If you complain about crime, but publicly support criminals, what do you suppose our kids think?

Prince George's County has a crime problem--just read the archives of these discussion groups.

But while many individual who post here complain about crime, many, including some of the same people, post messages praising criminal behavior by our elected officials.

Donna Edwards, Nat Exum, Ulysses Currie,  David Harrington, Marilynn Bland, Camille Exum, house majority leader Barve--all accused of or investigated for criminal behavior, and all supported by people here.

What are our children supposed to believe about what's right and what's wrong  when the adults keep praising people who break the law.  

Do we really want to keep reinforcing the message that it is acceptable, even good, to pick and choose which laws to obey and which to disobey?  That it is good to disobey the law if you disagree with it or think breaking the law supports some noble purpose?

How do we expect our children, especially the ones tempted by gang promises to right perceived wrongs, to obey the law when we allow our leaders--the ones who should be setting an example--to ignore the very laws they pass?

Unanimous council picks another corrupt leader

(Posted 9 Dec 2008)

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Comment:  Marilynn Bland's unanimous election, following in the footsteps of Camille Exum and David Harrington who also used county money for their own personal gain, shows once again how our elected leaders--all Democrats--are either corrupt or tolerate corruption on the part of their colleagues.

Unanimous vote puts Bland as head of County Council; Lawmaker elected despite controversial history.
Gazette, 4 Dec 2008 (Valentine).

Prince George's County Councilwoman Marilynn M. Bland (D-Dist. 9) of Clinton assumed the leadership of the County Council on Tuesday, after a unanimous vote from her peers.

Bland, who has represented much of the southern and rural portions of the county since 2002, will lead the legislative branch through the end of 2009. Members also selected Councilman Thomas E. Dernoga (D-Dist. 1) of Laurel as vice chairman and named leaders of the council's legislative committees.

Bland served as vice chairwoman to Chairman Samuel Dean (D-Dist. 6) of Mitchellville for the past year. Of the five members who took office in 2002, Bland is the last to assume the leadership post. Term limits prevent Bland and other members in their second term from returning to the council after their term ends in 2010.

"I'm a firm believer that God has a plan in each of our lives," said Bland, who called for greater participation and collaboration to change the county, citing the recent election of President-Elect Barack Obama.

"This change is not about any one person," she said. "This change is a movement that encompasses civic participation, accountability and forward thinking. This change is going to require all of us to roll up our sleeves and simply do the work."

She took over the gavel from Dean, who touted the group's economic development and fiscal decisions during the past "difficult" year, when the government has suffered millions in budget shortfalls.

"We continue to grapple with fiscal challenges of critical importance," Dean said in a farewell address to the crowd. "…Even in this economy, Prince George's is still growing."

Council chairpersons often serve as the de-facto spokesman for the group, lead negotiations with County Executive Jack B. Johnson and also wield influence on which bills and resolutions are up for a vote. The group leader often coordinates support for key measures.

Bland's new position comes as the county faces one of its most difficult budgets in decades. At a secret meeting last month, Johnson and staff members allegedly warned that hundreds of employee lay-offs could be possible and hinted to legislators that he may ask for broader state power in raising taxes.

A voter-imposed charter amendment has kept the county from raising tax rates without ballot approval.

The new chairwoman said it was too early to discuss potential tax changes until Johnson creates his draft budget.

"We have to entertain various options," she said, adding later, "I'm going to wait and see what he proposes."

Covering Clinton, Accokeek, Croom, Brandywine, Fort Washington and Andrews Air Force Base, Bland's district is the largest in the county.

Elected to the county school board in 1996, Bland's political career has been frequently marked by controversy.

Auditors cited Bland several times for questionable use of credit cards and expense accounts as a school board member. The charges included $2,000 spent on a 1998 trip to a conference in Florida in which she also took a six-day detour to visit family in Mississippi.

Bland also faced scrutiny for her decision to spend more than $7,700 in school board money on a newsletter to constituents that came out the same week she was up for re-election in the 2000 school board primary.

