CITY ATTORNEY REFUSES TO ENFORCE CITY CODE IN REGARD TO CARRY OVER FUNDS - KOWTOWS TO MAYOR AND BOARD TO MAINTAIN STATUS QUO

TOM CARPENTER - CITY ATTORNEY AND CAPTAIN OF TEAM STODOLA

Little Rock Municipal Ordinance Sec.2-389 requires candidates for any municipal office to divest themselves of any funds collected during a campaign within 30 days after a general election.

Mayor Mark Stodola has kept funds, in an interest bearing account, carried over from his last campaign for office.  Those funds total somewhere around $78,000.

At a recent board meeting where the matter of exploratory committees formed by two possible mayoral candidates was discussed, at large Director Joan Adcock complained about individuals allegedly breaking the law by campaigning and raising funds a year before the election. 

 

Ms. Adcock needs to tone down her rhetoric as the city code does not prohibit campaigning, simply the raising of funds.

Adcock was re-elected  in 2016 to her sixth term. Guess she  is concerned about that 2020 election and individuals that might try and unseat her.

"It would not be fair to you [directors whose term ends in 2018] if in the next week or two people start campaigning and raising funds to run against you and you can't do it until next June because that what our rules say", harped Adcock.

As she is on so many thing, Adcock is wrong with this. As previously stated, fund raising for a municipal office is time limited, but there is no prohibition against campaigning prior to an election.

Adcock mentioned that she followed the city code and gave away any left over or surplus funds she had after each campaign.

Several other directors echoed Adcock's fear of competitors. 

At large Director Gene Fortson who was re-elected to a third term in 2016 (set to expire in 2020), has an active website soliciting contributions.  You can visit Fortson's site by clicking here.

Fortson stated that the process that begins in June of an election year "...allows a lot of adequate time to raise funds and get out and get the message across."

So why does he still have a active web page soliciting contributions? Early preparation for the 2020 election? Google the word hypocrisy Gene and take down that website that violates the city code.

Director Doris Wright chimed in and stated that she "was in favor of campaigning for positions to start in June because she did not want to have to focus on that [campaigning] for a whole year."

Director Capi Peck stated that she agreed with everybody.

Director Lane Hines remarked that he had followed the law and donated his left over funds to charity. Way to go Lance.

 

But you can bet he won't be doing that next go round.

As usual, Director Erma Hendricks had the best and most on-point comment, she said "we are running like we are scared... if you are thinking about running, just get busy."

All of this leads to this purpose of this post, on Tuesday the publisher of this blog hand delivered a complaint about Mayor Stodola's flagrant violation of a city code in regard to his keeping carry over funds from a previous campaign to the office of the city attorney.  

Click here to view the full complaint.

The publisher met with someone in the city attorney's office that offered this chair to sit in.

The chair looked like someone had crapped their pants while sitting in it.  Our publisher decided to stand.

We can't be sure but it is possible that the employee might be sleeping in her messy office as well.

City Attorney Tom Carpenter was unavailable and the complaint was taken to pass on to him.

Carpenter sent a response to the publisher of this blog and you can read the whole thing by clicking here.

Carpenter agreed that such a carry over is a violation of the city code but said that state law does not allow the city to enforce it because it does not provide the city power to impose such limits on campaign money.  He pointed out that he said as much back in 2010.

Then why is the law still on the books? Why are city directors still complying with the law?
 
This is not the first time Mayor Stodola has violated the law and failed to give away such funds.

As the Arkansas Times pointed out:

A request to the city clerk for records regarding the contributions Stodola made with those funds turned up records that indicated that the amount given away was only $3,700.

Maybe Mayor Stodola should give some of his campaign booty to From His Throne Ministry and some of the other organizations that have come before the city board to request funds from the city.

That would be the righteous and honorable thing to do so it probably won't happen.

It is time for drastic changes in Little Rock city government. Make you vote count next year.

