Empowerment Corp. debtor had business ties to board

Business Courier, Dan Monk June 30, 2006

In case you don’t receive the Business Courier, Dan Monk’s article in this weeks release uncovers yet another questionable transaction involving the EZ. Mr. Monk writes…

"Another week, another quirky business deal involving the Cincinnati Empowerment Corp.

In a February bankruptcy court filing, an attorney representing the nonprofit poverty-fighting agency accused one of the agency’s debtors of trying to conceal assets in a development company with ties to an Empowerment Corp. board member."

The bankruptcy dispute involves a less familiar name on this blog but one who is specifically related to CityLink and the reality of its connection to the Empowerment Corp.

According to Monk, EZ attorney Greg Berberich alleged Big Dollar, aka Thaddaus Dawson, defaulted on a 2002 EZ loan of $125,000 prompting the February bankruptcy court filing.

Dawson is accused of hiding $500,000 in assets from creditors by failing to file details on property he owned through development company Ca-Josh Development Ltd. Monk’s article indicates that one of Ca-Josh’s holdings is a former nursing home in Avondale valued at $641,000. Ca-Josh acquired the asset from Queen City Youth Development Foundation Inc. in October 2005 then transferred it back in March. Queen City Youth was founded by EZ board member Ozie Davis. Ca-Josh purchased the property from Queen City Youth for $1.00.

Thaddaus Dawson is a current member of the Cincinnati zoning board of appeals. He is one of two that voted to uphold the zoning certificate of compliance issued to CityLink.

This article will be available online on Monday.

Cincinnati police looking into Dale Mallory impeachment

To my knowledge, Dan Monk of the Cincinnati Business Courier has been the only one to write about Dale Mallory cutting checks and closing down the West End Community Council bank account four months after being impeached.

The Cincinnati Police have been investigating this matter for three weeks. It is a hot potato. If you didn't know, Dale's brother happens to be Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory.

Dan Monk follows up on his initial scoop where he broke the news today...

Cincinnati police looking into Dale Mallory impeachment
Cincinnati Business Courier - 12:39 PM EDT Thursdayby Dan Monk

The Cincinnati Police Department has assigned two detectives in its financial crimes unit to look into circumstances surrounding the February impeachment of West End Community Council President Dale Mallory.

Sgt. Jamel Smith said the review will include whether members followed the proper procedures in impeaching Mallory and whether Mallory, brother of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, improperly spent community council funds after the impeachment.

Dale Mallory cut checks and closed down the West End Community Council bank account on June 1st, four months after being impeached and removed from office by over 75% of the vote of the West End Community Council.

The fact that he cut the checks and closed down the account is not in dispute. What is now in dispute is Dale Mallory's last chance for freedom. He is claiming that he wasn't really impeached, and that he is still President of the West End Community Council.

Let's take a look at that.

As President of the West End Community Council, Dale Mallory didn't have the authority to cut checks or close down the bank accounts. That is in the bylaws which are on file at Invest In Neighborhoods (which is also currently undergoing an audit).

The authority to cut checks rests with the treasurer, and disbursements need to be ratified by the body of the West End Community Council. Dale Mallory had no authority.

Dale Mallory has claimed that the disbursements were ratified by the WECC body in February, the same month that he was impeached and removed from office.

Dale Mallory didn't preside over that meeting, and the only topic on the agenda was his own impeachment. Channel 12 was there. The Enquirer was there, and citizens also taped the event. A record exists and Dale Mallory is lying.

Let's now look at Dales own words...

After being impeached and removed from office, Dale Mallory took over two dozen members of his community to court in two separate lawsuits. One was thrown out of court. The second lawsuit was Dropped by Dale Mallory. Here is his reason why...

"Dale Mallory stated that he "has no intent of remaining President of the West End Community Council" and that "he is respectfully dismissing this matter [the lawsuit] without prejudice."

On April 24, 2006, Dale Mallory stated that he had no intent on remaining President of the West End Community Council. That isn't hearsay, that is what Dale Mallory told a court of law. He openly admitted for the record that he was giving in and he wouldn't fight the impeachment, and that he had no intent of holding the office.

Two months later in June, Dale Mallory was cutting checks and closing down bank accounts of the West End Community Council. In his own defense, he is now claiming that he is still President of the West End Community Council.

Unbelievable.

This is Dale Mallory's last chance for freedom in this world. He needs to convince the Cincinnati Police Department that he is still President of the WECC, months after being impeached. He needs to get his brother, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, to pressure people to drop the case.

