08132019 - News Article - Portage mayor continues fight with clerk-treasurer, calls for six new ordinances demanding oversight of office

Portage mayor continues fight with clerk-treasurer, calls for six new ordinances demanding oversight of office
POST-TRIBUNE
AUG 13, 2019
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-portage-cannon-demand-st-0814-20190813-t4ivsrf5hjazdmeitmiwwmicqe-story.html

Mayor John Cannon said he will pursue eight recommendations, including six new city ordinances, proposed by his “appointed bipartisan executive investigative committee” that allege Portage Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham inappropriately gave a contractor work in his office without getting proper approval.

Stidham, who has said little about Cannon’s charges until now, called the mayor “the biggest hypocrite” and said he will no longer “remain a punching bag for (Cannon) while he continues to do his reckless things.”

In a lengthy release Monday, Cannon, a Republican who is running against City Council President Sue Lynch, D-At large, for mayor, called for six new ordinances, two changes to existing ordinances and a recommendation the council form an investigative committee with subpoena powers to look into Cannon’s allegations.

“We brought in the broom, and, we’re cleaning out City Hall,” Cannon said.

Cannon’s recommendations include an ordinance adding anti-nepotism language to a city ordinance governing contracts with vendors and calling for compliance with Portage ethics ordinances; an ordinance requiring all Indiana State Board of Accounts reports be posted on the city website; an ordinance requiring the Clerk-Treasurer to sign and print a certification that each payment was properly approved and paid; and, an ordinance giving the mayor or a mayoral designee access to the city’s bookkeeping software, now under the Clerk-Treasurer’s responsibilities.

The Clerk-Treasurer and the Mayor are two separately elected offices with no power over each other.

The State Board of Accounts is investigating Cannon’s claims, a move which Stidham said he welcomed and a special prosecutor was named last week to investigate.

Cannon claimed his list of recommendations is not an overreach of his mayoral powers.

“It’s more trying to get more oversight (of the Clerk-Treasurer’s office) for the City Council,” he said.

Former Mayor James Snyder, who lost his seat after being found guilty by a federal jury of two public corruption charges in February, began calling for an investigation into Stidham’s work contracts with his future wife after Stidham testified at Snyder’s trial in late January.

Cannon said Snyder tried to get Lynch, as council president, to start an investigation and provided her with a packet of information after Stidham’s testimony, but Lynch declined.

Cannon claimed Snyder was not involved in Cannon’s investigation and Cannon claimed his investigation was not politically motivated.

But, during a Tuesday interview, Cannon took several shots at Lynch, his general election opponent, for passing up on opportunities to investigate Stidham.

Lynch waved off Cannon’s comments as politically driven.

“This is not a council issue. it’s always been about the board of works,” Lynch said. “The council had nothing to do with claims or checks. There is an investigation going on by people who are qualified investigators. I don’t think the council should be doing investigations just because we have subpoena powers.

“This is all political, and, anyone who doesn’t see it for that, I’m sorry if they can’t see that.”

Stidham said he is finished with Cannon’s attacks and said Cannon “needs to get his own house in order. I’m certainly not one to take advice on my job from someone who does his job so poorly.”

Stidham said Cannon has made a number of bad spending decisions, including hiring decisions that were not approved by proper boards in advance. Stidham also said Cannon “circumvented” state law by joining the rest of the Board of Works in approving a $226,482 change order Tuesday morning for a paving project.

Like Lynch, Stidham said Cannon’s allegations are politically motivated and designed to boost his election chances.

“It’s political retribution, because it began when I began disagreeing with (Cannon) about his spending, his approving contracts without budget appropriations,” Stidham said. “When I started calling (Cannon) out, that’s when his investigation started.

“(Cannon) wants to do things, and, he doesn’t like being told no or being called on, especially when those things are unlawful.”