for regular meetings) is located at City Hall, and a Data Practices Request filed with the City reveals the non-profit did NOT meet at the City in their normal room on the dates Young claimed reimbursement for.
Either way, the claims Young filed – and signed under penalty of perjury – appear to be fraudulent. If there actually were meetings with this non-profit that Mayor Young attended, he received compensation he doesn’t appear entitled to because he is NOT the City Council Representative to that non-profit.
Of course, if there weren’t meetings on the dates Young claimed, that just makes Young’s position worse: claiming compensation he wasn’t entitled to, for meetings that didn’t exist.
But, hey! It’s not like Young hasn’t done that before!
E-mails to the non-profit concerning this matter, by people in a position to confirm or deny if there were meetings and if Young attended, have not been returned.
Stay tuned!!!
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
…”Today’s Example Of Greed Over Principles.”
Yesterday, the Strib did an update* on Republican Mayor Phil Young’s problems. Most notable was the news that while Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman’s office declined to prosecute for felony charges, Eden Prairie’s Prosecutor sent the case to the Metropolitan Airports Commission’s Prosecuting Attorney due to possible conflict of interest issues. That Prosecutor is considering misdemeanor, or even gross misdemeanor, charges.
Should be a slam-dunker.
As noted in Part 1 and in Part 2 and in Part 3, Eden Prairie Mayor Phil Young is in a whole lotta trouble; trouble of his own making because he filled out meeting reimbursement claim forms – in his own handwriting – for meetings he didn’t attend (26 at the last count, according to the Strib) and then signed them under penalty of perjury. Additionally, “The Mayor Who Would Be Judge” (we’ll get to that in a future post) turned in a mileage claim for attending meetings he never attended — takin’ the ol’ unearned double-dip from the city’s taxpayer-provided coffers. Oh – and again, that double-dip was in his own handwriting, and – again – signed under penalty of perjury.
How’s THAT for a neat little trick by a GOPer with a reputation for watchin’ the Public’s Purse like a hawk?
Phil Young is the perfect example of a GOPer running for office on the platform “You can’t trust gov’t!!!” – and, once in power, proving it.
All the above deals with just the 26 meetings of the Minnesota Regional Council of Mayors GOPer Young claimed he went to, under penalty of perjury, but didn’t. I’ve been taking a closer look at some of the other meetings Young claimed reimbursement for, and today we’ll look at GOPer Young’s claimed meeting with GOPer State Representative Jenifer Loon!
The questions I emailed to Rep. Loon, R = ChamberOfCommerce 42B, are below the fold:
From: TwoPuttTommy (redacted)
Sent: Tue 6/01/10 10:19 AM
To: Rep. Loon (redacted)
Subj: 2nd Request: 22 February 2010 Meeting With Mayor Phil YoungDear Rep. Loon,
As you know, I am a blogger at www.MnProgressiveProject.com and an occasional Guest Host on AM950 KTNF radio. I am writing about the current scandal involving Mayor Young.
According to Mayor Young’s 15 March 2010 City Council Meeting Attendance Claim Form, Mayor Young attended a meeting with you – which he was reimbursed for. Presumably, as the Mayor Young was reimbursed, the meeting had to deal with official governmental business. Accordingly, can you tell me where the meeting was held, and how long the meeting lasted?
Where there any others in attendance during this meeting? What official governmental issues were discussed? Did you keep any notes of this meeting?
Did you claim any monetary reimbursement for attending this meeting?
Your prompt response is appreciated.
Tommy Johnson
I originally sent that email on May 24th; followed up with the above on June 1st, and left a voicemail for Rep. Loon on the same day.
Yesterday, I called her office to follow up; the friendly person answering the phone suggested I call Rep. Loon at home – and even provided the number!
So, I did.
I told Rep. Loon why I was calling; she told me she couldn’t comment as the case was still under investigation. I asked her if she had gotten my emails and voice mail; she said she had. I asked her if her position was still “no comment” – she affirmed.
Two points: 1 – the case isn’t “still under investigation” – the Plymouth Police completed the investigation and forwarded the results to the Hennepin County Attorney for possible felony – FELONY - prosecution (as noted above, the case is now under review for possible misdemeanor prosecution); and 2 – Rep. Loon would not - NOT – even confirm nor deny that a meeting between an elected Mayor and an elected State Representative took place??!?
WOW!!!
That “no comment” raises more questions – a LOT more questions – stay tuned!!!
* And For The Record – in yesterday’s Strib story, it was reported:
The matter is expected to come up at the Eden Prairie City Council meeting June 15, Eden Prairie City Manager Scott Neal said. Two people have asked to speak at the open forum, to ask for Young’s resignation.
One of those two, is me.
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
…”Today’s Example Of Greed Over Principles.”