#CLEANOUTLRCITYHALL  #TIMEFORCHANGE  #EPLURIBUSUNUM  #WOKE

ROCK REGION METRO WANTS TO HIRE A SECOND PUBLIC RELATIONS STAFF MEMBER TO TEACH INDIVIDUALS HOW TO RIDE A BUS

In the September 29th edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, there was an article that detailed how Rock River Metro is asking the City of Little Rock for 9 million dollars to cover lost fare revenue for 2018.

According to Rock Region interim director Wanda Crawford, she also wants to hire an second marketing person (and fund it out of the 9 million) to teach people how to ride a bus. We are not pulling your leg, read it yourself.

We called Crawford and she confirmed that she wants to hire a person to "teach people how to ride a bus."

WANDA CRAWFORD - INTERIM DIRECTOR ROCK RIVER METRO

Apparently Crawford has lost her mind.  If you need to have it explained to you how to ride a bus, you probably don't have any business riding one anyway. At least not without a keeper. Her normal position is that of finance director and that might need to be looked into by the agencies that Rock Region Metro is accountable to.

At any given time of the day you are only likely to find one or two riders on any bus - except for rush hours then you midnight find half a dozen or so. And ridership is declining.

Crawford blames it on lower gas prices. We think that as as around 60% of the individuals that work in Little Rock come from outside the city, that probably has more to do with declining ridership than anything else. For the workers in the city, they have a mean travel time to work of only 18.7 minutes and you will wait around longer to catch the bus than it will take you to drive to work. Plus there is the added convenience of being able to go someplace for lunch of run errands.

In 2016 voters in Little Rock overwhelmingly defeated a tax increase to raise some 18 million in funds. And the city was not willing to fork over an additional $71,000 to keep the free trolley rides that had been offered this summer going in 2018.

Being the civic minded publication that we are, our staff developed this simple, yet effective guide that Rock Region Metro can use to educate potential riders.

 

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Take a look at this matter being discussed that the last Little Rock Board of Director's meeting.

$198K HANDED OUT IN BONUS PAYMENTS TO NEW COPS SO FAR BY CITY MANAGER BRUCE MOORE - ANOTHER $290K AWAITS NEWEST RECRUIT CLASS

CITY MANAGER BRUCE MOORE LOOTED UNUSED PAYROLL FUNDS TO GIVE SIGNING BONUSES

In previous posts, we revealed the names of two white recruits that left employment as police officers shortly after receiving a signing bonus from City Manager Bruce Moore and that Moore refused to address questions concerning the sign bonuses and his lack of judgment in not developing a policy regarding those no strings attached signing bonuses. 

You can read out previous posts by clicking here and here. 

Moore has claimed that these funds are not signing bonuses even though he stated that they were on TV and newspapers stories.

It turns out that the signing bonuses are not $5k, but actually much larger, $7,513.15 to be exact. 

That figure was revealed in a FOI response from the city (see second image of Excel Spreadsheet).

 

And to avoid having to go through several board hearings on legitimating the signing bonus for new police officer recruits, an unlikely events as several directors have harped in recent months about city employees not getting raises - especially ones in the sanitation department, Moore looted unused payroll funds that were budgets for police officers.

Moore was so sure of himself that he didn't bother to develop policy or procedures regarding the signing bonus, a standard business practice, and just handed out the money with a smile on his face.

We suspect that when the two officers took the money and ran, he was wishing that he had thought out his plan a little more thoroughly. 

Little Rock is needing police officers so badly that they will play fast and loose with public funds, allow officers to use patrol cars (fuel provided) to drive to and from work (remember most all the officers live outside Little Rock - one as far as Malvern). not issue them tickets while on or off-duty.

We need new city leadership and changes on the Board of Directors.

 

NOTED ACTIVIST MAKES SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST LRPD - CHIEF BUCKNER FILPPANTLY SAYS FILE A COMPLAINT

NOTED ACTIVIST REV. BENNY JOHNSON NARROWLY ESCAPED INJURY AFTER MAKING 911 CALL

In a story that first appeared on the blog Corruption Sucks, Reverend Benny Johnson heard gunfire outside his residence on October 1, 2017 and called 911 to report it. 

