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Gerhart Resigns!
By Greg L | 3 June 2009 | Prince William County | 63 Comments
The News & Messenger is reporting that County Executive Craig Gerhart has resigned, a day after criminal indictments were handed down in a bid-rigging scandal at the Office of Information Technology! Now all we have to do is make sure his crony Melissa Peacor doesn’t waltz into this position, and we have a great opportunity to improve the quality and performance of our county government!
I wonder what deal Gerhart managed to cut in order to get to walk away….
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Just heard this on channel 8. It is a good day today. Let’s hope things will look up now, for PWC. Now, if only the Deane would do the same.
Hooray!!!
The Potomac News on line is saying that this retirement was planned and that it has nothing to do with this investigation. He starts working for Amtrak on July 6. Does anyone think there is a connection?
starryflights
I thought you like to hang out at the Anti site. They are not going to be happy about Gerhardt.
How come you post over there and then post over here saying different things? Is someone else using your handle over there?
News and Muffenger:
“There is no connection” between his retirement and the OIT scandal, said Liz Bahrns, communications director for the county. Rather, Gerhart became eligible for retirement from his county position months ago and had been seeking a new career opportunity. Amtrak had been pursuing him for weeks, she said.”
Truth:
“There is a connection” between his retirement and the OIT scandal, said Liz Bahrns, communications director for the county. Although Gerhart became eligible for retirement from his county position months ago and had been seeking a new career opportunity that was open weeks ago at Amtrak, he decided to leave now before the authorities, that have been pursuing him for weeks, don’t have to indict him as a county employee, she said.”
I recall ever posting over there. Maybe someone has used the same nic. There is no controlling that.
That should state that I do NOT recall ever posting over there.
Will Gerhart be getting a county retirement with pay? Even if he had nothing to do with the corruption, he couldn’t possibly have been doing this county any good, to allow this is happen on his watch. I can’t believe that Amtrak would want him. If this is all true, than it appears that Gerhart may be incompetent on preforming his job, at the very least.
GOOD RIDDANCE!!! And I agree that none of Gerhart’s cronies should be given the County Exec. post nor anyone else who seeks to implement their own personal agenda over the stated policies of the BOCS and the will of the people in this county.
I wonder how the County Supervisors feel about Gerhart and Deane making this HUGE announcement and not keeping them in the loop. Who is RUNNING this County anyway. I have to wonder!
It was the independent auditor that caught this. The independent auditor was Chairman Stewart’s idea. The BOCS approved it. The auditor reports directly to the BOCS.
Yes, but I read that Stewart was pretty upset about the announcement of the indictments being made publicly without the knowledge of the PWCBOS and rightly so. Thank goodness that Stewart brought in the independent auditor.
The indendent auditors investigated it but I highly doubt they discovered it. There have been quite a number of documented examples of suspicious procurement practices forwarded to members of the BOCS over the last few years, those probably led to the hiring of the auditors and ultimately to the events of the past few days. It could end no other way as they left quite a paper trail.
Deane’s protector is gone…I agree, let’s hope he’s next!!!
Starryflights, he will get a State retirement. Most, but not all, muncipal government employees are part of the Virginia Retirement system, which is the retirement program which PWC partcipates. The system vests you after 5 years of service and you become eligible for full beneits after 30 years of service and you reach age 50. This is for civillian employees as sworn employees have a less strigent requirement for retirement.
I am looking forward to Chief Deane resigning now - and then the “good old boy” network will be no more.
Glad he’s on his way out.
Now, completely off-topic, but I hadn’t seen it addressed (and I just found out about it myself this morning): they are going to build two asphalt plants on Hornbaker Rd. about 1/2 mile from Victory elementary school, and about 1/4 mile behind Saybrooke Community in Bristow. The residents in the surrounding areas, like Victory Lakes, Sheffield Manor, Braemar North, and Saybrooke, are concerned about increased traffic, pollution, affect on housing values, and why we are just learning about this a few short weeks before the BOCS vote to approve their special use permits. The Safeway near me is 1 mile, yet these asphalt plants will be about 1/4 mile from my house.
To anyone interested, there is a community meeting tonight at 7:30pm at the Old Dominion Baptist Church on Linton Hall Rd (across from Linton Hall School, just south of the Safeway shopping plaza). The website where a local guy is trying to get the info out is http://bristowopposition.webs.com/
Note quite. Ebert needs to go, too. Only when we’re rid of the Ebert-Deane-Gerhart Ol’ Boy Troika that has run the county as their personal fiefdoms.
WE MUST DEMAND THAT THE BOCS CONDUCTS A NATIONWIDE SEARCH FOR THE BEST QUALIFIED ADMINISTRATOR — ONE WHO KNOWS THEY SERVE THE BOARD AND THE RESIDENTS OF PWC — ONE WHO DOES NOT USE THE POSITION TO ADVANCE HIS OR HER OWN AGENDA.