If he can't do that, he is going to be under criminal investigation for cutting those checks. And like I stated earlier, the fact that he cut those checks and closed down the account is not in dispute, even by Dale Mallory.

Dale Mallory is going to jail. If he doesn't, we need to take a cold hard look at the CPD and the officers running the investigation. This will not be allowed to whither and die on the vine. It is not going to go away. They have taken the better part of a month and they still haven't subpoenaed the records. The Mallory Clan is pressuring them to invalidate the impeachment, despite Dale's own admission.

I have faith that the CPD will do the right thing. The law is the law, and it is that simple. May God Bless the Boys (and Girls) in blue.

Michael Cervay calls for independent auditor to look at the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation

City executive calls for audit of Empowerment Corp.
Cincinnati Business Courier - 5:58 PM EDT Wednesdayby Dan Monk

The city of Cincinnati's director of community development and planning wants to hire an outside auditor to examine the finances of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corp.

This, after two recent controversies over potential conflicts of interest among the agency's board members, employees and consultants.

"I see a lot of smoke and I want to make sure how much fire there is," said Michael Cervay, who advocated the hiring of an independent auditor during a June 28 meeting with city finance and legal officials.

The meeting was held in response to a June 7 memo by city council members Chris Bortz and Jeff Berding. They asked interim City Manager Dave Rager to freeze "all reimbursements and administrative drawdowns" to the federally funded agency until the city can conduct a "full audit" of "potentially inappropriate expenditures."

The Courier reports that the decision to freeze the funds and conduct the audit will be made by the end of the week. I can't see them not doing it at this point.

"Enough questions have been asked that I have not been able to answer that I feel I need the information in order to be assured that no irregularities exist," Cervay said.

I think that Michael Cervay is doing the right thing, and I commend him.

****************UPDATE*****************

Inner-city nonprofit's funds frozen
Empowerment Corp. VP: City's action premature
BY GREGORY KORTE ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER


Looks like they aren't going to wait out the whole week after all.

The city of Cincinnati has frozen its funding for a nonprofit organization that helps inner-city neighborhoods after questions arose about conflicts of interest involving its board and staff.

Those questions have sparked at least two reviews of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corp. The city and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said Wednesday they have launched investigations.

Check this out for doublespeak and run it through the bullshit detector:

The vice chairman of the Empowerment Corp. board, Robert O'Neal, told City Council on Wednesday that the city's action was premature.

"I'm saying there are people here to answer any questions. Do not take what's being reported in the paper. We've had three financial audits," he said. "We're willing to work for the community and do the work we are supposed to do."

Afterward, O'Neal declined to answer questions from The Enquirer. "I only talk about what the board tells me to talk about," he said.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. And don't worry, we will answer all of your questions. Unless of course you actually have questions. Then I will have to admit that I am a board puppet with Garrett and Junebugs hand up my yass.

I remember when CityLink skipped and backed out of public engagments, and when they didn't show up when requested by the City Administration. When Council finnaly voted against them they complained that they never got the chance to explain themselves. They had plenty of chances. Likewise with the Empowerment Zone. You don't see Harold Cleveland making a comment in this article. He is speaking these days through his lawyer. Len Garrett and Junebug are mum as well. They sent out O'Neal because at this point he is one of the few left not facing indictment.

The Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation has been asked questions. Requests have been made for documents. That haven't responding to the questions or document requests. If you read the article you will find that they were years late in filing their audits with the City. Those are required filings, not requests.

The addition of the HUD audit is big news. We are bringing down the hammer.

City To Audit Cincinnati Empowerment Corp

Two on council seek audit of group
BY GREGORY KORTE ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

"Two Cincinnati City Council members are calling for an audit of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corp. as questions of conflicts of interest surround the federally funded development agency.

"There have been enough allegations now of mismanagement of funds, from a number of different sources, to suggest that a more complete review is required or responsible," said Councilman Chris Bortz, a Charterite who chairs the Economic Development Committee.

Bortz, joined by Democrat Jeff Berding, has proposed that the city freeze funding to the Empowerment Corp. until the audit is completed. "

Bortz and Berding have the right idea. It is tough to imagine people not taking notice. People have been leaving the Empowerment Corps board and they have been taking parting shots at Garrett & Cleveland and company. Lamont Taylor called for Garrett's resignation, and Stephanie Smith resigned over Cleveland's clandestine real estate transactions.

