After six-months of silence, Rock Hall Clerk Treasurer Stephanie Loller has publicly rebuked Mayor Robert Willis for conducting a protracted smear campaign against her and other town officials with false allegations of financial misconduct and forgery.
“The mayor’s accusations are not true, they are unwarranted, and they are offensive,” Loller said, as she struggled to contain her frustration during Thursday’s meeting of the Rock Hall Town Council.
Loller addressed all of Willis’ allegations over the last six months that included a fictionalized check scandal, accusations of forgery, an accusation of improperly certifying a federal document, and a reprimand she received from Willis for an unemployment claim filed by a former town official – an area Loller said is the sole responsibility of the town’s payroll company. Loller’s remarks clearly pointed to Willis’ lack of understanding of the processes and operations of Rock Hall government – where Willis often boasts he is the CEO.
Loller’s statement comes after months of what town officials have described as “a relentless pattern of intimidation and harassment” at the hands of Willis. She said Willis’ “baseless” allegations were meant to “mislead the public” and “cast a cloud of suspicion over the entire town office.”
See Loller’s full statement in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIYA8SkjWUs
Willis and his confidant, Councilwoman Susan Francis, did not attend Thursday’s council meeting.
Loller’s statement chronicled months of accusations by Willis that began in a closed session on April 28 — when Willis accused Town Manager Ron Fithian and Councilman Olin “Butch” Price of violating the town’s check writing policy.
Willis claimed that Price and Fithian had acted improperly when they signed a $1,000 check in February to Price’s plumbing company, Shore Plumbing. But the town attorney assured Price at the April 28 meeting that they had acted properly.
According to the town’s check writing policy, the only authorized check signers are the mayor, vice mayor, and town manager. The policy requires the town manager and either the mayor or vice mayor to sign every check. When the mayor is unavailable, the vice mayor can sign in the mayor’s stead. Price was the vice mayor when he signed the $1,000 check to his company — but he relinquished his title in May to avoid any appearance of conflict.
Price said Thursday that he recently reviewed his text messages from February and found a message from Willis asking him to sign checks on the same day Price signed the $1,000 check to his plumbing company — the same check that was at the center of Willis’ allegations.
“I need you to sign town checks today. I will be getting back from Annapolis later in the day,” Willis said in a text to Price. The Spy obtained a copy of the text message.
Price said Willis had asked him on numerous occasions to sign checks.
Loller pointed out that Price’s plumbing work for the town had been discussed in open meetings without objections from Willis or other council members.
Loller also revealed that Willis himself had signed 15 checks payable to Durding’s, a sandwich shop owned by the Willis family, while he was leveling allegations at Price for signing checks to his own plumbing company. Willis also signed four other checks payable to himself as an advance on his paycheck. The revelation came as a complete surprise to council members and residents who attended Thursday’s council meeting.
One audience member called Willis a “hypocrite” while others shook their head.
In late 2011, and again in early 2012, Willis asked Fithian to have Loller prepare a total of four checks that amounted to just under $1,100. Loller said she later declined requests from Willis for pay advances because she “though it was unfair to everyone else.”
“We don’t have a policy to give advances on paychecks,” Loller said after Thursday’s meeting. “We all have to manage our money until payday.”
“He got an interest free payday loan from taxpayers,” joked an audience member after Thursday’s meeting.
Fithian told the Spy after the meeting that he regretted signing the checks but had acted on the request of his superior, Mayor Willis.
In the video below, Fithian and Councilman Brian Jones express bewilderment that Willis could sign personal checks to himself while slandering Price for signing checks in Willis’ absence — and at the request of Willis himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuqf1hgruFc
When the first round allegations failed to pass muster, Willis and Francis embarked on what town officials say was another conspiracy theory – claiming that checks were clearing the bank without the required two signatures.
On Sept. 10 Councilwoman Francis posted copies of three checks in on Internet chat board that she claimed cleared People’s Bank without the proper signatures. Two checks were missing one signature and one check was missing two signatures.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Fithian said. He said People’s Bank is not able to clear a check unless it has the required two signatures.