In 2001, she accused the state of racism for not adequately funding county schools.

"When you have a predominantly African-American school system, the money seems to disappear," she said at a November 2001 board meeting. "People seem to fund white students more than African-American ones."

Critics at the time accused Bland of unprofessional leadership and race-baiting.

"She does not have the personality to be vice chair [of the school board]," now-Del. Doyle Niemann (D-Dist. 47) of Mount Rainier said in 2001, when he served with Bland on the school board. "She is consistently rude, insulting and intolerant."

Niemann did not return calls for comment by press time.

After the General Assembly disbanded the elected school board in 2002 for infighting and concerns about spending, Bland ran and won the District 9 council seat and was re-elected in 2006.

Her two terms on the council have also been marked by questions about her performance. Constituents have frequently accused Bland of being nonresponsive, leading many to reach out to neighboring Councilman Tony Knotts (D-Dist. 8) of Temple Hills or Dernoga.

"Formerly, she's been extremely absent and hard to get a hold of," said Kelly Canavan, a member of the Accokeek Civic Association who called Bland's tenure "abysmal." "She's seemed unaware of her constituents' needs."

In 2005, Bland earned the distinction of having record high turnover among her office staff. From 2002 to 2005, more than a dozen people were terminated or resigned from her three-person office. Several former employees said they were terminated for "insubordination."

Last year, Bland faced scrutiny for a news release she sent out touting an honorary doctoral degree she received from Springfield Christian College and Theological Seminary, a non-accredited university where her chief of staff, David Billings, serves on the Board of Trustees.

The press release quoted a paper she had written to earn the degree, which appears to borrow heavily from a United Nations report on poverty. Bland and the college both declined to release copies of her dissertation.

At the same time, Bland has kept a rigid platform opposing development in the county's rural tier. She most recently co-sponsored a bill with Dernoga that would have made developers pay farmers to preserve land in exchange for credits toward construction in other communities, a concept known as transfer of development rights.

Council leadership traditionally shifts to the vice chairman in the next year. Bland, who was elected vice chair one month before, was bypassed last year after the sudden elevation of Chairman David Harrington to the state senate seat left by the death of former state Sen. Gwendolyn Britt (D-Dist 47). Dean was named chairman of the council a second time.

Dernoga said Bland's turn had come to lead.

"I think it's her year," Dernoga said. "Ms. Bland has waited in line and has done the things people expect of her. This is her opportunity."

Bland's recent actions on TDR and other issues like youth outreach are giving constituents hope.

"She has done so much recently," said Canavan, who said she hopes Bland will use her leadership role to push for agricultural preservation and work to improve south county elementary schools, which have been rated as being in the worst condition in the county.

"We're all looking for her to rise to the occasion," Canavan said.

State Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington said he believes Bland has the experience and temperament to lead.

"If being chairman means working with people and reaching compromise, she'll do a good job," Muse said. "She has a great deal of knowledge to share."

Bland worked as a legislative aide for the late Councilman Isaac J. Gourdine (D-Dist. 8) of Fort Washington during her time on the school board. Bland was riding in the car with Gourdine when he was killed in a 2002 car accident on the Beltway and remembered her former mentor as she took office Tuesday.

"[He] told me that dedication, hard work and laboring for the people would make this day possible," she said.

Government sources said that Bland's leadership vote was challenged in closed-door discussions this year by Knotts, who publicly voted for Bland with the rest of the council.

After she was elected by the group, Bland named Dean to chair the council's Planning Zoning and Economic Development Committee and Dernoga was appointed chair of the Transportation, Housing and Environment Committee. Council members Camille Exum (D-Dist. 7) of Capitol Heights and Andrea Harrison (D-Dist 5) of Springdale were appointed to lead the Public Safety and Fiscal Management and Health and Human Service committees.

The first session of the Prince George's County Council is scheduled for Jan. 13.