"City Manager David E. Rager referred questions about the audit to an assistant, Deborah Holston.

She has not returned several calls in recent weeks concerning the Empowerment Corp., where she formerly served as a board member. Board Chairman Len Garrett removed her from the board last year after she failed to attend meetings for more than three months."

This is a very interesting situation. It makes me curious. As the city's representative to the Empowerment Corp, she should have attended the meetings. That said, other board representatives that have left claim that they were kept in the dark by Garrett & Cleveland. It is quite possible that attending the meetings wouldn't have done much good.

What about the fact that Garrett is booting the City's rep off the board? The inmates are running the asylum.

"Garrett, board chairman, had personally directed the activities of a $40,000 consultant whose bills to the corporation were "troubling," according to a report by two Empowerment Corp. lawyers. The consultant, Dale Mallory, was former president of the West End Community Council, which appoints members to Empowerment Corp.'s board. He's also a candidate for state representative - roles that, in the words of the board's lawyers, "should have raised major concerns." Mallory is the brother of Mayor Mark Mallory.

Chief executive officer Harold L. Cleveland purchased a building at 1800 Linn St. last month, making him the landlord of Empowerment Corp. board member George Beatty, whose restaurant is located in the building. Cleveland bought the property for $137,000 - twice the value assessed by the Hamilton County Auditor's Office - from a partnership controlled by Theotis J. Holmes. Holmes had fallen behind in his payments on a $158,000 Empowerment loan. Cleveland hid the sale for weeks by using an anonymous trust as a middleman in the transaction."

The Mallory stuff is old news, but this is the Impeach Mallory blog. It is our sworn duty to gleefully repost and rehash Dale's situation every time it gets brought up in the media.

What about Harold Cleveland trying to hide his insider deals by going through an anonymous trust? I think that raises the level of suspicion in any audit. His own board members are walking out on him because of it. It goes without saying that the man has something to hide.

It is going to be fun finding out what else is under the covers.

Agency director's purchase questioned

Agency director's purchase questioned
Empowerment member quits
BY GREGORY KORTE ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Click the link above to go to the latest Enquirer article.

Some tidbits:

"Property records show that Harold L. Cleveland took ownership of the building at 1800 Linn St. on May 26, after a previous owner of the property fell behind in payments on a $158,000 Empowerment Corp. loan. The sale price was $137,000 - more than twice the Hamilton County auditor's appraisal."

I don't know what the building is worth, and it is quite possible that significant improvements have been made to it. But just as buildings that are over insured are more likely to burn down, mortgages for double the value are more likely to come up in default.

I didn't realize that the Empowerment Corporation made loans so that people could be landlords. It isn't always clear what they are supposed to be doing, and maybe that is part of the problem.

"Cleveland got ownership of the building through an anonymous buyer in a transaction brokered by attorney George L. Xanders. That same day, Cleveland applied for a 2.5 percent tax break for owner-occupants."

Maybe somebody can fill me in. Theo Holmes owned this building. He sold it to someone who sold it on the very same day to Harold Cleveland. You can look at the property records at the auditor's website. The way it gets listed out, Theo sold it to the Christopher H Hurlburt Trust for $137,000. The Hurlburt turns around and transfers the property to Cleveland and no amount is listed. Somebody tell me what the hell is going on there. That is freaky. Everything happens for a reason, and there is a reason they structured the deal in just that way. I am interested to know why. Please chime in with any thoughts.

"That same day,Cleveland applied for a 2.5 percent tax break for owner-occupants."

It looks like Harold Cleveland is going to be our new neighbor, at least in the same sense that loud fathead Markus Jenkins is a West End Resident. The resolve of these people to bilk the taxpayer out of every red penny is impressive. Cleveland isn't going to live there, but he damn sure isn't going to pay his taxes either. I surprised he didn't apply for the homestead tax exemption for the elderly. What a fraud.

And consider these transactions are how they conduct business when they already know the spotlight is upon them. Imagine what they do when they know nobody is looking.

"Steven P. Goodin, the Empowerment Corp. lawyer charged with recovering potentially millions in overdue loans the agency gave to small, inner-city businesses, confirmed the Empowerment Corp. is trying to collect overdue loan payments from C and H Renaissance. All told, the agency loaned more than $2.4 million to small businesses. About 84 percent of that portfolio is behind in payments, he said."

