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myGCWEB.com myamadvantage CCN RADIO The Daily Gazette
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April 19, 2017
"If I buy my software, that's good. But it doesn't uncover the spending of millions of dollars that I want uncovered. I'm not going anywhere until there's an audit. That's not a secret. They know that. Mark Young knows I want an audit."
— Clerk/Register John Gleason
By Mike KIllbreath
Posted April 19, 2017
County commissioners mum on call for forensic audit of county's books by former state senator on Morning Gazette Radio Show
FLINT — Wednesday's 9 am meeting at the county complex in Flint had an elephant in the room when the Genesee County Board of Commissioners convened to do business. It was their first public appearance since Clerk / Register of Deeds John Gleason, a former state senator, blasted them on Friday's Morning Gazette Radio Show when going on record to say he believes a "forensic audit (of the county's books) will send people to jail."
None of the nine commissioners reacted Wednesday to Gleason's accusations although a presentation was made by representatives of Plante Moran — the firm of CPA's who do the county's annual audit. A forensic audit is generally an examination and evaluation of financial information for use as evidence in court. A forensic audit can generally be conducted in order to prosecute a party for fraud, embezzlement or other financial claims.
E-mails have now been sent by The Daily Gazette to every commissioner to get their positions on the forensic audit issue after Gleason's comments Friday on the Morning Gazette Radio Show. The program replayed on Monday morning because of Good Friday and the Easter weekend, and has led to a flood of calls supporting Gleason. Two callers on Tuesday's Morning Gazette Radio Show suggested they would support Gleason if he decided to run for Governor after he urged the "feds to care as much about Flint, as they do Detroit" in calling for what he says is a "long overdue investigation" into what he described as a "county government that is perceived to be corrupt."
Gleason's comments came after media stories by ABC TV 12 and MLive reported a press release by County Board Chairman Mark Young, yet didn't include Gleason's reaction, according to Gleason. He told The Morning Gazette Radio Show that he never agreed to any settlement in a lawsuit against the board, despite County Board Chairman Mark Young's assertion to the contrary. He said in the press release: ""I am very disappointed in John Gleason. He said he'd drop the lawsuit if we purchased the software. We agreed to do that and then he broke his promise."
Gleason insisted, however, that he never agreed to any deal, saying, "If I buy my software, that's good. But it doesn't uncover the spending of millions of dollars that I want uncovered. I'm not going anywhere until there's an audit. That's not a secret. They know that. Mark Young knows I want an audit."
Gleason was also outraged by accusations that he was "wasting tax dollars on the lawsuit" and pointed out that a retainer for his legal fees was paid by a state-wide association consisting of each Register of Deeds from all 83 counties across Michigan. "The ones spending thousands in county tax dollars are Mark Young and the commissioners," Gleason said. "Registers from all 83 counties voted to pay my legal fees, so what does that tell you? I can't see how I can't win. The law is clear. The county board can't make decisions for the Register because it's a position elected by the people. It is illegal for them to take the money and spend it, yet they've been doing it ever since I took office four years ago."
Gleason suggested that the money was :stolen from my office" to "protect the county's bond rating" for projects such as the McCree parking ranp project and the Karagondi Water Authority's water pipeline from Lake Huron to Flint. He stressed that legal fees spent on "lawsuits fighting me" could have gone toward a forensic audit. "The old board settled my previous lawsuit and it was agreed I would get my audit, but I think we need a forensic audit of the entire county's books" he said. "The county had its auditor go first on mine and it showed over $300,000 misspent, but Jamie Curtis didn't like hearing that and he wanted to audit their audit. That never happened and it also never happened that I got my audit because David Leyton (as corporation counsel) has blocked paying for it."
Newly-elected County Board Chairman Young made mention of Gleason's comments Wednesday during the annual audit presentation to the board by representatives of Plante Moran, not using Gleason by name but asking if the county's Register of Deeds had authority to pay for an audit listed in the final annual audit report. He suggested that Gleason "got what he asked for" and accused him of paying for it out of (restricted funds in) the technology fund set up for his office.
"It's misappropriation of funds," he said after Pam Hill, a partner at the Flint office of Plante Moran answered Young's question about whether it was legal to pay for the audit out of funds in the technology fund for Gleason's office. She said it was not proper.
Gleason denied, however, that he directed the payment, saying it was done by Curtis — the former board chairman voted out of office in last August's primary. Curtis could not be reached for comment and has not returned telephone calls from The Morning Gazette Radio Show or My AM Advantage since 2012 when criticized for "grandstanding" to get positive publicity for his tarnished image and subsequently becoming a no show when scheduled to be a guest on the radio show.
Leyton, who now serves a dual role as the county's Prosecuting Attorney and Corporation Counsel, immediately reacted to Gleason's comments with a statement issued on his behalf by Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Potbury. The statement said: "Prosecutor Leyton first wishes to convey that Mr. Gleason is shooting the messenger with all of his accusations and verbal assaults here."
