07102019 - News Article - State Board of Accounts looks into malfeasance allegations in Portage clerk's office

Portage's Attack On City Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham, RETALIATION? 18 U.S.C. §§1513: Federal Protection Against Retaliation

State Board of Accounts looks into malfeasance allegations in Portage clerk's office
NWI Times
July 10, 2019
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/state-board-of-accounts-looks-into-malfeasance-allegations-in-portage/article_07037e4a-4bda-5864-b878-ab2d067c6769.html

PORTAGE — The Indiana State Board of Accounts is looking into the allegations of malfeasance in the Portage clerk-treasurer's office.

Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham said SBOA officials interviewed him earlier this week, and he said he was told they were looking into the matter.

Mayor John Cannon said Wednesday officials also met with him and his investigative committee about two weeks ago when the allegations came out.

Stidham said he believed Cannon should let the "proper authorities" investigate the situation.

At issue is allegedly unapproved payments to three companies by Stidham's office. Specifically, Stidham is alleged to have paid Keeping the Books, ERG Advisors and Paramount Technology Solutions a total of $70,000 and contracted them without the approval of the Portage Board of Works. 

Information obtained by a bipartisan executive committee investigating the possible misfeasance showed the companies were registered under Stidham's wife's maiden name. As part of that probe, Stidham was directed to provide Portage officials with documents involving the payments.

“He just needs to let the third-party authorities look into this situation. He is not a professional investigator. The whole situation reeks of politics," Stidham said.

"I can't keep responding to every single allegation. I and the rest of the city's officials have business to attend to and the mayor should stop neglecting his duties in favor of what is really a witch hunt.”

Cannon said it has nothing to do with politics.

"How could it be? He's not running for office," he said. "He lost."

Cannon is questioning the documents Stidham supplied regarding 19 checks claimed to be unapproved by the board.

In a statement released Tuesday, Cannon said the documents Stidham provided don't match other records. Those documents included copies of the checks in question, invoices and account registers as well as copies of 1099 forms from Stidham's wife, who was hired by Stidham to do some work for his office before they were married.

“It appears that multiple invoices were alleged by Stidham to have been paid at the same board meetings, including payments to two or even three of (his wife's) companies with very similar descriptions of work performed during the same time period,” Cannon's statement said.

He questioned why they were invoiced as three separate companies instead of on a single bill or single company.

Cannon also questioned when the claims were put onto the docket for the board of works, adding they all seemed to be last-minute additions after the meeting.

"It looks like a loophole to me," he said. "The way it seems to me is that he is using the process in a way so nobody notices what's going on." 

Previously, Stidham said it has been common practice for the clerk-treasurer's office to add additional claims to the Board of Works dockets to keep up with city bills as efficiently as possible. He repeatedly has said he was willing to review and change that practice.