EDITORIAL: Pendergrass credit card abuse was overwhelming
Among the many allegations made a year ago against City of Pendergrass officials was that city manager Rob Russell had abused his city credit card for personal expenses. It was an allegation that Russell strongly denied at the time and he was backed up by Mayor Monk Tolbert.
“I would never, ever use my credit card for items not approved,” Russell said in early August 2009. “Any time I pull out my credit card, it is on city business. I’m not living it up on the city credit card. That is crazy.”
Turns out, however, that Russell had apparently been doing just that for years, living it up on public funds through Pendergrass’ city credit card.
When the story broke last August, this newspaper only had access to a handful of city credit card bills. We made an open records request at the time, but city officials denied having any other credit card receipts. They never turned that information over even after they got it.
But now we have acquired access to Russell’s Pendergrass credit card receipts for 2005-2009. It’s shocking. No way all of these expenses were for real city needs.
The details are published on the next page, but here are a few highlights:
•From Feb. 2005 to July 2009, Russell spent $7,240 on meals he charged to Pendergrass. Among those was a whopping $230 at Alamo Steakhouse Saloon in Gatlinburg, TN; $145 at Inoko Japanese Steak House in Athens; $154 at The Olive Garden in Buford; $162 at the Houndstooth Grill in Braselton; $161 at Belford’s Seafood & Steaks in Savannah; $223 at Longhorn’s Steak House in Commerce; and $317 at Red Lobster in Gainesville. He certainly gets around and seems to like steak.
• From March 2005 to Sept. 2009, Russell spent $13,690 on hotel rooms charged to Pendergrass taxpayers. He likes the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, TN having spent $3,400 there since 2005. He spent thousands of dollars at the Westin Hotel on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, and he visited the Hyatt in Atlanta, the Omni Hotel in Atlanta and a variety of less expensive digs in Jefferson, Commerce and Duluth.
• Russell spent $1,700 at various grocery stores on the city’s credit card, including stores in Cleveland.
• Russell spent $17,614 at various retail stores, including toy stores, Wal-Marts, Sears, Kohls, a Barnes & Nobel in Florida, and other locations.
• Russell spent $4,347 on gas, much of it out of the area and even out of state.
• And Russell spent $25,360 on a variety of other items, some of which appear to be legitimate, but some of which are unclear. Among the questionable items are online clothing stores including Eddie Bauer, Orvis and Territory Ahead.
In the larger picture, Russell’s abuse of the city credit card may turn out to be a minor infraction in a town rife with a corruption. The GBI is investigating and the feds are also reportedly interested in the city and its various schemes.
Hopefully, someday, Pendergrass will change and will become a respectable part of the Jackson County community.
But that will never happen with the wayward leadership it now has, both among those who abused the system and from those at the top who helped cover it up.
Turns out, however, that Russell had apparently been doing just that for years, living it up on public funds through Pendergrass’ city credit card.
When the story broke last August, this newspaper only had access to a handful of city credit card bills. We made an open records request at the time, but city officials denied having any other credit card receipts. They never turned that information over even after they got it.
But now we have acquired access to Russell’s Pendergrass credit card receipts for 2005-2009. It’s shocking. No way all of these expenses were for real city needs.
The details are published on the next page, but here are a few highlights:
•From Feb. 2005 to July 2009, Russell spent $7,240 on meals he charged to Pendergrass. Among those was a whopping $230 at Alamo Steakhouse Saloon in Gatlinburg, TN; $145 at Inoko Japanese Steak House in Athens; $154 at The Olive Garden in Buford; $162 at the Houndstooth Grill in Braselton; $161 at Belford’s Seafood & Steaks in Savannah; $223 at Longhorn’s Steak House in Commerce; and $317 at Red Lobster in Gainesville. He certainly gets around and seems to like steak.
• From March 2005 to Sept. 2009, Russell spent $13,690 on hotel rooms charged to Pendergrass taxpayers. He likes the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, TN having spent $3,400 there since 2005. He spent thousands of dollars at the Westin Hotel on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, and he visited the Hyatt in Atlanta, the Omni Hotel in Atlanta and a variety of less expensive digs in Jefferson, Commerce and Duluth.
• Russell spent $1,700 at various grocery stores on the city’s credit card, including stores in Cleveland.
• Russell spent $17,614 at various retail stores, including toy stores, Wal-Marts, Sears, Kohls, a Barnes & Nobel in Florida, and other locations.
• Russell spent $4,347 on gas, much of it out of the area and even out of state.
• And Russell spent $25,360 on a variety of other items, some of which appear to be legitimate, but some of which are unclear. Among the questionable items are online clothing stores including Eddie Bauer, Orvis and Territory Ahead.
In the larger picture, Russell’s abuse of the city credit card may turn out to be a minor infraction in a town rife with a corruption. The GBI is investigating and the feds are also reportedly interested in the city and its various schemes.
Hopefully, someday, Pendergrass will change and will become a respectable part of the Jackson County community.
But that will never happen with the wayward leadership it now has, both among those who abused the system and from those at the top who helped cover it up.
Cops can pull you over 5" from a speed limit sign.
The 500' you're referencing is "visibility".
Perhaps you oughta do YOUR police work right.
After all, how many school zones and work zones with posted speed change signs have you seen that aren't 500' long. Here's a few to get you going:
1. South Jackson Elementary School Zone: maybe just over 500'.
2. Jefferson Elementary School Zone: not even close to 500'
3. If you're rules were correct, you might not even be able to get a speeding ticket on half of the City streets in Jackson County- a lot of them aren't 500'.
I am sure good ol' Rob didn't think in his wildest dreams that you would actually go this far to get the information, and that is why he made that denial a year ago. I hope he has to pay back the taxpayers for every cent, plus interest. That shouldn't be hard for him to do considering his overpaid salary from the City of Pendergrass.
I just hope this investigation doesn't get botched so like so many others have. It is time to bring this nonsense in Pendergrass to an end, and show everyone that Jackson County does have some resemblance of a system of justice.
How in the world can any of them justify these expenses??