Gleason contends that Curtis arranged for Leyton to get a $45,000 pay raise when adding Corporation Counsel duties to his role.
Potbury said his boss also took exception with accusations that he had "blocked" paying for an audit Gleason wanted, saying, "Prosecutor Leyton is civil counsel for the Board of Commissioners. He does not have a vote and is not a member of the Board. The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to provide Mr. Gleason the audit he requested in his lawyer's letter of February 28, 2017. Mr. Gleason's allegations of mismanagement of funds was reviewed by the State Treasurer at Mr. Gleason's own request and no mismanagement was found."
Gleason also called Leyton "corrupt" for serving as corporation counsel and prosecutor in a case involving an employee of the Genesee County Sheriff's Department and in Gleason's lawsuit against the county board. "As Corporation Counsel, he represents employees of this county," Gleason said on The Morning Gazette Radio Show. "So how did he prosecute the Joe Parks case when he clearly had violation of attorney-client privilege there? How can he represent me as an elected official and oppose me at the same time? It's a conflict and it's unethical what he's doing."
Potbury responded on behalf of Leyton: "Michigan law provides that the elected County Prosecutor shall serve as civil counsel for the county unless a county chooses to employ a separate attorney for that role."
Gleason, who has arguably been the most popular politician in the county after a 10-year run that ended as a state senator, said his push to get new blood elected to the county board at the last election was solely because of his desire to get a forensic audit of the county's books after six years of county board leadership by Curtis. Gleason said that's why he offered endorsements and strong support for five newly elected commissioners — Drew Shapiro of Fenton, David Martin of Davison, Ellen Ellenburg of Burton, Kim Courts of Flint Township and Martin Cousineau of Clio.
"I wanted my audit," he quipped. "When we get it, people will go to jail. I believe that."
He said Commissioner Ted Henry of Clayton Township seemed poised to win the county board chairman role until Shapiro and Martin switched their votes. In fact, in an interview with The Morning Gazette Radio Show last December, Commissioner Henry had vowed to do exactly that if elected to replace Jamie Curtis as county board chairman on Jan. 3, but then Commissioner Young of Grand Blanc instead won the job by a 5-to-4 vote.
Commissioner Shapiro was rewarded for his support when promptly appointed by the new county board chairman as vice chairman of the county board and also as chairman of the board's finance committee, yet he was removed last month by County Board Chairman Young as the finance committee chair.
No announcement was made about why, but the shakeup by the newly-elected board chairman came after an incident where Commissioner Shapiro was escorted out of a board meeting and driven home by Genesee County Under-Sheriff Chris Swanson after appearing intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. Sheriff Robert Pickell told the media an investigation would include reviewing video tape to determine if he drove into the county parking lot in that condition, and Commissioner Shapiro told The Flint Journal he incorrectly mixed doctor-prescribed medications that caused his odd behavior.
Gleason's views on the incident were not aired on Friday's controversial Morning Gazette Radio Show, but he questioned how the incident was handled. Gleason was critical of the scenario where the county board subsequently voted after the Commissioner Shapiro incident to settle a lawsuit involving Sheriff Pickell and his campaign manager — Scott Hope. The vote came during a closed session and Gleason wouldn't reveal if he knew whether or not Commissioner Shapiro voted for the $225,000 settlement check that went to attorney Glen Lenhoff after his lawsuit threat. Lenhoff went to police to obtain a warrant that revealed a computer owned by Hope was used to create libelous posts about Lenhoff on fake Facebook accounts created during a nasty campaign last August between Sheriff Pickell and challenger Dan Allen of Grand Blanc. Lenhoff created a "Super PAC" with other local lawyers and more than $250,000 was spent between the PAC and Allen's own campaign funds.
A request for comment from Commissioner Shapiro was also issued to determine how he voted on the PIckell settlement, and to give him an opportunity to comment on the police ride home after his odd behavior and the subsequent decision by County Board Chairman Young to dump him as chairman of the board's finance committee.
Gleason said it was his "guess" that Commissioner Shapiro may have asked about the idea of a forensic audit or angered County Board Chairman Young when opposing his position about raising the age to purchase cigarettes in Genesee County. "He embarrassed Mark Young by pointing out how it was illegal to do it under state law, and I don't think Mark Young liked that," Gleason quipped.
In addition to Gleason's criticisms of Young, Curtis, the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office, Prosecutor Leyton and the Genesee County Sheriff's Department — Gleason also took some swings at others during the parts of the radio show that aired on Friday. He described ousted Commissioners Curtis, Mike Lynch and Tony Brown as "crooks" who were part of what he called the "Gang of Five" with Young and Bryant Nolden. Gleason was also critical of the former comnroller (Keith Francis) who quit after the last election, calling him a "crook." |
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