"It's a classic Cincinnati political boondoggle, and it's going to end up in classic Cincinnati political finger pointing," said Goodin. He's the author of a strongly worded June 14 report to the Empowerment Corp. this month that found "troubling aspects" to the agency's $40,000-a-year contract with Dale Mallory - a candidate for state representative, former president of the West End Community Council and brother of Mayor Mark Mallory."

84% of the portfolio is behind. Payments, contracts and loans are made to insiders, relatives and friends. That isn't a "classic Cincinnati political boondoggle", it is criminal. It is "Classic Genesis" on a massive scale.

Keep in mind that Goodin was hired by the C.E.C, he is not independent.

The Meltdown Continues At The Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation

Critic says nonprofit in disarray
Second trustee to quit Empowerment Corp.
Cincinnati Business Courier - June 23, 2006
by Dan Monk, Senior Staff Reporter

Click the link above to find Dan Monk's latest article in the Courier.

A second member of the board has left the Empowerment Corporation.

"Stephanie Smith, a program officer for the Fifth Third Foundation, tendered her resignation June 20 in response to a real estate transaction involving Empowerment Corp. board member George Beatty and the agency's CEO, Harold Cleveland. Word of Smith's resignation came from Lamont Taylor, a executive who resigned June 13 in response to another Empowerment Corp. situation involving Dale Mallory, the brother of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory."

On the 18th of June, this blog broke a story about a real estate transaction between Empowerment Corp CEO Harold Cleveland and Empowerment Corp board member George "Junebug" Beatty.

The shady transaction was the last straw for Stephanie Smith, who promptly resigned after finding out about it. "Smith declined comment, saying the agency's board will meet soon to address Cleveland's recent purchase of a building where Beatty is now a tenant."

"Taylor said these deals are symptomatic of an agency in disarray. "It's to the point where the board has to do the work of the CEO," said Taylor. "There's no direction. There's a pot full of money sitting over there. But the administration has let the West End control that organization for all these
years."

A pot of money indeed. And I would like to find out everyone who has been dipping their hands into it.

One disappointment I had was that the reporter never mentioned Genesis Redevelopment. Several key players have ties to Genesis, and it appears that history is repeating itself.

The article also talks about Empowerment Zone loans that are in arrears. One such loan from the E-fund program went to Theo Holmes. George "Junebug" Beatty was in charge of the E-Fund program. He approved a loan to someone that purchased his building where Junebugs Barbeque is located. This is the same property that Harold Cleveland closed on this month. Much like Mallory's contract, the details of these inside deals are withheld from other board members.

"It's a very uncomfortable situation," said Taylor. "The entire board does not know about these transactions that happen in the administration on a day-to-day basis."

Taylor said that was the case with Dale Mallory's consulting contract, in which the former West End Community Council president was paid $770 a week to forge ties between the Empowerment Corp. and communitycouncils in other neighborhoods.

"Dale never reported to me. He reported to Len Garrett," said Taylor, who pushed for an inquiry into the Mallory contract and in early June called for chairman Garrett's resignation. When Garrett refused to step down at an emergency board meeting June 13, Taylor resigned in protest.

The article doesn't stop there. The Empowerment Corporation also paid a campaign consultant for both Dale and Mark Mallory, Dan Phenicie. The Mallory Center for Community Development is also a recipient of EZ funds. You have to wonder just how many hands can fit in the cookie jar.

The Pot Of Gold at the End Of The Rainbow

The West End Community Council met tonight at the Lincoln Center. The center is an impressive facility and a great community resource.

For months the WECC has not be able to issue a treasurer’s report due to the fact that Dale Mallory has refused to transfer any of the bank accounts or relevant records to the Community Council.

This was the first month we had a treasurer’s report since Dale Mallory’ was impeached and removed from office by over 75% of the vote. The WECC treasurer is Maggie Moon, and upstanding and respected member of the community.

In May, the WECC decided to draft a letter and present it to various local banks where Dale Mallory might have been holding WECC funds. Representatives of the WECC presented this letter to one of the local banks on June 6th. They were informed that the WECC did in fact have an account, but that account was recently closed by Dale Mallory drawing down the balance by writing checks.

Months after being impeached, Dale Mallory is still cutting checks on the community council account. This was initially reported by Dan Monk of the Business Courier, and it has yet to be reported in the Enquirer. The West End Community Council has copies of the checks. It really did happen.

