[LadybugChick]

Just saw that Fox 5 "Investigation Team" is going to be doing a story about the Downtown Pawn Shop in Hiram.

[treasure]

Did they say what it is about?

[LadybugChick]

treasure, on 23 March 2010 - 04:51 PM, said:

Did they say what it is about?

I only caught the very end so I didn't hear what it was about.

[PUBBY]

I think it may have to do with unlicensed gold purchases ... not by Pep mind you ... but another entity (Not Criterion either) ... that was invited into a public place.

pubby

[fargo]

PUBBY, on 23 March 2010 - 04:56 PM, said:

I think it may have to do with unlicensed gold purchases ... not by Pep mind you ... but another entity (Not Criterion either) ... that was invited into a public place.

pubby

PLEASE tell, we know they do not like competition, everybody else better have a permit or they "the owners" send the law after ya

[Grayce]

Mis-used funds

[LPPT]

Patriot, on 23 March 2010 - 05:05 PM, said:

PLEASE tell, we know they do not like competition, everybody else better have a permit or they "the owners" send the law after ya

My understanding is this, that after 9/11 it was found that terrorist laundered money through gold.

It was decided by the feds that people that wanted to be in the gold business would now have to pay for licensing and and other expensive administrative cost to remain in business.

Why should someone be allowed to undercut a legitimate business by disobeying the law?

[treasure]

I THINK we now know why the chief resigned...............

[UnionMom]

treasure, on 23 March 2010 - 05:16 PM, said:

I THINK we now know why the chief resigned...............

That's what I was just thinking.



Whether or not there was anything directly wrong/unethically done, there is a huge conflict of interest using a business owned by anyone in office. That's just a flat out no-no there.

[markdavd]

Nothing about buying gold.

The chief was told to buy things from the Mayor's business, which the mayor signed off on. Competetive bids were supposed to be obtained, but apparently the chief was never told that.

[PUBBY]

Apparently it had nothing to do with that bit of scuttlebutt.

Instead, Patriot, it appears that this could be a little payback aimed at the Mayor for the "resignation" of Johnny Shirley earlier this year. This story may indeed break the silence that is associated with that event.

I suspect former Chief Shirley chose to talk to the Atlanta media because he knew they would not ask him about that.

Instead, the Fox 5 story charges that the city of Hiram - a city of ethics - was purchasing some police-oriented goods from the mayor's husband at the pawn shop without following public bidding procedures. The presumption was the city was opting instead to purchase locally. According to the story, the total of purchases may have reached, over a dozen or more transactions with the police Dept. as much as $20,000.

Typically, cities/mayors/ city officers have the ability to purchase goods without the city going through the issues of advertising for public bid, items up to a specific amount.

I don't know the amount for the city of Hiram - but the county could, on the authority of the chairman, purchase items up to $50,000. Hence the contract issued by former Chairman Jerry Shearin for former county manager Pat Crook in the waning days of his administration for just under $50,000 without a vote of the commission or public bid for services.

Typically, the maximum amount per transaction for a city like Hiram would be $5,000 or possibly $10,000 before a public bid is required and a vote of the council to approve the expenditure. If the purchases were $50 here and $400 there, this may not be a real issue of illegality.

In regard the charge of an ethics violation ... it could be argued that any purchase from the mayor's husband at his pawn shop could be suspect simply because any purchase - even if competitively bid - would raise questions.

pubby

[LPPT]

markdavd, on 23 March 2010 - 05:22 PM, said:

Nothing about buying gold.

The chief was told to buy things from the Mayor's business, which the mayor signed off on. Competetive bids were supposed to be obtained, but apparently the chief was never told that.

Wow, not in my wildest dreams would I have thought this.

[fargo]

PUBBY, on 23 March 2010 - 05:35 PM, said:

Apparently it had nothing to do with that bit of scuttlebutt.

Instead, Patriot, it appears that this could be a little payback aimed at the Mayor for the "resignation" of Johnny Shirley earlier this year. This story may indeed break the silence that is associated with that event.

I suspect former Chief Shirley chose to talk to the Atlanta media because he knew they would not ask him about that.

Instead, the Fox 5 story charges that the city of Hiram - a city of ethics - was purchasing some police-oriented goods from the mayor's husband at the pawn shop without following public bidding procedures. The presumption was the city was opting instead to purchase locally. According to the story, the total of purchases may have reached, over a dozen or more transactions with the police Dept. as much as $20,000.

Typically, cities/mayors/ city officers have the ability to purchase goods without the city going through the issues of advertising for public bid, items up to a specific amount.

I don't know the amount for the city of Hiram - but the county could, on the authority of the chairman, purchase items up to $50,000. Hence the contract issued by former Chairman Jerry Shearin for former county manager Pat Crook in the waning days of his administration for just under $50,000 without a vote of the commission or public bid for services.

Typically, the maximum amount per transaction for a city like Hiram would be $5,000 or possibly $10,000 before a public bid is required and a vote of the council to approve the expenditure. If the purchases were $50 here and $400 there, this may not be a real issue of illegality.

In regard the charge of an ethics violation ... it could be argued that any purchase from the mayor's husband at his pawn shop could be suspect simply because any purchase - even if competitively bid - would raise questions.

pubby

[fargo]

Check the Secretary of State website and look for Main Street Gold Gun and Pawn the owner IS Mayor Rollins, The Chief financial officer is Mayor Rollins, The secretary is Carmen Rollins the only thing the husband is the chief executive officer. IT IS THE MAYORS SHOP AND SHE HANDLES ALL THE FINANCES.

[Myprayers77]

Any idea if this is going to be on again tonight?

