Former Algonquin Township Assessor Bob Kunz, of whom I am a fan, having never seen him do anything unethical, wrote the following comment under the Illinois Leaks article about his using his township credit card for personal purposes:
Bob Kunz’ Reply Points Out PayPal Used Wrong Account and that All Three Such Mistaken Billings Were Rectified
Bob Kunz
As I am featured in this dispatch from Edgar County, I suppose I should provide a response.
Regarding reimbursements, Angie’s List, with which I had a personal account at the time, used a device called PayPal, with which I had both business and personal accounts, in its auto-charge. To my annoyance, it persisted in using my business account for Angie’s List, until I gained control by removing the office credit card from the business account.
In fact, though Edgar ominously states that two of three charges were reimbursed to taxpayers, all three were.
Regarding the Wall Street Journal, a little background.
In the early 1970s, I had the privilege of working closely with my mentor and friend, Cal Skinner Sr, at his office, running his offset printing press.
At that time, I first became exposed to his Wall Street Journals.
I gained an appreciation for the perspective they provided, and five years later, when I became Algonquin Township Assessor, made it part of my daily reading.
I found it provided insight necessary to someone in government working daily with the public.
A public official must work to understand this, and the Journal assisted greatly in this area.
Since I did not have, nor have I ever had, individual investments, the Journal provided me nothing in that realm.
Since I considered the value added by this exposure to accrue to members of my public constituency, I found no difficulty making it part of the assessor budget.
Regarding the portentous throwaway statement “we have been told there were stacks of Wall Street Journal publications in the assessor’s office”, what?
Before classifying the foregoing as “pointing to … malfeasance”, I recommend Edgar have the decency to seek response.
Bob just sullied his name with making excuses for the crooked clan. It doesn’t matter one whit if anything was “paid back” it is still ILLEGAL!
http://www.nwherald.com/2018/05/08/mcsweeney-rauner-should-apologize-for-meeting-with-known-extremist-diane-evertsen/adt9cfh/
How much was that WSJ bill?
You can subscribe to home delivery & digital access for $20 a month.
I’m not at all clear on what benefit the Township derives from buying this guy a subscription to the paper.
Cal, did you make your constituents pay for yours?
Anyone knowing Bobby Kunz for the past 30 years in his public life, knows that his ethics are beyond reproach.
I am proud to have known Bobby in his professional capacity.
I may believe him about these charges, however, he can’t claim total ignorance of the Miller crime family’s long-running hijinks.
How many times did he turn a ‘blind eye’ to the Millers’ thievery?
The WSJ sub is certainly justifiable … If everybody at the Township Crime-Office also had access … but then again, can Bob Miller even read anything longer than a fortune cookie’s message?
Give this little fish immunity to gain evidence for the Big Tuna’s frying!
Here’s ‘Krocodile tears’ Kunz:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.jantoo.com/animal-kingdom-tears-crocodile_tears-crocodiles-alligators-crying-20900789_low.jpg
I also thought it a little odd seeing the former assessor’s old bills and finding orders for sheets of collector’s postage stamps from the USPS.
There was no evidence it was for a personal collection, yet I’ve never received any mail from my assessor with a fancy collector’s postage stamp on it, either.
Thank you, Rachel. That is actually quite interesting. Dirt is starting to pile up.”Im stupid, but believe me there’s nothing to see here” is not a very credible endorsement.
Before spending 100’s of taxpayer dollars on a WSJ subscription – did you not consider you could read it for free at your public library for the (probably) very few articles that pertained to your particular situation?
Sorry, Rachael, the stamps were purchased for office use at the same standard first-class rate.
I would not have spent a penny more for them and no one I know in the office is or was a philatelist.
Good grief.
I did.
Thanks, Peach, but I don’t think you understood the point I made.
Government employees have a strong incentive to dwell in the bureaucratic government cocoon, us against them.
I found the Wall Street Journal a powerful tool in the prying open of that seal to let in the light of the world of business in which many of my public lived and worked.
Traveling to and from the library from my remote office location was not a good use of time or resources, sorry.
Stop all governmentt credit cards.
Do you homework and read the WSJ at home.
Mr. Kunz, You don’t understand the point the taxpayers are making.
Read your magazines on your own time and your own dime!
Thanks, Get and out.
In the end, your problem has been solved.
I am no longer assessor.