For the life of me I can’t figure out why this isn’t news. The Cincinnati Enquirer did three stories on Dale Mallory in the last week, not one mentioning the checks.

A crime has been committed by Dale Mallory. Those funds are not his. The historical records, membership lists, bank accounts, ledgers, and transactions are the property of the West End Community Council. Try as you might, we don’t even have a gray area here. I haven’t come up with one good “Devil’s Advocate” argument as to why Dale Mallory would cut those checks or refuse to turn over the records.

I do not believe that even his brother the Mayor can stop this from being investigated. I don’t think that Tim Burke, head of the Democratic Party (who litigates for CityLink and who personally endorsed Dale Mallory) can stop this from being investigated.

It shouldn’t be that much of an investigation. We have copies of the checks. Dale was cutting them and closing the account well after he was removed from office. That is a criminal act by definition. Judging by the sentiment of the members of the West End Community Council, this is not a subject that is going to die quietly. People are pissed, and yet Dale has no comment. Worse yet, nobody from the Enquirer as yet are even asking the questions.

We don’t know all the checks that Dale has cut over the past four months or the past four years. One of the checks on June 1st was cut to Monique James, who was secretary of Genesis Redevelopment back in the day. As has been recounted on the blog, the Genesis Redevelopment scandal rocked the West End and City Hall a few years back. Genesis promised over a hundred units of housing. They took close to a million dollars. With that, they managed to build one house and did some minor repairs to houses of friends and family. When the FBI investigated they couldn’t account for the money. What a shocker.

Monique James is not the only tie to Genesis. Dale Mallory was Executive Director of Genesis. So was Howard Beatty, who Dale appointed to the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation. Len Garrett had ties to Genesis. He was also appointed by Dale Mallory to the Board of Directors of the CEC. And our favorite hitman, the Kabaka Killing Howard Beatty was also both on the board of Genesis and the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation. The functionally illiterate cold blooded killer is still listed as the Chair of Economic and Workforce Development on the website of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation. Even Junebug’s wife is working for the CEC.

The budget of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation dwarfs that of what Genesis was doing. Dale appointed people to that board and those people got control. They then hired Dale Mallory as a consultant. And Dale wasn’t even reporting to Howard Cleveland, he was reporting to Len Garrett, a man he appointed. That is what the CEC’s own lawyers found.

Somebody in power needs to step up and scream bullshit. They need to demand an audit of both the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation and the West End Community Council. Somebody has to raise a voice so that we can get those records.

Only one reason exists why Dale Mallory doesn’t want anyone to see those records, and that is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Enquirer Editorial on Mallory' s "ethical lapse"

Dale Mallory should mend ethical lapse

"Dale Mallory appears to have been playing all three sides of a relationship between the Cincinnati Empowerment Corp., West End Community Council and Citylink - a dance that while apparently legal does not represent the kind of open and transparent conduct we have a right to expect from our civic leaders.

He had a contract with the empowerment corporation, a federally funded anti-poverty agency, which he used to lobby for Citylink, a proposed community social service center, which was opposed by a majority on the West End Community Council, of which he happened to be president. As president of the community council, Mallory argued for Citylink, but his support for the 10,000 square-foot project over the council's opposition led to his impeachment as president in February.

Lawyers for the empowerment corporation have said the bills for about eight hours of work submitted by Mallory "raise troubling questions" about how the agency hires consultants and potential conflicts of interest. The time in question apparently was for work he did with the community council while he was its president. As president of the community council, he also appointed members of the empowerment corporation board - the board that then hired him as a consultant."

Check it out. They are way off on the square footage of the CityLink homeless mall. Instead of 10,000 square feet, think of a WalMart sized facility on a five acre site, serving drug addicts, mental cases, and prison pre-release cases from the justice system.

The one thing I don't understand is that nobody asks Dale about the checks he was cutting after he was impeached. Nobody is asking Dale for the historical records, membership lists, minutes, and bank records of the West End Community Council.

Dale Mallory refuses to give up this information. He doesn't want anyone to audit the WECC bank records of his past few years in office. That is the only explanation that I can find.

The tone of the article is that if Dale gives back a few hundred dollars everything will be ok. I think that people are upset about more than just a few hundred dollars. To me it was the underhanded and deceptive way he went about getting that money, while publicly denying everything.