DPortM: What’s that old saying about “the devil you know?”
Yes, Jim Riley. You are absolutely correct. Ebert needs to go too. In a moment of temporary insanity, I forgot about Eberg. My apologies.
Advocator - I’d say we couldn’t get any worse of a replacement than the “devil we know.”
The Planning Office should come next. There is a massive sexual harassment problem there that Gerhart, Peacor and Griffin have knowingly covered up to protect one of their lackeys, as well as profound conflicts of interest among key County officials, developers and developer attorneys. As I wrote in a similar tread once before, I’m glad to lay out the evidence, documentation and name key witnesses to any legitimate reporter who wants to contact Greg and have him put them in contact with me.
The vast majority of County employees are good, decent, honest, hardworking people. We need to chop off the corrupt head that started with Gerhart today and needs to work its way down in some cases to the division chief level.
Our County Government has grown way too big. We need to trim down quite a bit. I hope they fine a real conservative who knows how to save a dime and focus on key services vice someone who likes to grow Government and look for ways to get into people’s business.
Guess I will just have to post the same comment here as I did on Anti. Being the County Exec in any jurisdiction is a tough job. I feel certain that being the County Exec in PW Co for the past 3 years has been extremely trying. I think Mr. Gerhardt did a good job and I do not think for one minute he is leaving because of the rigging scandal. Try being the liason between the residents and BOCS, employees and the BOCS. Tough road to hoe. He probably found a better opportunity. I say good for him.
Does that good ole Charlie will now move into Gerhardt’s position? He looks like he is ready and since he answers to no one, he is the perfect candidate.
corr to my last…..Does that mean good……
To miss Marie:
Baaaah, haaa, haaaa, haaaaa, haaaaaa, haaaaa!!!! But on a serious note, I think you might need to check your prescription on your glasses.
Miss Marie: I apologize if you took offence to my last comment. It was not a personal attack, but was meant to be a joke. Everyone is entitled to their opinion - that’s one of the great things about this country of ours.
Well, this is one way to shrink government. Gerhart looks like a fool after telling everyone they scrubbed the budget.
I agree with Mom, this really doesn’t come as a surprise. There have been numerous scenarios of concern. Next stop ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT!
Supervisors have ignored it. Let’s remember that on election day folks.
Gerhart is leaving but he is going to drag this BOCS through the mud in his final days.
Every government contract is signed off on by the BOCS.
Next on the list
Fitzwater - Human Resource Director
May - Building Official
Baum - Head Volunteer Chief
Gerhart should take his boy Charlie T. Deane with him to Amtrak!! They would look good leaving on a train together.
Don’t blame the BOCS for what the staff does. Most of the county staff has been there long before most of the current BOCS.
It was this BOCS that decided to have an independent auditor that reported directly to them. I’m glad they did. Let the house cleaning begin.
Patty,
Sorry but your statement is incorrect. This is the result of a low level employee in OIT who gathered evidence and went to the authorities. Unfortunately audits are unable to pick up on unethical practices.
Obviously you’re a fan of the chairman, but he cannot take credit for this. He will be lucky if he comes out unscathed from the fiasco.
You’d have to be deaf, dumb and blind to not be suspicious of unethical practices in local government.
Wait til the story breaks about the $500k in grant money for the police department that’s missing. More indictments looming on the horizon.
clean them out: Mays is one of the few good guys left in the county. There are always 2 sides to every story. Ever wonder why the BOCS was unsuccessful in getting him fired? Right is might, not might is right. Maybe he should be the next County Executive….
Whoa TDS, firing most PWC staff is a relatively easy, perhaps messy and expensive, but nontheless easy task. Firing a building official is almost impossible. You can thank their lobby for getting statutory protections that short of murder, keep them in office in perpetuity. They are virtually untouchable once appointed, unless they are appointed to a term.
What wonderful expertise we have right here in PWC - as someone said on anti - go ahead apply for the jobs - only I am not kidding.
It would be totally disappointing to most of fus here on BVBL if Greg did not go for and get one of the top IT positions if not the developer positions. I hope you will apply and not pass on this opportunity. Please let us know when and if you do and we will storm the BOS with emails. We need to rally on this one.
Same for Advocator aren’t you an attorney? That job or vacated by an internal promotion would be vacant. Then of course is the CXO. Not sure what requirements Mr. Stewrt is looking for but certainly I’ve read psuedo-resume’s here on BVBL that would make me think there are a few good candidates…..
Let’s not pass on this opportunity to set local government straight. If the BOS was hit with so many emails from the community with recommendsations for these posts they would HAVE to listen…Hurrah!!!!
