Credit card déja vu

Friday, Nov. 24, 2006

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.

Many Prince George’s residents remember when a 2000 audit of the school board revealed lax accounting and widespread abuse of expense accounts. The audit firm cited then-school board members Doyle Niemann (recently re-elected to the House of Delegates) for charging $977 in software that ‘‘did not appear to be related to the members duties,” and Marilynn Bland (recently re-elected to the County Council) for chronic overspending, using board funds on materials that could be construed as campaign-related, and mixing business and personal travel.

Both Bland and school board chairman James Henderson were cited for taking a long time to repay some charges.

Bland, during her County Council tenure, has not shown evidence of credit-card misuse nor has the majority of the council: Thomas Dernoga (Dist. 1), William Campos (Dist. 2), Douglas J.J. Peters (Dist. 3), Samuel Dean (Dist. 6) and Tony Knotts (Dist. 8). 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. Peters spent the least over four years with $85,141. Campos came into office in November 2004 so his expenses were significantly less at $49,740. The rest of the council had spent in the low $100,000 range. The annual office budget varies based on the number of full-time staff. An office with one staff member can spend $126,000; and office of three can spend $236,000. Information on council members’ staff sizes was not available at the time of the report.

If Prince George’s is to ever overcome its reputation for ethical ‘‘lapses,” policies and processes regarding officials’ expenditures must be overhauled immediately.

Those who fail to repay the county government for personal expenses in the time allotted should have their credit cards revoked. Abuse of these benefits should be announced to the public — residents should know if representatives are not willing to abide by county laws.

Repayment for personal expenses must be made by check so there is a paper trail — the county should be ashamed of making photocopies of cash as proof of payment — and documentation must be stored long-term.

Similar to 2000, many infractions are minor charges — $30 here or there for items. However, those small amounts add up, and when combined with the larger indiscretions, the numbers hit the thousands.

Any money not used by the government officials at the end of each year goes into a general fund. That $30 could have paid for teaching material, schoolbooks or emergency funding. Every little bit counts.

Those in violation of spending guidelines need not spend a lot of time explaining their charges. Instead, they would better serve the county by repaying the money — including any interest charged because of their tardiness — and strengthening laws to ensure no other county representatives are able to repeat their ‘‘mistakes.”