Mallory's bills 'troubling'

Mallory's bills 'troubling'
Mayor's brother asked to repay some money; he says no
BY GREGORY KORTE ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER



As you read the article, keep in mind that the report was submitted by the CEC's own lawyers. They can't even buy a favorable opinion.

Lamont Taylor has stepped down from the board. Things could be coming apart at the seams over there. An interesting passage:

The board member who worked most closely with Mallory - meeting with him at least 84 times, according to an Enquirer review of Mallory's billing statements - was Chairman Len Garrett. He did not return calls seeking comment.

Board Treasurer Lamont Taylor resigned from the board Friday, saying Garrett "kept the board in the dark" about the contract.

Is the Len Garrett who met with Dale Mallory 84 times the same Len Garrett who said he had no idea what Dale Mallory was up to? Again, this is what Len said when he was still speaking with the media:

“Empowerment Corp. board member Len Garrett said he wasn't aware that Mallory was holding regular meetings with CityLink organizers. Garrett said Mallory's contract called for him to act as a liaison between the Empowerment Corp. and neighborhood community councils all over the city -- not to work on specific developments.

"If I had known he was working with CityLink and billing us, I would have stopped it," Garrett said.”

Len Garrett had the most oversight of Dale Mallory, and it appears that Garrett directed him the lawyers reported. Interesting that Dale Mallory is the one who got Len Garrett appointed.

People are starting to see the type of people that Mark Stecher and Crossroads Church were willing to go to bed with to push their agenda against the will of West End residents.

Harold Cleveland buys Junebug's building

Plenty of stuff stirring in the comments section, good work and keep at it.

I want to address one item I read tonight. I was surprised by the bold audacity.

Harold Cleveland bought the building housing Junebugs restaurant in the West End. Junebug used to be on the board of directors of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation, in which Howard Cleveland is executive director. Howard Beatty was on the board until he gunned down Kabaka Oba right in front of City Hall. He was appointed by my good friend Dale Mallory.

Anytime you have dealings like this you have ethical questions. As a board member, Junebug could have voted for giving Howard Cleveland a raise. Conversely, Junebug could have urged the board to fire Cleveland. Being on the board has power.

Deals like this just muddy the waters in an already murky situation. Is their payback or quid pro quo? Who knows? Given the track record of those involved, I don't have a lot of faith in the process. Inside dealing was at the heart of the Genesis Redevelopment scandal and the situation today is begging the same types of questions.

You have to give them credit for working the system. Harold Cleveland probably makes 130-140k a year plus expenses, just to give away money. And Junebug is no stranger to the public spigot. He was in deep in both Genesis and the Empowerment Zone. He used his position to get his wife a job there. His brother the hitman was on the board at both Genesits and the Empowerment Zone. He used city funds for the Parktown Café. He is a master at this game.

And where is the Cincinnati Herald on this? Dan Yount, I am calling you out.

Dale Mallory is cutting checks four months after being impeached. The executive director of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation is buying the building housing Junebug’s restaurant. And all this has happened after the public spotlight has been on them for months. Are these people really untouchable? They certainly are acting with impunity. You would think they would take some time off and relax, but apparently siphoning your tax dollars if a full time job.

I have to admit that even I am impressed.

Questions

Posing some questions and musings…

Why is Dale Mallory cutting checks four months after he was impeached?

How many checks did Dale Mallory write since his impeachment?

How is that not a criminal act by definition?

Where are the bank accounts? Where are the historical records? Dale Mallory closed down the bank account on June 1st. He obviously has access to them. Why doesn’t the West End Community Council have access to West End Community Council bank accounts and historical records?

“Empowerment Corp. board member Len Garrett said he wasn't aware that Mallory was holding regular meetings with CityLink organizers. Garrett said Mallory's contract called for him to act as a liaison between the Empowerment Corp. and neighborhood community councils all over the city -- not to work on specific developments.

"If I had known he was working with CityLink and billing us, I would have stopped it," Garrett said.”

The Enquirer reports that Dale submitted papers and got paid for meeting with Len Garrett about the CityLink project. How is Len Garrett unaware? Is Len Garrett lying, or is Dale Mallory falsifying reports?

Dale said that his YMCA expenditure was approved by the Council in February. Dale was impeached in February. Check the tape. It didn’t happen. How does Dale Mallory reconcile this easily proven fact?

Did the YMCA know about Dale’s checks beforehand? What were they for?

Did Lamont Taylor and the Executive Committee of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation recommend that Dale contract be terminated in February when he was impeached? Did Mayor Mark Mallory step in and ask them to hold off until after the May primary?