As noted in Part 1, the Strib broke the initial story, about Eden Prairie’s GOPer Mayor billing the taxpayers for meetings he didn’t attend. A whole bunch of meetings; 14 – FOURTEEN! – that I could find, as pointed out in Part 2.
Well, guess what? The Strib reporter, Laurie Blake, didn’t stop with the first one; she kept digging into a very sordid story. It’s on-line here. And here’s what the intrepid Strib Reporter found:
Eden Prairie mayor reimbursed for 26 no-shows
Eden Prairie mayor claimed expenses for 26 meetings he didn’t go to. Some had been canceled.By LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune
Last update: May 26, 2010 – 10:06 PMEden Prairie Mayor Phil Young filed expense claims totaling nearly $1,000 for 26 meetings that he did not attend, including six that did not take place, City Hall records show.
The information, obtained from the city of Eden Prairie, adds more precise detail to the investigation into Young’s expense claims.
City Hall records show that for 2008, 2009 and the first three months of this year, Young claimed $35 per diem amounting to $980 for 28 meetings of the Minnesota Regional Council of Mayors, which meets under the auspices of the Urban Land Institute in downtown Minneapolis.
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Young also claimed $99 for mileage reimbursement in 2009 for driving 180 miles to five of the same mayors’ council meetings that he did not attend, including two of the meetings that did not take place. (more, here)
Kudos for Laurie for digging deep!!!
Both Star Tribune stories, and the local Eden Prairie paper, had Young’s attorney saying, in essence, that Young could have submitted other reimbursements, so this is no big deal.
Bullsh*t.
Young filed bogus claims, under penalty of perjury – which IS a big deal.
If there were claims he could have filed, but didn’t file, those would be mitigating issues for a Judge to consider before applying sentencing for what Young did – which, in essence, was stealing and fraud.
Republicans run on the platform “Gov’t doesn’t work!”
When in office, they prove it.
And GOPer Phil Young – once again – is today’s example of Greed Over Principles.
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
…”Today’s Example Of Greed Over Principles.”
As noted in Part 1, The Strib broke the (partial) story.
GOPer Mayor Phil Young’s hometown paper soon followed up; the print edition from last Thursday (5-20-2010) stuck the story inside (on page 3) with this headline:
“Sloppy bookkeeping,” but no crime in case of mayor’s reimbursement record
There’s only a “slight” problem with that headline; in the story it read, and again I quote:
Though the Hennepin County Attorney has opted not to press charges the case is still under investigation by the Plymouth Police, according to Police Chief Mike Goldstein. The case has been referred to the Plymouth city attorney, who will review whether to press charges in the form of a gross misdemeanor or misdemeanor.
Mayor Young is NOT “out of the woods” yet; City Prosecutors indeed still are considering charges because for 14 – FOURTEEN months in a row, GOPer Mayor Phil Young claimed per diem for meetings he didn’t attend.
So I called the paper’s Editor, and pointed the inconsistency out. And kudos to the Editor for changing the on-line version of the story to now read:
Again, kudos to the Editor for recognizing and fixing the inconsistency. Now, on to “Today’s Example Of Greed Over Principles!”
When then-Council Member Phil Young decided to go a step up and run for mayor, he put together a campaign website. And on that website, on one page, he listed his community activities; presumably proudly and presumably to induce voters to vote for him due his volunteerism. The screenshot is below, and if you look, there are two organizations listed that – when compared to the Meeting Attendance Claim Forms Young turned in – stick out:
1 – Board Member, Eden Prairie Foundation, and
2 – Member, Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce Government Committee
Presumably, neither the Chamber nor the Foundation pay members to attend meetings.
Now, upon becoming Mayor, what did Eden Prairie’s WORST. MAYOR. EVER. do?
Why, charge the taxpayers for now attending meetings; meetings that he – presumably – used to volunteer for!
Here’s the dates Mayor Young charged the taxpayers for, for the Chamber, in just 2009:
1-7-09; 1-27; 2-19; 3-17 — “EP Chamber gov’t comm”; 4-16; 5-4; 5-19 — “chamber gov’t”; 6-3; 6-19; 6-23 — “EP Chamber gov’t cmtt”; 7-28; 8-6; 9-17; 10-23; 11-10; 11-30; and 12-15
If I listed correctly, and I think I did (especially the ones Young listed as “gov’t committee”) – and I count the above correctly, I come up with 17 Chamber meetings (with 4 specifically for a Chamber Committee Young presumably used to attend for free) at $35 per meeting for a grand total of $595 of new, taxpayer-provided income for 2009 for the fiscally-conservative Mayor Young.
For the Foundation, Young merely nicked the taxpayers for 4 meetings at $35 a pop, for a miserly $140 – in 2009.
Vote for Young for Mayor for his volunteerism; once elected, Young nails the taxpayer for what he – presumably – used to volunteer for.*
That’s today’s example of why GOP now stands for GreedOverPrinciples.
*actually, I did check with the Chamber….
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