Rev. Johnson then called the property manger to advise her that LRPD was on it's way and heard additional gunfire.

Rev. Johnson while still on the phone went to look out the widow to see if LRPD had arrived and that's when the real ordeal began. Let's  watch Rev. Johnson's detailed narrative of what happened next.

The previous incident that Rev. Johnson made reference to in the video happen just a couple of weeks ago.

LRPD officers claimed that that man "took a shooting stance" and "appeared to have a gun in his hand" according to initial reports.

Turns out that it was only a cellphone.  

Now we are not saying that the man shot back in September was without some responsibility, but a thin rectangular object looks nothing like a handgun.

So you can see why Rev. Johnson had some concern.  LRPD officers saw him standing in the widow and mistook his small Blackberry smartphone for a handgun being held up to his head. 

 

REV. JOHNSON WITH HIS PHONE AS IT WAS THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT

It is even more problematic for LRPD when one of the officers that responded to Rev. Johnson's call was one of the same officers that thought a cellphone was a gun and fired back in September. Is it a coincidence that they mistook a cellphone for a handgun again or is it a pattern of behavior?  That is something that only an external investigation can resolve.

 As the story that appeared in today's edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette revealed, beleaguered LRPD Chief Kenton Tremar Buckner tossed the responsibility to initiate an investigation back onto Rev. Johnson instead of taking a proactive step and ordering one himself. 

CHIEF KENTON TREMAR BUCKNER

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There is an interesting take on this as alluded to in the Corruption Sucks post. Is there an effort to retaliate against those who voice concerns about LPRD and the system's failure to take action?

A shocking story we will have posted in the coming days seems to indicate that there is something to what Corruption Sucks blog is saying.

Stay tuned.

CITY MANAGER BRUCE MOORE REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SIGNING BONUS FOR LRPD RECRUITS

CITY MANAGER BRUCE MOORE - REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS $10K MISTAKE

A couple of weeks ago we broke the story identifying the two LRPD recruits that left employment shortly after receiving a $5,000.00 signing bonus from the city, although Moore stated he was giving them the bonus.

Apparently as City Manager, Moore can snatch funds from one dedicated purpose and use them as he see's fit.

We sent Moore an email asking him questions, but he has ignored it and refused to answer.

 

So we submitted a Freedom of Information request for more details.

Citizens have a right to know how and why public funds are spent and public officials are answerable to the citizens they serve.

Ones like Moore need to be replaced and hopefully that will happen after the election next year.

 #CLEANOUTLRCITYHALL  #TIMEFORCHANGE  #EPLURIBUSUNUM  #RESIST

TWO ROOKIE OFFICERS THAT RECEIVED $5K BONUS AND QUIT IDENTIFIED - ONE WAS TOP OF CLASS AND AWARD WINNER.

NATHAN LEE - TOP RECRUIT AND ONE OF TWO OFFICERS TO QUIT AND WALK AWAY WITH $5K FREE & CLEAR IN LESS THAN 6 MONTHS OF GRADUATING

On or about February 3, 2017 City Manager Bruce Moore decided that in order to attract recruits for the struggling Little Rock Police Department, the city would give recruits that completed basic training a $5,000.00 signing bonus. He also decided that the first group of recruits to receive it would be the ones graduating that day.

MOORE DISCUSSING HOW HE GO THE IDEA FOR THE BONUS

"Some very good news for you.  It is my pleasure to announce that each of you will receive a $5,000 check from me for because of your successful completion of your training," said Moore.

Well, that check was not really from Moore and the money did not come from his personal bank account, it was public funds from the taxpayers that was budgeted for salaries for the budgeted but unfilled 60 to 70 police officer positions.

"I did some research across the country and saw these signing bonuses and thought, this is what we're going to do," said Moore to reporters after the ceremony.


LRPD posted this on their Facebook page at around 2:55 p.m. that same day.

We know the exact time as they edited the post.