[fargo]

Myprayers77, on 23 March 2010 - 06:05 PM, said:

Any idea if this is going to be on again tonight?

Yes 10:00 p.m.

[treasure]

Would this bit of information remove her from office or is her job safe?

[NoFacedName]

Patriot, on 23 March 2010 - 06:10 PM, said:

Yes 10:00 p.m.

And the way the local stations report the news, the exact same report will be on again tomorrow morning, tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. We could even see it on Thursday.

[Myprayers77]

Patriot, on 23 March 2010 - 06:10 PM, said:

Yes 10:00 p.m.

Thanks!

[UnionMom]

Or you could check it out ... here

[Inspector Callahan]

There is some question as to the purchase of three .45 cal handguns that were purchased from the pawn shop, that were never requested from the PD. Two are in a locker and one is apparently being carried by an officer. The Mayor signed the PO's and they went to the pawn shop for several different items, including a compressor, without bids. I don't think bids were necessarily required, but it smells up the place for the Mayor to only be making city purchases from her own establishment. She has cornered the market.

[MillCreek]

FYI -- Fox 5 has it on their website, here

[UnionMom]

MillCreek Web Design, on 23 March 2010 - 06:24 PM, said:

FYI -- Fox 5 has it on their website, here

deja vu

[NewsJunky]

Hi~ho Silver, on 23 March 2010 - 06:21 PM, said:

There is some question as to the purchase of three .45 cal handguns that were purchased from the pawn shop, that were never requested from the PD. Two are in a locker and one is apparently being carried by an officer. The Mayor signed the PO's and they went to the pawn shop for several different items, including a compressor, without bids. I don't think bids were necessarily required, but it smells up the place for the Mayor to only be making city purchases from her own establishment. She has cornered the market.

Would that not depend on the price she charged. I wonder if she sold at a bargain?

[Myprayers77]

UnionMom, on 23 March 2010 - 06:19 PM, said:

Or you could check it out ... here

Thanks! I searched earlier but could not find it.

[UnionMom]

NewsJunky, on 23 March 2010 - 06:29 PM, said:

Would that not depend on the price she charged. I wonder if she sold at a bargain?

Not according to the report. All of the stuff they price checked they found cheaper ... both brick and mortar and online.

[Inspector Callahan]

treasure, on 23 March 2010 - 06:12 PM, said:

Would this bit of information remove her from office or is her job safe?

I think she is safe, at least until the next election. However, If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

[gardengirl66]

treasure, on 23 March 2010 - 05:16 PM, said:

I THINK we now know why the chief resigned...............

that may be part of it!

[Lady Raider]

Good lawd

[Inspector Callahan]

gardengirl66, on 23 March 2010 - 06:38 PM, said:

that may be part of it!

I have a strange feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg

[ProudMawMawof5]

I thought Steinson was on sick leave and in bad health. He sure looked okay there.

[treasure]

This is more interesting than a soap opera.....small town politics gone bad.

This post has been edited by treasure: 23 March 2010 - 07:07 PM

[fargo]

ProudMawMawof5, on 23 March 2010 - 06:47 PM, said:

I thought Steinson was on sick leave and in bad health. He sure looked okay there.

It was probably the hunting trips with guess whose husband???

[ProudMawMawof5]

Whose husband? I'm lost. He is the attorney of the other party in a court case. We can't get a court date because we were told he is on sick leave and in bad health.

[momof 3]

I just saw this story on Fox 5. This is muck raking at it's best. I know nothing about the relationship between the mayor and former Captain Shirley, but it sounds like sour grapes to me.

Hubby has been looking at Springfield 45's for ages and ages and he refuses to come off the hip for one, they are expensive. He said that if the city got 3 of these guns for less than $3,000.00, that nobody got ripped off. The last one he saw on Gunbroker that he wanted was $1200.00.

Granted, there should have been bidding, but Fox couldn't prove that there hadn't been. There just wasn't any paperwork to prove that they had...which there should been.

Also, when they said that they found other items bought at the pawn shop cheaper on the internet. Example an item on the internet was $82.00 plus shipping and handling and at the pawn shop it was $102.00. Thats not 'cheaper' to me.

It just seemed to me that somebody is angry and is trying to get back at the person he thinks is responsible for his firing...oh excuse me....his resignation.

[tbird]

I only hope that Johnny Shirley talked to an attorney before he started all of this. I really want to think that he did!!! Even a slime ball attorney---would be better than nothing.

[fargo]

tbird, on 23 March 2010 - 09:38 PM, said:

I only hope that Johnny Shirley talked to an attorney before he started all of this. I really want to think that he did!!! Even a slime ball attorney---would be better than nothing.

I don't think Johnny is responsible for this, there are several more employees in Hiram who have knowledge of the spending $1,000.00 for parade candy, need I say more.

[PUBBY]

RE: Mr. Stinson.

He has been ill and may have been too ill to pursue a particular case on a particular date.

That said, he does continue to appear at his office, on camera for his clients (City of Hiram) and in court for other clients (where I heard he did a good job last week against some big-city attorneys.)

pubby

[NewsJunky]

tbird, on 23 March 2010 - 09:38 PM, said:

I only hope that Johnny Shirley talked to an attorney before he started all of this. I really want to think that he did!!! Even a slime ball attorney---would be better than nothing.

Yep, I agree.

[treasure]

PUBBY, on 23 March 2010 - 09:41 PM, said:

I don't think we know why the chief resigned. However, I do opine that resignation provided some of motivation behind the tip to Fox 5.

pubby

Understood....I'm just sayin
And in case anyone forgot...the assistant chief resigned the same day.