Pro-corruption PG Dems add ethically challenged Harrington to the MD Senate

Was: GOP Victory in Prince George's

There must be something wrong with either Mr. Anderson or me. For once I at least partially agree with him. We need honest, not crooked senators, both state and federal. Bad as he may be, Harrington's misdeeds and ability to cause serious damage are far less than McCain's, the latter being the most dangerous of all presidential candidates from both parties.

On Jan 30, 2008 10:58 PM, mark_anderson_jr <mark_anderson_jr@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hearty congratulations are deserved to Maryland's Republican Party.

Tonight the GOP's caucus in Maryland State Senate grew by one as the

Prince George's Democratic Central Committee selected scandal-ridden,

GOP-lovin' Councilman David Harrington to replace Democrat Gwen Britt.

A special shoutout to union-busting Terry Spiegner and Art Turner who

pushed the selection of Harrington over objections of the residents

of the 47th District in attendance at the Central Committee meeting.

With friends like this, John McCain should take this county easily in

November.

PG Council selects new ethically-challenged leaders

(Posted 5 Dec 2007)

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The December 5 Washington Post reports: "The Prince George's County Council elected David Harrington (D-Cheverly) chairman yesterday . . . The council elected Marilynn Bland (D-Clinton) as its vice chairman."

Looking back at just a few of the many past news stories about these scoundrels:

• Prince George's Taxpayers Pick Up Officials' Personal Tabs; Records Show Thousands of Dollars Charged to County-Issued Cards in Violation of Policy (Post, 20 Nov 2006)

  Prince George's County Council member David Harrington (D-Cheverly), needed a shirt for his pastor's funeral in 2003, so he bought one for $37.99 at a Temple Hills store called Uniforms & Lingerie Inc.

  When he wanted a haircut, he got one for $21 at Hair Designers Plus in Hyattsville. And when he decided he wanted to get in shape, he bought a gym membership for $300 at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex in Landover.

  Each time, taxpayers picked up the tab, according to county records.

  Harrington is one of several Prince George's officials, including County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), who have used county-issued credit cards to pay for personal expenses totaling thousands of dollars, violating county policy.

• Credit Card Use Probed By U.S., Sources Say (Post, 19 May 2007).
  

  Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the use by Prince George's officials of county-issued credit cards to charge personal expenses totaling thousands of dollars, according to a law enforcement official and another source with knowledge of the probe. . . . The expenses detailed in The Post's report included a $37.99 shirt and a $21 haircut bought by council member David Harrington (D-Cheverly). He also charged $1,200 for six-month gym memberships for himself and three staff members. . . .

• What's Yours Is Mine; Especially if you live in Prince George's County -- and I am elected to serve you (Post editorial, 25 Nov 2006).

  In Prince George's, several County Council members seem to think there's no reason to reach into their own pockets for haircuts, gym memberships, rental cars, office decorations, family vacations or golf outings when they can whip out their county charge cards and reimburse the public in their own good time -- or not. . . . Mr. Harrington, who seems to use his county card whenever he's short on cash, has charged the county for dry cleaning, video rentals, a haircut and airplane tickets for his college-age son, among other expenses. . . . Prince George's County has had similar problems over the years -- in 2000, for instance, when council member Marilynn Bland, then a school board member, charged the county for a family trip to Disney World.

• School board audit finds accounts abuse (Gazette, 21 Sep 2000).

  A draft audit of the Board of Education and upper level school system management indicates a double-standard between treatment of board officials and system employees, lax accounting methods, widespread abuse of individual expense accounts and contractual agreements, and weak controls over reimbursements. . . . Bland spent board funds on materials that could be construed as campaign related, mixed business and personal travel and chronically over-spent her limits.
  
  She purchased buttons and magnets with her name, photo and telephone number printed on them at a cost of $1,690. Although auditors characterized the items as potential campaign-related material, the items included her comments that they were not used to influence elections. The magnets were purchased two months before the March 2000 primary election, in which Bland was a candidate for her board seat.
  