Officer Nathan Lee was the top recruit in the class and was a featured speaker at the ceremony.  Lee was presented with a symbolic check for the class and then like it one that bore his name. The other that graduated also received one of the big checks as well. Moore is never one to miss a photo opportunity.

MOORE AND LEE POSE FOR A PUBLICITY PHOTO

EACH GRADUATING RECRUIT RECEIVED A BIG CHECK FOR A PUBLICITY PHOTO

You can view a television news report about the ceremony  and "surprise" bonus payments. It is important to note that Moore states that the $5k is a "bonus." That will be important a little later.

Not everyone was happy with Moore's decision to issues the bonus. FOP president John Gilchrist was concerned about existing officers that not received raises or any type of bonus in several years.

Gilchrist told reporters that the biggest concern officer had is that in two contract negotiation attempts the city told the FOP that there was no money for raises.

Gilchrist also raised concerns that there were no stipulations about receiving the $5k and if one of the new officers left the next day they could take the $5k and run.

That is exactly what happened,but it was not the next day, it was less than six months later.

The first officer to leave was Samuel Ringgold. He quit for personal reason on 
May 24, 2017, just a little over three months after receiving the $5k bonus.

Officer Ringgold quit three months after completing his training and becoming a LRPD officer.


According to records from CLEST. Ringgold did not go to work for any other law enforcement agency.
 
Then on August 11, 2017, top recruit Nathan Lee quit, also for personal reasons.

Lee had just been awarded an award in July by the Little Rock Civitan Club for being the top recruit and best shot on the range.

We don't know why Lee quit, but it was not for another position in law enforcement. Records obtained from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards & Training ("CLEST").

We had some difficulty initially in  getting the city to cooperate with our FOI request. 

Then Officer Lee told the city attorney Tom Carpenter he didn't care if we obtained his information and they sent it on. Carpenter stated that City Manager Bruce Moore had sent a letter to the Arkansas Attorney General requesting an opinion about their releasing information about the officers and the bonus.

You can view the Attorney General's response to Moore by clicking here.

Remember back a few paragraphs above we told you to remember that Moore call the $5k a "bonus"? Here is why. Moore claimed in his letter to the Attorney General that the $5k was not a bonus, but was incentive pay. Liar, liar pants on fire.  Watch that video clip again and see if you don't agree that Moore is a liar.

In that FOI request we also asked for policy or procedures regarding the $5k bonus/incentive. Guess what? No policy or procedures exist and there are no requirements that recruits have to remain on the job a set period of time to keep the bonus.

Most agencies or private companies that hand out bonus or incentive monies have specific requirements regarding issuance of the funds.

For City Manager to not have a written policy or procedure in place before issuing such is pure maleficence. And not having a permanent source of funding for them in a budget is unconscionable and poor management. 

Robbing Peter to pay Paul, by using funds set aside for salaries for unfilled positions is a step towards insolvency and ruin.

Changes are needed at city hall and the mayor, city manager (and others) need to removed from office and replaced by competent, credible individuals.

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Take a look at this LRPD recruit class #85 video. The highlight is the recruits getting to experience what it feels like to be shot by a Taser.

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Also check out what Max Brantley with the Arkansas Times had to say about this.

***UPDATE 9/23/17***

A reader sent an email advising us that Lee quit to attend law school. Guess we know how he paid for part of his first semester's tuition. Hope he doubles down on the ethics classes.

In an interview on February 3, 2017,  then Officer Lee, the top recruit in his class said he's ready for the challenges ahead...

"I think for a lot of us it's something we've always wanted to do [police work] despite kind of how things are going on in the world right now.  We all just see it as an opportunity to do what we're called to do and give back to our community," said Officer Lee.

With extra cash in their pocket, Lee says they're looking ahead, ready to overcome obstacles and put their training to work.

"None of us were expecting it.  It was a big blessing.  I think we were all totally shocked whenever we heard the news," said Officer Lee.

Maybe that call to Lee to be a cop was a misdial as he quit just months after graduating. 

Maybe Lee should give that $5k back.  Just a thought.