Jun 16, 2009 6:22 pm US/Central
County Official Suspected Of Squandering Thousands
Dr. Charles Flowers Accused Of Using Public Money For Personal Use
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Cook County elected official Charles Flowers is accused of squandering tens of thousands of dollars of public money.
Southtown Star
The search is on tonight for Cook County elected official Charles Flowers. He is suspected of using state money for everything from hiring relatives to paying for family trips, all at the taxpayer's expense. CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports that it's one of the most obscure offices in local government: the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education. And a recent state audit shows it's one of the worst run as well.
The head of the office, Dr. Charles Flowers, is accused of squandering tens of thousands of dollars in public money. And now, the County Board wants both the attorney general and the state's attorney to investigate.
"This is an example of flagrant corruption at its most heightened," said Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth Gorman.
The state's top auditor accused regional schools superintendent Charles Flowers of blatant mismanagement, running up a nearly $1 million budget deficit, while padding the payroll, and perhaps, his own pockets.
Among the accusations, the auditor says, Flowers charged airline tickets, car rentals and meals, all for his relatives on a government credit card. He took a $6,700 cash advance on the credit card to buy a government vehicle and furniture, but auditors couldn't find the vehicle or the furniture.
And he placed his sister and nephew on the payroll. And then, there are curious phone bills.
"In October '06, there was a telephone system approved for $9,800," Gorman said. "Two years later, in 2008, another phone system for almost $12,000. Those phones go unanswered year after year."
What's more, last year, before those abuses were known, Flowers came to the County Board for a $190,000 loan to help the agency make payroll. County Board President Todd Stroger backed it and the Board approved it. Now, the auditor says, there's doubt whether that loan will ever be repaid.
"Our loan is due at the end of this month," said Cook County Commissioner Anthony Peraica. "I think it's safe to say we're not going to see that money."
"We took this man on his word and unfortunately, we were sidetracked and really buffaloed," said Cook County Commissioner John Daley.
In fact, the only commissioner who voted against the loan was Elizabeth Gorman.
Flowers' office is run out of a non-descript building in Westchester responsible for certifying teachers in 143 suburban school districts. But the school districts complain, no one answers the phone and certifications are painfully slow. When CBS 2 dropped by Tuesday, Flowers wasn't there. And the county can't find him, either.
"We haven't had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Flowers. We don't know where he's at," Gorman said. "And actually the Stroger administration has tried to reach out to him to seek repayment and that's been unsuccessful."
Problems with the Westchester office are nothing new. The office is so useless, it was eliminated altogether back in 1994 until a political deal was hatched in Springfield to bring it back to life.
Now, the County Board is calling on the state to eliminate the post again, while calling on investigators to look into possible criminal charges against Charles Flowers.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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