Why are the only supporters of the CityLink / Crossroads Community Church “Homeless Mall” in the West End on the payroll of either CityLink or the Empowerment Corporation?

Who appointed Len Garrett, George Beatty, and Howard Beatty to the Board of Directors of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation?

Why have hundreds of people from Crossroads Community Church attended community meetings in the West End?

Does anyone in the West End WHO IS NOT GETTING PAID support the moving of homeless shelters from OTR and putting them next to three schools and a playground?

The people that scream the "NIMBY" (Not in my backyard) criticism aren’t living in the “backyard” that this facility will be placed. Why is that a valid argument when they are putting it in someone else's backyard?

And in cases where they are living in "the backyard", like Dale Mallory, they are getting paid for their support.

Which is more legitimate, a taxpaying citizen who cares about his community or a whore politician that accepts money to pursue an agenda against the best interests of his constituents.

Once people in the community find out that every supporter got paid, that makes them even less likely to support the project. Not that anyone wanted it anyway.

Front Page News Above the Fold: Mallory A Paid Shill For CityLink

Greg Korte's article on Dale Mallory is on the front page of today's paper. In it he documents how Dale Mallory was paid to shill for CityLink.

Mayor's brother scrutinized
Dale Mallory billed agency for work promoting Citylink
BY GREGORY KORTE ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Check out the mug shots on the left. Dale had some fine company. He was paid to talk to hit man Howard Beatty, June Bug, and Len Garrett. He got all those people on the empowerment zone board, and in turn they hired him. Dale is getting paid to talk to his friends.

You can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps. Check out the mug shots right here. And what a nice photo of my good friend Mark Stecher. His neighbors in Mason are surely impressed this morning.

Speaking of Stech, I remember when Dale was impeached in February. One of the allegations against Dale was that he had secretly met with Stecher several times. When this part of the impeachment petition was read, Mark Stecher yelled "That is a lie!"

But that is not a lie according to the facts that have recently come out:

"Mallory's consultant reports detail at least 22 meetings and phone calls with CityLink President Mark Stecher - introducing him to Empowerment Corp. CEO Harold Cleveland, strategizing about how to overcome opposition and encouraging the Empowerment Corp. to become actively involved in the project.

Several more contacts were with other CityLink staffers, and at least four times he discussed CityLink security with Duane Weems, president of Roselawn-based Elite Protective Services. Mallory has advocated using city tax money to have Elite patrol the West End - a proposal police have resisted."

22 meetings with Stecher and several more with other CityLink staffers. CityLink staffers even appeared on his campaign material in his run for the statehouse. Dale has long claimed to be neutral, but Empowerment Zone records show him selling CityLink to Empowerment CEO Harold Cleveland in an effort to get EZ support. CityLink Director Mark Stecher denied the meetings, and he is a bold faced liar. You can start to see what depths CityLink and Crossroads Community Church would sink to get their way and force their will on the people of the West End.

The truth has come out. Dale Mallory was getting paid to promote CityLink. He met with CityLink dozens of times, (even after his own community voted against CityLink). He even plotted with CityLink on how to "overcome community opposition". How can the President of the West End Community Council, or any community council sell out his community so boldly? He has been actively working against the interests of the West End Community Council, and he was getting paid to do so. "Dale For Sale" is a pretty accurate nickname in light of this news.

I didn't see the Enquirer touch on the subject of checks and the missing funds and records. I am hoping that is a subject for another day. You have to wonder what Dale Mallory is still doing with all the West End Community Council records. I wish a reporter would ask him about them.

Dale Mallory Cleans Out W.E.C.C. Bank Account Four Months After Impeachment

West End Group Demands Police Investigation of Dale Mallory
Cincinnati Business Courier
By Dan Monk, Senior Staff Reporter

“Leaders of the West End Community Council are asking Cincinnati police to investigate Dale Mallory, the brother of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and a Democratic candidate for the 32nd District seat in the Ohio House of Representatives.

Neighborhood activists, meantime, are asking Cincinnati's City Council to investigate Mallory's work for the Cincinnati Empowerment Corp., a federally funded poverty-fighting agency that engaged Dale Mallory as a consultant last spring."

The investigation of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation has been well known to the loyal readers of the Impeach Mallory Blog.

