51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� A city personnel employee weeks ago warned his boss that ex-Comptroller Darlene Green could not be added back to the payroll in a Civil Service job and was not owed benefit payments from a former position, emails obtained by the Post-Dispatch show.

The personnel department earlier this summer reinstated Green to the Civil Service position of budget department director 鈥� a position that already was occupied, and one that Green had not held since 1995.

That reinstatement led to Green recently being issued two paychecks, totaling almost $13,000 in gross pay, in addition to receiving a pension payment. The checks were dated July 18 and Aug. 1. Green lost her reelection bid for comptroller in the April elections and left office shortly after. The comptroller鈥檚 office and the budget division are separate departments.

After stories in the Post-Dispatch and numerous attempts to reach him, the acting personnel director, John Unnerstall, released a statement late Friday saying 鈥渋naccurate鈥� information, 鈥渃ommunication gaps鈥� and lack of 鈥減roper follow-through鈥� led to the issuing of paychecks to Green.

鈥淚 take full responsibility, and I have taken steps to ensure that our processes have been changed to prevent similar occurrences in the future,鈥� Unnerstall said.

鈥淚 recognize the need to continuously raise standards within鈥� the department, he added.

Unnerstall鈥檚 statement also contends that Green鈥檚 employment history with the city was 鈥渁 unique situation.鈥� He noted that Green first was appointed as budget director, a Civil Service post, before being named acting comptroller and later winning an election for comptroller. He blamed 鈥渉uman error鈥� for the confusion.

鈥淭he complexity of (Green鈥檚) tenure led personnel staff to initially believe she was due payment for leave accrued before her appointment鈥� in 1995 as comptroller, Unnerstall said.

However, emails obtained by the Post-Dispatch reveal that Unnerstall鈥檚 deputy had informed him in June that Green couldn鈥檛 be placed back in a Civil Service post. Such a move, he said, is not available to elected officials.

鈥淵ou cannot run for elected office and hold a Civil Service job,鈥� Bryan Boeckelmann, the deputy personnel director, wrote to Unnerstall on June 23.

Also in that email thread, Boeckelmann referenced that Green possibly 鈥渢hinks she would be entitled to leave balances from when she worked in the Budget Division before she became the Comptroller鈥� more than 30 years ago.

Boeckelmann cast doubt on that assertion, saying Green 鈥渟hould have been paid out her balances when she took elected office as Comptroller.鈥�

The email exchange appears to have been spurred by a call that Boeckelmann received from Winston Calvert, a former 51黑料 city counselor.

Boeckelmann says in the email thread that Calvert called on Green鈥檚 behalf, saying the ex-comptroller had asked Calvert to check on holdups on her retirement paperwork.

鈥淣ot sure what is going on here and I thought you should know,鈥� Boeckelmann wrote to Unnerstall.

Unnerstall replied that he was unaware of any holdup and asked his deputy to check if 鈥渢here is anything I need to be made aware of.鈥�

After the points about Green and the payroll, Boeckelmann concluded by saying, 鈥淎nyway, I am not trying to get involved.鈥�

Boeckelmann and Calvert did not reply to messages seeking comment.

Biannca Lambert, the personnel department鈥檚 human resources manager and custodian of records, has been out of the office recently and unavailable for comment.

Call for investigation

In light of the questions about the payments, new Comptroller Donna Baringer is calling on the city鈥檚 Civil Service Commission to investigate how Green was issued checks after leaving office.

Last week, the commissioners received a brief recap from Unnerstall, who described the situation as 鈥渁 mistake that led to bigger mistakes.鈥�

Baringer said strong measures are needed to safeguard the 鈥渋ntegrity of our financial systems.鈥�

鈥淭he public deserves full transparency and accountability regarding how taxpayer dollars are managed, and this review will ensure those standards are upheld,鈥� Baringer wrote in a letter to the commission.

Baringer has also criticized the personnel department for not responding to her questions.

Along with Baringer鈥檚 request for an investigation, which she wants completed by Sept. 7, she also forwarded to the commission numerous records her office has examined.

Baringer said she wants the commission to conduct the probe to avoid any appearance of political motivation. Baringer defeated Green in the April 8 elections.

The commission needs 鈥渢o determine whether (the paychecks) were properly authorized, lawful, and in compliance with City policies,鈥� Baringer鈥檚 letter says.

The paychecks were not cashed and have since been voided.

The chair of Civil Service Commission, Vincent Flewellen, was unavailable for comment Friday.

Commissioner Emily Martin declined to comment, saying Flewellen plans to address the issue soon. The third commissioner, Duane Daniels, said he would reserve comment until he had a chance to talk with his colleagues.

Baringer has said it was improper to put someone who just left an elected office back on the payroll in an appointed Civil Service position.

Additionally, Baringer said any argument that could be made for returning Green to the budget department payroll 鈥渄isappeared when she was elected (comptroller) in 1997.鈥�

Also, Baringer said there is no mechanism to add another budget director to the payroll 鈥� especially since the position already is occupied by Paul Payne.

Payne has said he had no knowledge of the personnel department adding Green to the payroll.

Green could not be reached for comment about Baringer鈥檚 request for an investigation. She previously said she did not know the two checks had been issued in her name.

In a statement issued last week, Green called Post-Dispatch stories on the paychecks 鈥渇ake news鈥� and an 鈥渦njustified attack on my character.鈥