A quick précis
Employed as Director of Low Cost Housing in Chelsea, Maine USA on $360,000 per year
Only worked 15 full work days in Chelsea in past year (rest taken up with meetings, junkets etc.)
Resigned when salary came to light and investigation due to start.
On the day he resigned he claimed back $81,578 in untaken holiday , also claimed $114,237 in payment for years of unused sick time.
He wrote both the cheques to himself as he was the approver
Authorities tried to stop the cheques, but he had already cashed the vacation one, no word on the other.
Read the full story
I would imagine in council offices all over the world this mans picture is going up as something to aspire to.Chelsea’s housing boss was rarely on the job
Just 15 full days in town this year, records show
4 comments:
"...also claimed $114,237 in payment for years of unused sick time."
In the UK civil service and some nationalized and former nationalized industries, Whitley Council T&C agreements allow for 10 days' self-certificated sick leave per year. This is sensible in principle as it avoids involving GPs in documenting simple self-limiting minor illnesses.
Among some staff, however, the ten days came to be seen as supplementary annual leave, and some HR groups would even contact people to remind them that "they hadn't taken all of their Whitleys" for the current year.
Now if you could actual claim the untaken sick leave back in money, woohoo! Let me see, I've worked for the Government in my time...
The story raises an interesting point about cellphones being used to track location - something that could well be used to check how often, and for how long, MPs and Lords stayed at their second/third or 'main' residences.
Bearing in mind this information could easily come into the hands of an investigating newspaper, would any of them like to review and adjust their past overnight expenses claims or pay their capital gains tax before another round of prosecutions becomes necessary?
(For MPs I think the word 'flipping' could then resume its use as a swear word.)
@Edwin
Very true a freind working in the Planning Dept of a LA was called into the office and told he needed to take some sick days as he was bringing the 'average' down and people had already booked holiday using their sick days for the following year
@Derek
I think you would actually find MP's and Lords turning down something i.e. company mobiles
In a similar vein, the usage of Wi-Fi linked items such as iPads etc. also leave an audit trail. Use an iPad or an iPhone or similar bit of kit and the records will show to within a few meters where your kit was when it linked to the net!
Perhaps some enterprising investigative journalist ought to consider this?
Post a Comment