  Bland was also chastised in the audit for a newsletter published and distributed by the school system three days before her primary election at a cost of $7,747.
  
  Although the school superintendent told Bland in a March 15 letter to reimburse the system for the expense, she has failed to do so, telling auditors the reimbursement came from the remnants of her board expense account for that fiscal year. The minutes of the executive session in which Bland was ordered to reimburse the charges are missing, auditors wrote. Henderson told auditors in an interview that Bland would be allowed to deplete her expense account to cover the charges, but must reimburse the system out of her own pocket for any amount that ran over her fiscal 2000 allotment.
  
  The audit also indicates Bland spent $15,502 through April of that fiscal year, $5,753 over her budget.
  
  Bland reimbursed the school system an unspecified portion of expenses incurred attending a 1998 business conference, which the member combined with a personal visit to Mississippi. The reimbursement, however, came two years later, after the audit had started.
  
  Bland also received a windfall of $1,373 for three years on top of the usual allotment because an accounting error apparently gave Bland her predecessor's stipend for serving as the board chair. Starting this year, the chair will not receive an additional stipend.

  
  
• In School Board Race, the Issue Is Scandal (Post, 28 Oct 2000 (This link may require a PG library card)).

  The auditors said Bland spent $7,747 for a newsletter even though she had only $5,227 left in her account, but charged the school system for all of it. And she waited two years before repaying the system for personal purchases made on a school credit card during a trip to a professional conference in Florida, the audit noted.

The lack of integrity demonstrated by both of these Democratic politicians is well-known and well-documented

Nevertheless, the voters elected them and their council colleagues have rewarded their misbehavior.

Is this the best we can do in the way of elected officials?

County development tax soaks middle-income seniors, not rich developers

Victoria Falls riled by tax bills; Residents say they were misled, promise to fight
Laurel Leader, 18 Oct 2007 (Glenn).

Residents at Laurel's upscale Central Parke at Victoria Falls community have vowed to overturn a special tax approved by Prince George's County for their development, claiming they were not aware of the tax until they received their first bills in July.

More than 300 outraged residents showed up for a standing-room-only meeting at the Contee Road development's community center Oct. 9 to voice their opposition to the special tax bills, which ranged from $1,100 to nearly $1,600.

"The county sees us a cash cow and are trying to milk us, but we will put a stop to this," said Stan Okumura, president of the Political Interface Committee, formed by the residents in response to the tax. "There is a place for this (special tax assessments), but not for senior citizens."

Victoria Falls is a 55-and-older residential community that, when completed, will consist of 609 homes. Its condominiums, villas and single-family residences range from the mid $200,000s to the low $500,000s.

In 2005, the Prince George's County Council approved legislation that created a special tax district for Victoria Falls, at the request of County Executive Jack Johnson. This allowed the county to issue $12 million in bonds for the developer of the complex, Slenker Communities, to use for public infrastructure, such as sewer, water, streets, curbs and gutters.

In a June 23, 2005 letter to the County Council urging members to favorably and expeditiously review the legislation creating the tax district, Johnson said the bonds would ensure that the project would be "first- rate."

He added: "This legislation reflects my Administration's strong commitment to building strong, viable and dynamic public/private partnerships."

But Victoria Falls residents say they did not know they would end up footing the bill for that partnership, a bill that can increase by up to two percent each year over the next 30 years.

"I was misled," said resident Nathanel Pollard. "The first time I knew anything about it was when I got the bill. ... I think it's fraud. I've dealt with special tax districts and you have to spell that out at the time of purchase."

Slenker Communities President Bill Slenker said residents were informed they were purchasing property in a special tax district.

Slenker added that residents did not receive tax bills from the county until this year because the taxes were paid through the bond funds for the first two years.

He also has said that 100 percent of the bond funds were used on public infrastructure needs in the community. The funds, Slenker added, allowed him to build Victoria Falls' private facilities in the early stages of the project, with company funds, and resulted in lower home prices.

