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I recently learned that it was apparent that Portage Mayor John Cannon/long-time friend of federally convicted/former mayor James Snyder, was retaliating against Portage City Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham [the only city official who testified against former Mayor James Snyder], by investigating Stidham on apparently bullshit claims and demanding Stidham resign.
'None of my business', was my first reaction - and honestly, who could blame me? After the hellish retaliation I endured at the hands of Portage City and County officials because I reported former Porter County Indiana Magistrate James Johnson to the State for his failure to uphold domestic violence laws and protection orders - I owe no one in frickin Indiana a damn thing.
I don't recall one official in Portage, Porter County, or the State doing the right thing to protect me. Instead, my life was ripped to shreds with a criminal no-contact order being ignored; an unlawful police entry; my precious dogs being killed and other countless acts of hate spewed retaliation.
Instead of taking immediate action and reaching out to Stidman, I turned my attention back to a domestic violence case that I was working on - in which the victim is in extreme danger. You see, I have worked with domestic violence victims for over 30 years. I received the best training not only in Michigan criminal laws, but Chief Kanavel and Judge Costello went a step further in my years of training - a concept that is often lost to those in the courts and law enforcement agencies: Federal and State Crime Victim Rights. I am considered an expert in my field, which also includes Officer Involved Domestic Violence.
Yes, I know it will only take a moment for me to shoot Stidman an email to inform him that he is federally protected - under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1513 - from retaliation for having testified against former mayor James Snyder. And yes, I know in some sense I may have a moral obligation - BUT, this is an official who I turned to for help for answers and justice after the unlawful police entry and the horrific deaths of my furbabies. AND, this is an official who had a moral obligation and the authority to investigate my case, BUT, who instead decided to go along with former Portage Mayor James Snyder's order, to not investigate my case [and thus violate my rights].
Over the course of the next few days - while Stidman was being hammered by Cannon and other Portage IN city officials - I was busy applying the US Code/Federal laws/Federal Crime Victim Rights, to assist in keeping a domestic violence victim safe - I owe her everything - Just like I owed the domestic violence victims who went before Porter County Magistrate James Johnson [who violated their rights]. I owe Stidman nothing. Besides, there is no time stamp on a moral obligation ... Just saying.
On July 2nd, after I had finished working on the domestic violence victim's case, at 3:02 pm, I emailed Stidman about his protections under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1513. Approximately three hours later, Stidman stated to the Chicago Tribune that Cannon's actions against him were retaliation for him having testified against convicted/former Mayor James Snyder.
You're welcome, Stidman. And in case you care, the domestic violence victim is safe and going balls to the wall in her fight for her federal crime victim rights.
Portage releases clerk investigation report; Stidham says it's retribution for testifying in disgraced former mayor’s trial
Chicago Tribune
July 02, 2019 6:24 PM
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-portage-council-investigaton-st-0703-20190702-tuo7z4l6k5h27dclzxowrgnqqe-tuo7z4l6k5h27dclzxowrgnqqe-story.html
A committee report investigating alleged wrongdoing by Portage Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham notes that it is “sufficiently likely” that Stidham’s payments to his then-girlfriend for contract work for his office violated a number of state and federal criminal as well as civil statutes, and questions whether the work was performed by her at all.
Mayor John Cannon’s office released a redacted version of the 15-page report Tuesday afternoon. Redactions include the agencies looking into the matter, Social Security numbers and other personal information, and eight bullet points of recommendations from the committee.
“They got everything from public documents. Everything is public information. They can’t go any further in the investigation because they don’t have subpoena powers,” Cannon said, adding the bipartisan committee, comprised of a city council member, a member of the board of works and a department head, consulted with their attorney, Christopher Buckley, before releasing the redacted report.
City council members have been provided redacted copies, Cannon said, adding they had the opportunity to view the full version of the report over the past several days.
“The investigation at this time is completed. They have done everything I’ve asked. It’s now been turned over to the proper authorities,” he said.
The report details the amounts paid out to Keeping the Books, ERG Advisors and Paramount Technology Solutions, all owned by Rachel Glass, including thousands of dollars paid from the city’s cable fund. None of the payments, according to the report, had accompanying invoices, descriptions of work performed or vouchers and none of them are listed on the city’s “Financial Transparency Portal” on its website, which the report said includes “the exhaustive list of hundreds of other vendors paid by the City.”
The report notes that given the evidence, it appears “that Mr. and Mrs. Stidham were sufficiently financially intertwined to implicate civil and criminal liability,” including a relationship that began in 2014 or earlier, the birth of a child the following year, and the purchase of a home in Portage in 2016 around the time they married.
Cannon has asked Stidham, whose term ends on Dec. 31, to resign in light of the committee’s report, which he has refused to do. Cannon also will ask the Board of Works during a Wednesday morning to seek repayment of what he says is almost $70,000 in unauthorized payments to three companies affiliated with Glass, now Stidham’s wife, for contract work with his office.
The report notes that no contracts with her companies are on record with the city and the invoices did not receive approval from the board of works, in violation of an assortment of laws.
A representative from the State Board of Accounts met with two committee members, Cannon and Buckley on Monday, Cannon said, declining to note which other authorities have received the report.
Stidham has said the investigation is politically motivated because of testimony he gave during the federal trial of former Mayor James Snyder, who was convicted in February on two public corruption charges and awaits sentencing.
He has said the figure for the contract work was closer to $50,000, and that the work, including database tasks, took place in 2015 and 2016, and stopped once he and Glass married. Stidham also has said the board of works did not see the invoices for the work because of a procedural matter.
Stidham said he has not been provided a copy of the redacted report and has reached out to the State Board of Accounts as well, asking them to review the committee’s allegations and other matters as part of their next annual audit of the city, which he expects in the coming weeks.
“They are the proper entity for this type of thing as an independent entity and not politically motivated like the mayor,” he said. “I’m concerned that this is all in retaliation for matters the mayor believes I had already reported to the state board.”
In his letter to state board, Stidham asks the board to “review the process of payment of claims by this office for 2012 through current. While Mayor (Cannon) has hand-picked selected claims in order to make salacious accusations, the underlying process for paying claims in the City of Portage has been in place since before I took office on January 1, 2012 and remains largely in place to this day.”
Council President Sue Lynch, D-At large, confirmed she had received a copy of the redacted report but said she has not yet had a chance to review it. The full report, she said, has been turned over to the Porter County prosecutor’s office.
Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann confirmed his office has the report, and that he will be meeting with a representative from the Lake County prosecutor’s office to see if they will serve as a special prosecutor in the matter.
Lynch said that because the city council’s attorney, Ken Elwood, shares office space with Stidham, the council has hired Dan Whitten, who has an office in Portage, as its conflict attorney. She expects he will meet with prosecutors and, once the investigation is further along, she will schedule an executive session for an update from Whitten. Whitten is a member of the Porter County Council.
“Now that it’s been turned over to the proper authorities, the council needs to sit back and let that process work. That’s what we need to do,” she said.
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