The police investigation is breaking news. And boy ain't that juicy…

“West End Community Council Treasurer Maggie Moon is asking police to investigate the withdrawal of $1,119 from the group's bank account June 1, more than three months after Dale Mallory was impeached as the group's president. Moon said Mallory has refused to turn over financial records, but the group recently obtained from National City Bank a $1,000 check, authorized by Mallory, to the West End YMCA. Another check, for $119, went to an individual.”

My sources tell me that Dale Mallory cleaned out the entire account. $1,119 was all that was left at that point (no telling what checks he cut in the preceding three months).

For the record, Dale Mallory was impeached and removed from the office of President of the West End Community Council in February. Four months later, in June, Dale Mallory is still using the Community bank account to cut his checks. Instead of turning over the records and accounts, he spent the money and closed it out.

At times like this, even I can’t seem to comprehend how much of an idiot that Dale Mallory is. I can’t take it any longer. Let’s get to Dale’s response:

“Mallory told the Courier that the money was for an arts program at the YMCA. He said the expenditures were authorized by the community council in February. Moon claims there was no such vote and the money should not have been withdrawn.”

Here is a little reminder. Dale Mallory did not preside over the February meeting. In fact, that was the very meeting that he was impeached. No other business was covered at the February meeting. News crews were there to cover it. Channel 12 had cameras rolling. The Enquirer had reporters covering the event. It would be very easy to prove that this never happened. You could check the Channel 12 tape and ask their reporters. You could ask the Enquirer reporter, Alan Howard. You can also check the minutes of the WECC. It didn’t happen and it can be proven.

In February Dale was impeached, he wasn’t authorizing funding to anyone. In January Dale started out the meeting declaring that no motions or votes would be taken, and none were. In December Dale started out the meeting declaring that no motions or votes would be taken, and he walked out after protest about CityLink. Not one of these meetings had a motion or discussion about the YMCA or the disbursement of WECC funds. Dale Mallory is an idiot and a liar.

What Dale Mallory has done is both illegal and criminal. He has spent the WECC money and closed the account four months after he was impeached. I can’t see how he would not be brought up on criminal charges for these offenses. It is not his money, and he had no authority.

The article then details some of the circumstances and events of Dale Mallory and the CityLink Center, which is funded by Crossroads Community Church. Crossroads is planning a Wal-Mart sized 100,000 square foot homeless mall in the West End, right across the street from three schools and a playground. The facility will cater to the homeless; the mentally ill, drug addicts, and it will also have a substantial prison pre-release program.

The West End was furious about Mallory’s collaboration with CityLink, which he consistently denied…

“Activists in the West End and surrounding neighborhoods have opposed the CityLink initiative for months. They claim Mallory helped to promote the project by keeping the West End Community Council from voting against the initiative. Recently, the group obtained through a public records request copies of Mallory's invoices to the Empowerment Corp. The records show Mallory met with CityLink organizers more than a dozen times between September 2005 and January 2006.”

So much for Mallory neutrality! He has denied the secret meetings in the past, but the Empowerment Corp. documents suggest otherwise. He was even meeting with CityLink after the December meeting, where the West End Community Council voted against the CityLink Center development bringing the mentally ill, convicts and drug addicts right next to our schools and our children. It is reprehensible. Not only did he meet with CityLink, he was paid to do it.

To sum it up:

1) Dale Mallory was cutting checks, siphoning all the funds, and closing down the West End Community Council bank account four months after he was impeached and removed from office.

2) Dale Mallory secretly met with CityLink a dozen times (even after his own community publicly voted against the project), and he was paid by the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation to hold those meetings.

I am sure others will have other takes and nuggets, but this is big news. If we have justice in this town, Dale Mallory will be doing the perp walk in cuffs. Dale Mallory is a criminal.

"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Sir Winston Churchill

This blog has never been set on moderated status. That means that comments are posted directly and immediately without being reviewed by the Impeach Mallory Crew.

I took a few comments down on a post after I got a couple complaints. Let’s try to keep it reasonably clean. You don’t have to play nice, but you can keep it clean.

People have argued that some of the banter devalues the legitimacy of the blog. We do have legitimate grievances, supported by legitimate and very real facts and circumstances.

Investigations currently underway aren’t going as quickly as some contributors would like. It is understandable, but that is the nature of the beast. Sometimes the news comes fast and furious, and sometimes the natives get restless and stir-crazy if they aren’t fed raw meat on time and on schedule.

Keep your eye on the prize. We are not done by any means.