During the meeting, residents questioned the need for the bond, since the developer was responsible for building the community's public infrastructure projects anyway.

"The developer got a gift from the Prince George's County Council, a $12 million back door gift, and we're here to repay the tax bill of that gift," said Frank White, a resident and committee member.

Some residents called for County Council member Thomas Dernoga, who represents the Laurel area, to work to rescind the tax, noting that he introduced Johnson's bill.

But Dernoga said he only did so after the legislation was submitted by Johnson and unanimously approved by a council committee.

"Since this property is in District 1 (Dernoga's district), it was up to me to introduce it and I did," Dernoga said in an e-mail message.

Johnson was not available for comment, but spokesman James Keary, while declining to comment on Johnson's justification for supporting the legislation, defended it.

"We proposed it to the County Council and they accepted it," Keary said. "The council has rejected things in the past that we've asked for, but the tax was supposed to be properly disclosed to people."

Pressure on Dernoga

Sam Rosenzweig, a retired air traffic control manager, said at last week's meeting that Dernoga, at a previous community meeting, admitted to making a "mistake" in supporting the legislation, an assertion supported by other Victoria Falls residents.

"Let's get him to pass an amendment and fix this," Rosenzweig said. "We're seniors on fixed incomes and when they passed that special tax district, it went counter to what is being done nationally to give tax breaks to seniors."

Dernoga did not respond to a request to comment on the suggestion that he considers the legislation a mistake, but he has requested an investigation by the county's Audits and Investigations Office to determine whether any bond funds were spent improperly, as some residents have charged. Until that investigation is completed, Dernoga said in his e-mail response, "It is not appropriate to comment."

Victoria Falls is not the only Prince George's community where a special tax district has caused a stir.

Residents of Dunbar Hills, a 55- and-older community off of Lottsford Road west of Bowie, also are upset over their special tax district, saying they were not aware of it until they received bills.

County Council member David Harrington, whose district includes Dunbar Hills, introduced a bill Oct. 9 that will require developers and sellers to inform buyers of special tax assessments through brochures and signed documents.

"The only obligation the builder has now is in the closing stage and I'm trying to do something way before that in the sales process," Harrington said. "At closing, you're bombarded with papers and could easily miss it."

By the end of the Victoria Falls meeting, residents had donated more than $5,200 to hire an attorney to research their rights on the case. If all else fails, they said, they will file a lawsuit.

"We're not people in walkers, but engineers, scientists and smart government people who are highly accomplished and trained not to sit back and accept what we're told," said resident Arthur Chausmer, an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University. "We want them to rescind this tax and I'm optimistic that we'll make it happen."

E-mail Gwendolyn Glenn at gglenn@patuxent.com

PG Hospital Circus Update

(Posted 28 Jun 2007)

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County hospital system’s path to the brink
Gazette, 28 Jun 2007 (Berger).
[Includes a 13 point timeline/history of the hospital issue this year.]

Sick and tired of hospital bailout blunders
Gazette, 28 Jun 2007 (Editorial).

The continual threats regarding the Dimensions Healthcare System crisis in Prince George's have become a disappointing reminder of county leaders' inability to resolve the problem.
[* * *]
County leaders, realizing that Prince George's Hospital alone serves 180,000 patients annually, continue to fumble through efforts to save the system.

In 2004, County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) came to an agreement with then Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) for a state and county bailout plan. However, Johnson failed to consult the County Council, who promptly nixed the plan.

Early this year, a $5 million payment was in dispute. Dimensions said the county failed to pay; county officials said Dimensions received the money. The county never admitted error, but the money was doled out soon after the dispute.

State officials later formulated a deal that Johnson supported, but the council rejected it in the waning hours of the General Assembly's legislative session April 9. The council instead settled on another short-term fix.