“The bank does not miss that,” Fithian said. “They will call us and bring a check back — and we’ll have to put the appropriate signatures on it.”
Loller said that she could recall only rare instances when checks were sent out without two signatures. She said Willis made the most recent mistake when he missed signing a check on Aug. 30.
“This very simple oversight underscores why we use the multi-layered approach,” Loller said.
Councilman Brian Jones and members of the audience questioned whether Francis broke the law when she posted the checks on an Internet chat board — and Town Attorney Charles “Chip” MacLeod said it was probably not a good idea. Loller said that Francis did a poor job of blacking out the account number, which could be legible if you enlarge the images.
In the video below, Fithian elaborates on the protocols that town staff and People’s Bank have in place to prevent checks from clearing without the required two signatures. The council and audience members question Francis’ decision to post the checks online. Jones and the council also give praise and a vote of confidence to Loller and Assistant Clerk Treasurer Lacey Cox for their service to the town.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt0EIy3ggPE
Loller’s reprimand
On Aug. 12, Willis officially reprimanded Loller for incurring costs associated with an unemployment claim by a former elected official. Loller pointed out that the responsibility to determine unemployment eligibility rests solely on the town’s payroll company, ADP.
“It is not my responsibility to determine anyone’s eligibility for unemployment,” Loller said. “The Clerk’s Office does not file the unemployment wage form, this is the sole responsibility of ADP. The mayor should have known the town’s policy…”
A majority of the council struck down the reprimand last week — noting Loller’s 11 years of impeccable service to the town. Loller, 36, has worked in banking and finance for 16 years.
“I would like to thank the majority…of the council for dismissing this petty and baseless blemish on my otherwise untarnished personnel file,” Loller said.
Certification of a federal document
Willis made an issue with a USDA loan resolution document Loller certified on Aug. 14 — two days after the council approved the measure in a 5-0 vote on Aug. 12. The resolution was a guarantee to USDA that the town would obtain $260,000 in financing for a new water clarifier — in order to receive an additional $1 million in grant funding from the agency.
Willis took issue with the two days difference between the date of the vote on Aug. 12 and the date the resolution was certified on Aug. 14 – saying that it was improper.
But Willis took the loan documents home with him for two days after the Aug. 12 vote and returned them signed and dated for Aug. 14 – when Loller says she correctly certified them.
“[The Document] was certified correctly,” Loller said. “This was a simple procedure, we’ve done it hundreds of times, no cloud of suspicion, no cover-up, and no lack of competency.”
“If the mayor had any concerns about the certification of the document, it could have been resolved with a meeting or a short phone conversation,” Loller said. “Instead [Willis] chose a 15-minute interrogation that I believe was meant to intimidate, embarrass, degrade, and to question my integrity and my professionalism.”
In addition to questioning the certification of the USDA loan document, Willis also claimed that someone in the town office forged his name on the bond counsel agreement contained in the funding application.
Grenville Whitman says
Editor,
The Rock Hall Town Council has budgeted a total of $19,000 for legal fees in fiscal 2014, but because of Mayor Willis’ on-going tantrums and shenanigans, the town’s bills for legal services from Funk & Bolton for July and August alone were $20,403, with 10 more months to go.
This town taxpayer says we need a far less expensive mayor!
Bill Anderson says
Editor,
I believe the town clerk/treasurer,under a directive from the Town Council, should report to the USDA that there is an allegation made by the Mayor that his signature was forged on a USDA grant application, which allegation demands an immediate federal investigation. The feds have the resources available to get at the true facts (vs mayoral facts) concerning that allegation, which will no doubt put to rest this and many of the other similar allegations made by the Mayor.
Cora Dickson says
Editor,
A comment made by another letter writer suggests that the Mayor’s allegation of forgery and/or deception should be reported to USDA. The town is in desperate need of the water clarifier and cannot afford the delay nor the risk that USDA will cancel the offered funds.
A better solution would be for the Mayor to withdraw his baseless allegation.