Wicomico Liquor Control Board - What’s a Legitimate Expense?
Wicomico County Liquor Control Board members Ron Alessi and Stewart Haemel claim that the LCB, after paying for legitimate expenses, contribute over $400,000 per year to the Wicomico County government coffers. We’re going to tackle the veracity of that claim in a later post. However, their claim raises an interesting question. WHAT is a legitimate expense?
Now that we have the LCB’s disbursements journal from March, 2004 - March, 2008 (we’ll be putting it online as soon as I’ve finished scanning it) we are forced to ask why the LCB is spending money in certain places AND whether they are legitimate expenses.
We all know that Alessi has been a recipient of the LCB’s largess during his tenure on the board. Did you also know that Haemel’s firm, PAPCO Printing, is also doing business with the LCB?
Why is the LCB spending money at Kitty’s Flowers? They’re a great florist. I’m an occasional customer myself. However, is this a legitimate expense for the county dispensary?
Kuhn’s Jewelers? Ditto.
Probably the greatest transgression appears in the form of “charitable donations”. Remember, all monies after legitimate expenses are public funds. While the Wicomico County Council has finally wised up and stripped similar funds from County Executive Rick Pollitt’s budget, this unelected body has seen fit to hand out public funds to groups ranging from the Boy Scouts (a pet Alessi charity) to the Crisfield Pride Elks Lodge (in Somerset County).
I certainly don’t have an issue with the Boy Scouts. I can’t have an issue with the Crisfield Pride Elks Lodge, because I didn’t even know they were an Elks Lodge until I searched for them online. What I do have an issue with is public funds being donated by an unelected body to groups who are not vital to the mission of the LCB.
If Mr. Alessi, or I, want to donate to the scouts - we should cut PERSONAL checks. If Mr. Haemel wants to give money to a fraternal organization in another county, fine. The funds should come from his coffers, not the public’s.
When I’ve completed my analysis, I’ll post the complete disbursements journal and a list of the questionable checks. Let it suffice that there appear to be numerous expenditures of a suspicious nature as well as evidence of poor internal controls on the part of the LCB.
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