And the saga continues. [More]

Hospital funding stream frozen; Dimensions trying to reach compromise after rejecting high-stakes demands by county executive.
Gazette, 28 Jun 2007 (Berger).

. . . Rick Abbruzzese, spokesman for Gov. Martin O’Malley, said Wednesday that O’Malley was not actively engaged in the disagreement, but was monitoring the situation closely. . . . Johnson’s chief of staff, Michael Herman, who sits on the board . . . was forbidden from voting on the matter at the board meeting on Monday. Johnson’s demand was rejected 5-2. County Council Chairwoman Camille Exum (D-Dist. 7) of Seat Pleasant, who also sits on the board, was absent.
[* * *]
Johnson’s latest move led to a reprise of the blame game that broke out after the legislative session.

Del. Doyle Niemann (D-Dist. 47) of Mount Rainier, who helped lead the failed hospital negotiations, said the county was attempting to seize power from the hospital without any plan to improve the facility and that the move was irresponsible.

‘‘This is a game of chicken,” he said. ‘‘The county is pushing the hospital to the edge, and may push it over the edge.”

Niemann suggested filing suit against the county, or even calling a special legislative session to resolve the problem.

But Del. Barbara Frush (D-Dist. 21) of Beltsville, chairwoman of the county House delegation, said there was no time.

‘‘You feel like you’ve been punched in the stomach. We worked so hard to work out a solution, and so many people stepped up to the plate to try to divert this,” she said. ‘‘It’s shameful ... This is just a big mess, and it’s a very sad day for the citizens of Prince George’s County.”

If the hospital has no source of outside revenue by August and decides to close, it will have to notify employees then that it will close within 60 days.
[* * *]
Herman said Exum agreed with Johnson’s conditions, but Council Vice Chairman David Harrington (D-Dist. 5) of Cheverly said the matter never came before the full council. [More]

Need for a Hospital Plan
PrinceGeorge's Discussion, 27 Jun 2007 (Del. Niemann).

Jacob and others are on the mark when they point to the critical need to have a plan when it comes to our hospital system. And by
a "plan," we should be talking about much more than another band-aid designed to just keep the doors to the system open, but a plan that aims to design a new health care delivery system for our county.
[* * *]
I have outlined a bill for the next legislative session (if we can get there) that I believe will do the things I have described. Others may disagree. I challenge them, however, to publicly reveal their alternative. Let us have a public debate on the future we want and how what we propose will get us there.

A Bitter Pill For County Liaison to Hospitals.
Post, 28 Jun 2007 (Helderman & Hernandez).

When the Prince George's hospital system's board of directors voted Monday evening to reject County Executive Jack B. Johnson's demand that several members resign, one board member's vote wasn't counted. And it was a biggie.

In a closed-door session just before discussing Johnson's demand, the board voted that two of its 11 members, Johnson's chief of staff, Michael D. Herman, and Council Chairman Camille Exum (D), have a conflict of interest that prevented them from voting. The board agreed that since Herman and Exum act on behalf of county government, they do not have exclusive allegiance to Dimensions Healthcare System, the nonprofit company that has run Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly since 1982 and owns other medical facilities in the county.

Exum was not present, so the decision had little impact on her. But when Herman waved his hand to vote in favor of the board accepting Johnson's terms, he was ignored by Chairman Calvin Brown and the board's clerk.
[* * *]
Critics of the county's role in hospital management have long maintained that Exum and Herman are hopelessly conflicted when they vote about the hospital's future as members of an independent corporate board. The board's willingness to go on record agreeing with that position only illustrates the depth of the split between hospital leaders and county officials.

Dimensions Healthcare prepares alternative restructuring plan.
Baltimore Business Journal, 27 Jun 2007 (Sinha).

Brown says Maryland’s still willing to deal.
Examiner, 27 Jun 2007 (Fowler).

[Note: The Washington Times continues to ignore the hospital issue.]

