Illegal Campaign Contribution - OK; Free Cookie - You’re Fired!
Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 2/29/08 @ 12:11 pm - Filed Under Featured, Local Politics
The JG fronts a story about three workers in the Allen County Clerks office that were fired for receiving a bag of free cookies. Yes, you read that correctly. While protecting the public trust is important it appears clerk Therese Brown might have been a trifle overzealous in this matter. And don’t forget that Brown is the same clerk that didn’t bother to ask a single question during the election board’s “investigation” into Matt Kelty’s illegal campaign contributions. But hey, it’s nice to know that she’s monitoring the donut supply but unwilling to protect the integrity of our election process…
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7 Responses to “Illegal Campaign Contribution - OK; Free Cookie - You’re Fired!”
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While I do have issue with the fact that she didn’t ask one question at the election board hearing, I don’t have much issue with the cookie firing.
It wasn’t simply that the employee took the cookies, it was because they took the cookies in lieu of payment. Now, I understand there was some misunderstanding and jumping to conclusions on behalf of the other employees, so it seems it may have been a rush to judgement on Brown’s part. Hopefully this will be resolved well.
I am a rule person. If I have to pay $5 for copies, everyone else should as well. Cookies or not. In my opinion the employee that refused the money should be reprimanded/fired on her own. She was the one whe did not follow protocol when it came to copy cost.
I done think anyone should be fired for accepting a cookie in lieu of a payment for a copy. Reprimanded? Sure, but to lose your job? That’s ridiculous.
At best the clerk should had forked over the fee from her own pocket. Maybe find out how much the cookies would had cost if a customer had bought them and paid that if more than the $5.
Some offices have discretion on how much they charge and whether they charge.
I’ve paid a flat fee instead of the per page fee a few times in different localities. Sometimes it helps to be nice and the workers in the office will be a bit lenient.
I have issue with the over exorbant cost of trying to get papers from any government agency in the first place Copy fees should have been incorporated into the original filing fees. After all the tax payers already paid for the paper and the employees doing the job, so why do have to pay yet again for our own papers?
Maybe it’s the teacher in me, but rules are rules.
In regards to exorbitant fees I would say that overall fees are reasonable. I remember photocopies costing 10 cents a page 20 years ago. And they still cost that in many places. I would have a problem if they were possibly 50 cents and definitely $1.00 a page. It would all depend on actual cost not including so called labor costs as the employees are there anyhow.
Expense should also be based on whether it is a copy of an original or an electronic version. If electronic the expense should be at the minimum possible.
But paper cost should be considered when determing copying costs. And paper cost is really minimal. Recouping any costs of running a govt office is important in keeping taxes down for the taxpayers.
There is no difference in accepting a cookie in lieu of payment and taking directly from the till.
Why would she need to ask a question when she knew the Professor had a show to put on?