Sorry to disappoint you but I do know something about checks and balances and auditing. I worked in that profession.
The county’s internal audit reports directly to Gerhart….bad for accountability.
An appointment of an independent auditor who reports directly to the BOCS was long overdue.
Quit playing politics. If you hate Chairman Stewart so much why don’t you go post on the Anti site.
Anyone with reason will give credit to where credit is due.
Thank you Chairman Stewart and thank you BOCS!!!
Patty,
There is a difference between and outside auditor (KPMG et al) and internal auditor. I think that is what is being explained. However, again, with your experience, there may be postings open soon so get your resume ready!!!
As I am sure you are aware with your experience, financial audits are somewhat limited in what they uncover. Programmatic audits are also necessary to uncover bad processes or mis-management resulting in false documents, missing equipment and things like that.
If I recall, the Finance Office has been asking for additional staff to do just that. Maybe that will help.
I agree that anyone with reason will give credit where credit is due……. it’s just having all the little factoids lined up and (as we beancounter/accountants/auditors say) double and tripled checked!!!
Hey ANON…GREAT POSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s hoping Charlie is caught in the middle of something. Nothing would be better for the police Dept. than for him on the next train out!
“The county’s internal audit reports directly to Gerhart….bad for accountability.”
“Job Rotation
Rotation of job duties and responsibilities is an employee security control that breaks up opportunities for collusion and fraudulent activities. An employee working alone or in concert with others to defraud the organization is more likely to be caught when a new person examines the system’s work processes and notices irregularities. Job rotation is difficult in small organizations with limited staff. A possible downside to job rotation is that an employee, over time, gains knowledge of enough business processes to make it easier to the employee to commit an attack. As employees rotate through positions, careful attention must be paid to control logical and physical access to information resources.”
http://www.giac.org/resources/whitepaper/application/247.php
Bingo on rotation concept. As I mentioned, it helps with those programmatic reviews that don’t occur in a balance sheetl audit.
Supervisor Martian Nohe is pushing for Melissa Peacor to replace Gerhart for good in the interest of having someone in that position that has a working relationship with county employees that will be investigated in the future.
How do you know that?
Oh, it was a joke.
Is it just me, or does it seem like the captain of the Titanic is getting on the first life raft?
“Bingo on rotation concept. As I mentioned, it helps with those programmatic reviews that don’t occur in a balance sheetl audit.”
It’s one of the many things covered by CISSP certification (which covers more than just IT security). I am, by the way, a CISSP.
Another interesting one is separation of duties, which basically means that two or more people should be required to do a certain task that could involve fraud. A very common example is a cashier having to get a manager override to change the price of an item, or to issue a refund.
WashPo is reporting that the BOCS will likely engage in a nationwide search for a new County Exec.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/03/AR2009060302224.html?wprss=rss_metro/va
While Supervisor Frank Principi is saying Susan Roltsch and Melissa Peacor are “next-in-line.” That sort of thinking is what led Hilda Barg to allow Woodbridge to become such a dump over the last 20 years that it is to the point now where the only way to fix it is with a bulldozer.
We need a new County Exec. who will be a bulldozer to the Good Ol’ Boy network.
Principi’s comment can be found here.
http://www.insidenova.com/isn/news/local/article/breaking_news_prince_william_county_executive_craig_gerhart_resigns/36804/
Greg: why would Gerhart have “to cut a deal in order to walk away”? Can’t he just resign? Are you saying that he entered into a plea bargain, part of which granted him the ability to quit his job? Very strange, don’t you think? If you or I decided to quit what we do for a living, would we have to “Cut a deal”? With whom?
in order to walk away…without facing criminal charges. Just look who was beside him at the press conference when he announced his retirement.
Either Gerhart was plain incompetent in failing to recognize fraud over almost five years of his tenure, or he had constructive knowledge. I don’t figure him to be an idiot. The timing of this and the unusual nature of his retirement announcement make it look like he was given a deal by his friends: leave, or else.
When the next shoe drops, maybe things will become more clear, as it will be extremely difficult to cover up malfeasance at such a high level should it have happened. Rumors are wild that this bid-rigging fisaco is not the only thing that happened under his watch.
It may ultimately prove that the timing of his resignation had some connection with these indictments. That remains to be seen. He may have been dismayed, chagrinned, felt betrayal, felt some responsibility etc. For all anyone knows at this point, he may have been in on it (although I doubt it). He may have just got fed up with everything or independently decided to retire quite apart from all of this. But you can be sure that he did not have to “cut a deal” in order to quit. A “deal” of “leave or else” isn’t a deal. It’s getting fired. And if he got fired, Stewart and others would have said so and tried to take credit for ousting him.
Who was standing next to him at the press conference when he announced his retirement? From the post, one can’t tell even that there was a press conference at which he announced his resignation.