Earlier: 27 Jun 2007, 26 Jun 2007, 20 Apr 2007, 11 Apr 2007, 5 Apr 2007, 4 Apr 2007 [More]

Johnson, Council Investigated by Feds

(Posted 19 May 2007)

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Credit Card Use Probed By U.S., Sources Say
Post, 19 May 2007 (Rich & Helderman).

Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the use by Prince George's officials of county-issued credit cards to charge personal expenses totaling thousands of dollars, according to a law enforcement official and another source with knowledge of the probe.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because the review remains secret, said investigators have subpoenaed county records as part of the probe. The review parallels a previously disclosed investigation by the Maryland state prosecutor's office.
* * *
In some instances, officials said the personal charges were made inadvertently and were later reimbursed -- claims that could not be confirmed by a review of county records. The county requires officials to sign an agreement stating that the cards are "exclusively for authorized and lawful county business."
* * *
The expenses detailed in The Post's report included a $37.99 shirt and a $21 haircut bought by council member David Harrington (D-Cheverly). He also charged $1,200 for six-month gym memberships for himself and three staff members. Harrington said the gym memberships were in lieu of bonuses.

Council Chairwoman Camille Exum (D-Seat Pleasant) put $120.99 on her county credit card at a Jamaica resort while there for a wedding. She later said she had lost her personal credit card. She also said she repaid the county, but she could not provide proof.

Johnson's charges included $6,003 for a round-trip business-class plane ticket to Senegal for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for homes built by a Prince George's developer.

New PG Council Rewards Corruption; Picks Credit Card Abusers as Leaders

(Posted 5 Dec 2006)

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Exum, Harrington take top Prince George’s Council posts

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006
by Judson Berger
Gazette Staff Writer

Prince George’s County Councilwoman Camille Exum (D-Dist. 7) of Seat Pleasant and Councilman David Harrington (D-Dist. 5) of Cheverly were named chair and vice chair of the County Council today.

The votes came during the first formal meeting since all members were sworn in yesterday.
[More]

This outrage comes as the state prosecutor is investigating misconduct by Exum and Harrington just days after the press reported on their gross misuse of county-issued credit cards for personal expenses. And despite all the Democratic Party claims about a Republican "Culture of Corruption," everyone involved in this case--the offenders and the seven coucil members who supported them--is a Democrat.

Four under investigation for alleged unauthorized use of county credit cards
Gazette, 30 Nov 2006 (Berger).

The controversy over Prince George’s County officials’ alleged misuse of their county-issued credit cards has moved into the office of State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh, who agreed to review the accusations at State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey’s request.

The Washington Post last week detailed how certain officials charged the county for personal expenses, ranging from haircuts to hotel stays.
[. . .]
The Post singled out questionable expenses made by County Councilman David Harrington (D-Dist. 5), Councilwoman Camille Exum (D-Dist. 7), Councilman Thomas Hendershot (D-Dist. 3) and County Executive Jack B. Johnson.
[. . .]

Credit card déja vu
Gazette, 24 Nov 2006 (Editorial).

It is disheartening to learn Prince George’s County Council members and the county executive used their county-issued credit cards for personal expenses and, in some cases, never paid the county back.

What is more heart-wrenching, however, is that today — six years after some members of the former elected school board were chastised for misusing their credit cards – the violations have not come to an end and the safeguards in place are not sufficient.
[. . .]
However, a Nov. 20 report by The Washington Post identified credit card violations by County Executive Jack B. Johnson, Council Vice Chairman Camille Exum, and council members David Harrington and Thomas Hendershot.

The report comes months after an Aug. 31 Gazette story showed wide disparities in council members’ spending habits. For spending between November 2002 and June 30, 2006, Bland topped the list by spending $298,070, with council members Exum and David Harrington spending $195,357 and $154,316, respectively.
[. . .]
If Prince George’s is to ever overcome its reputation for ethical ‘‘lapses,” policies and processes regarding officials’ expenditures must be overhauled immediately.
[. . .]

