51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A new mystery bouncing around City Hall involves former Comptroller Darlene Green 鈥� and how she鈥檚 back on the city payroll even though she was voted out of office nearly four months ago.

Green started her City Hall career more than 30 years ago in the budget department before eventually rising to comptroller, which is a separate office.

Her long tenure as comptroller, the city鈥檚 chief financial officer, ended when she lost her latest re-election effort in April.

But earlier this month, Green was issued a check of nearly $6,500 for two weeks of work. The check came from the budget department 鈥� where Green hadn鈥檛 worked since 1995.

And as of Wednesday, she remains on the payroll sheets and will be issued another check on Friday.

Records indicate that sometime after the election loss, the city鈥檚 personnel department reinstated Green as if she had simply been on a 30-year leave of absence from the budget department.

The payment of nearly $6,500 earlier this month equates to an annual salary topping $168,000. That鈥檚 about $11,000 more than the current director of the budget department, Paul Payne, makes.

Sources say Green has not appeared in the budget office in recent memory, and the check issued to her on July 18 remains uncashed.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Green said, 鈥淲ow, did they do that? Can you find out (what happened) and let me know?鈥�

When asked if she knew the budget department was getting paychecks issued in her name, she said, 鈥淚鈥檓 happily retired, I鈥檓 no longer a city employee.鈥�

One person trying to get to the bottom of the conundrum is Donna Baringer, Green鈥檚 successor as comptroller.

Baringer said finding a solution to the puzzle, however, has proved to be anything but easy.

鈥淵es, there鈥檚 a check,鈥� Baringer said when asked to confirm that Green had been paid earlier this month. 鈥淎nd there is another one that has been cut鈥� for issuance Friday.

But Baringer said it鈥檚 unclear how Green was classified in the payroll system as an employee of a department she left 30 years ago.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to figure out who had the authority to do this (because) somebody went in and did this,鈥� she said.

Baringer said the city personnel department oversees the placement of all employees on the payroll.

鈥淭here are multiple people on all these emails, so we鈥檙e trying to figure out who鈥� placed Green on the books, Baringer said.

Green鈥檚 path through city government was blazed by former Mayor Freeman R. Bosley Jr. She worked for Bosley when he was the city鈥檚 circuit clerk. After Bosley was elected mayor in 1993, he named Green as the budget director.

Then in 1995, Bosley tapped her to be the comptroller when the incumbent, Virvus Jones, resigned after pleading guilty to felony fraud charges.

After serving the remainder of Jones鈥� term, Green was elected comptroller on her own in 1997. She then ran successfully for re-election six more times, winning those races by 60% or more.

But in April, she lost to Baringer, a former 51黑料 alderwoman and state representative.

The loss came after a series of controversies for Green, including the bumpy rollout of new accounting and payroll software and complaints from city employees about paychecks that were off. Contractors complained about delays in getting documents and payments from the comptroller鈥檚 office. There also were reports about Green not frequently being at the office.

Payne, the current budget director, said it鈥檚 possible the personnel department decided Green had to return to his department鈥檚 payroll in order to get her pension.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 agree with that,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think this is some snafu by the personnel department, and the personnel department needs to fix it.鈥�

But getting in touch with personnel department supervisors to help solve the puzzle is not easy.

John Unnerstall, the department director, is out of the office until next week and is unavailable for comment, according to a spokesperson.

Biannca Lambert, a human resources systems information manager for the personnel department, also is out of the office.

And the three deputy personnel directors 鈥� Kathleen Tanner, Sylvia Donaldson and Brian Boeckelmann 鈥� could not comment about the matter.

鈥淒irector Unnerstall did not authorize any of the deputies to speak with reporters in his absence,鈥� the spokesperson said.

So right now, the comptroller鈥檚 office is working with the budget department to track the e-mail trail that ultimately reinstated Green to the city payroll.

鈥淲e want to find out,鈥� Baringer said, 鈥渉ow this fell through the cracks.鈥