Sorry - off topic…
Headed To Mexico
Dear Mr. President, Senate and Congress:
I’m planning to move my family and extended family into Mexico for my husband’s health, and I would like to ask you to assist me. We’re planning to simply walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and we’ll need your help to make a few arrangements.
We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I’m sure they handle those things the same way you do here.
So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Calderon, that I’m on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:
1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. All Mexico government forms, printed in Spanish, need to also be printed in English.
4. I want my kids to be taught Spanish by English-speaking (bi-lingual) teachers.
5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flag pole at their school.
7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver’s license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico, but, I don’t plan to purchase car insurance, and I probably won’t make any special effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from their president to leave me alone, please be sure that every patrol car has at least one English-speaking officer.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put U S. flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or have any labor or tax laws enforced on any business I may start.
13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be extremely nice and never say a critical things about me or my family, or about the strain we might place on their economy I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all his people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that President Calderon won’t mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.
Thank you so much for your kind help.
Sincerely, US Citizen & Taxpayer
Another off topic.
Has anyone other than me noticed the increase in “tied open storm doors” in the Westgate area. Looks like we are once again having an influx of “neighbors” who are moving into once foreclosed Latino occupied homes. One house in particular on Westmoreland Ave. was occupied by Latinos, foreclosed upon and now is occupied with 6 or 7 cars parked in the massive backyard turned parking lot and has the storm door tied open. Looks like Deja vous all over again!
Please turn them into zoning for the parking lot in the back yard and for overcrowding.
What DPortM said on 4 Jun 2009 at 6:52 am, “Headed to Mexico…” (ok, its a bit off topic).
Actually, DPortM, you pretty much captured the essence of the American Expatriate conclaves that exist in Mexico. I copied just one of the many links that give advice on moving south; however, a quick Google search will turn up thousands of positive hits. http://www.escapeartist.com/e_Books/Mexico/Retire_In_Mexico.html
I won’t go over what you asked for point by point; however, my friends who went South tell me that most of what you ask for south of the border is quite available. The health care is “almost free” (and, for those who would live in a nursing home in this Country) live in full time help with a Doctor who visits weekly is quite affordable. Most everything else is so cheap, it’s almost “free”. The locals make the expats feel quite welcome and are generally most hospitable. Military folks used to living overseas in different cultural environments particularly enjoy Mexico’s ambiance.
I know you were going for some kind of humor; however, Mexico is really a great place for Americans to retire! Check it out… you might want to consider moving there yourself. Why slave away in the USA when you can sell what you own and retire comfortable in Mexico drinking Corona’s by the beach!
U.S. Citizen, Lifetime member VFW and American Legion, and Taxpayer.
Don’t forget to all who live in the western end of the County, this Saturday at Sudley Elementary is a county cleanup - there will be dumpsters for you to dispose of all of your excess/oversided garbage. 8 - 12 a.m. Sign up for the Neighborhood Watch while you are there disposing of your refuse. It’s free…
DPortM said on 4 Jun 2009 at 7:41 am: Flag comment
Please turn them into zoning for the parking lot in the back yard and for overcrowding.
This was done when the parking lot was put added. Neighborhood services has apparently found nothing wrong with using about 50% of your property as parking area. This house’s parking rivals the Giant parking lot.
It depends on who your inspector was Anonymous. Who was the inspector? If you don’t know, you need to call Zoning and find out. After you have that information, I can help you handle this problem.
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Dont wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Dont wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump dont work
cause the vandals took the handle.
The next shoe has dropped.
http://virginiavirtucon.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/exclusive-pwc-planning-office-sexual-harassment-scandal-exposed/
WOW
Gerhart’s wife?
Land use issues?
This is juicy!
DPortM said on 4 Jun 2009 at 8:57 am: Flag comment
It depends on who your inspector was Anonymous. Who was the inspector? If you don’t know, you need to call Zoning and find out. After you have that information, I can help you handle this problem.
Don’t recall who he was. Used to report items that were out of place and against zoning but nothing much has changed. Go down Lomand Drive from the light at Damascus to the bridge over flat branch and count the number of cars being parked on lawns and cars up on blocks with no plates and you see what I mean. Apparently the inspectors don’t check this area or are ignoring the violations. Personally, I am tired of calling these violations in and nothing is done about it.
DPortM, what a fantastically funny letter (to the President, et.al)! I
am still laughing.
Speaking of zoning inspectors, it doesn’t matter who it is because the
residents in the over-crowded homes convince the inspectors that they
are all “related” and nothing can be done. Been there.
Somewhere on the list following Gerhart and Deane to exit their positions,
Sheriff Hill’s name should certainly appear. Don’t stop there…get rid of all
the good ole’ boys network.