Pr. George's Calls On Md. Prosecutor; Officials' Visa Bills Will Be Reviewed
Post, 28 Nov 2006 (Thompson).

Maryland State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh will investigate whether Prince George's County officials misused county-issued credit cards by charging thousands of dollars in personal expenses.
[. . .]
over the past four years, county officials charged items including clothing and prescription drugs on the county-issued Visa cards, a violation of county policy. Council member David Harrington (D-Cheverly), for example, charged a $37.99 shirt, a $21 haircut and four six-month gym memberships for himself and three members of his staff totaling $1,200. He said he gave his employees the memberships in lieu of bonuses. The county was not reimbursed for the charges, according to records.

Council Vice Chairman Camille Exum (D-Seat Pleasant) billed the county for a $120.99 charge at a Jamaica resort after she said lost her personal card while there for a sorority sister's wedding. She said she repaid the county but could not provide proof.

She also charged the county for a $375 chauffeur-driven limousine while attending a conference in Northern California and $637 for a three-night "personal" stay at the Embassy Suites in Richmond.
[. . .]

What's Yours Is Mine; Especially if you live in Prince George's County -- and I am elected to serve you.
Post, 25 Nov 2006 (Editorial).

IN FAIRFAX County, the area's largest jurisdiction, elected members of the local governing body do not have county-issued credit cards. Ditto in Montgomery County. In both localities, politicians who incur expenses on county business pay with personal credit cards, then put in for reimbursement when appropriate. The top elected officials in both counties fly coach when they travel on business.

Not so in Prince George's County, where some local politicians treat county-issued credit cards as publicly funded lines of credit, and where County Executive Jack B. Johnson flies first class or business class at taxpayers' expense. In Prince George's, several County Council members seem to think there's no reason to reach into their own pockets for haircuts, gym memberships, rental cars, office decorations, family vacations or golf outings when they can whip out their county charge cards and reimburse the public in their own good time -- or not. And while Mr. Johnson and the council members insist that they have reimbursed the county when appropriate, neither they nor the county could always produce receipts, canceled checks or other documentation to prove it. Could they have used gold bullion for their purchases?

As reported by The Post's Cheryl W. Thompson, the worst offenders are council members David Harrington, Camille Exum and Thomas R. Hendershot. Mr. Harrington, who seems to use his county card whenever he's short on cash, has charged the county for dry cleaning, video rentals, a haircut and airplane tickets for his college-age son, among other expenses. Ms. Exum, the council's vice chair, has used her county charge card to pay for a chauffeur-driven limo for a two-hour trip with an aide in California. (A rental car is "just too small," she said.)
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Prince George's Taxpayers Pick Up Officials' Personal Tabs; Records Show Thousands of Dollars Charged to County-Issued Cards in Violation of Policy
Post, 20 Nov 2006 (Thompson).

Prince George's County Council member David Harrington (D-Cheverly), needed a shirt for his pastor's funeral in 2003, so he bought one for $37.99 at a Temple Hills store called Uniforms & Lingerie Inc.

When he wanted a haircut, he got one for $21 at Hair Designers Plus in Hyattsville. And when he decided he wanted to get in shape, he bought a gym membership for $300 at the Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex in Landover.

Each time, taxpayers picked up the tab, according to county records.

Harrington is one of several Prince George's officials, including County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), who have used county-issued credit cards to pay for personal expenses totaling thousands of dollars, violating county policy. Johnson, for example, charged taxpayers for a $236 stay at the Courtyard by Marriott in Jamaica, N.Y., when he was attending his father-in-law's funeral in 2004, records show.

Council Vice Chairman Camille Exum (D-Seat Pleasant) charged taxpayers $637 in June 2004 for three nights at the Embassy Suites in Richmond, a stay she described as "personal."

County records show that none of those charges was repaid.

In other cases, officials repaid the county for personal charges, but only after months and sometimes more than a year. Harrington, for example, took 19 months to repay a $36 charge at an eye care center in December 2003, according to records.
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