Archive for the 'Ulysses Currie' Category
It has been a while since we heard about Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) who is currently under a federal microscope considering between his elected office and his off-session job with Shoppers Food Warehouse, specifically whether he was hired for his influence on some of the company’s projects. Remember, he did not disclose his position with the company on ethics forms. The Baltimore Sun’s blog says that Currie used his campaign account to pay his legal bills from Miles Stockbridge to the tune of nearly $42,000.
If the name Miles Stockbridge sounds familiar, that was the law firm of choice for former Salisbury Mayor Barrie P. Tilghman and soon to be former Salisbury police chief Allan Webster when they took on Salisbury News Publisher and Maryland Politics Today Eastern Shore Correspondent Joe Albero. Webster’s case was settled in 2008 with no money changing hands. Tilghman’s lawsuit against Albero was scoreboard in favor of Albero (read: she lost). Both sued for the non-normal amount of $9,999.00.
As far as Webster goes, the soon to be former part is due to him announcing his retiring effective this June. WMAR-TV (Channe l 2) says that a feud with current Mayor Jim Ireton had nothing to do with his decision. Last month, WBOC-TV (Channel 16) reported that Ireton asked for the chief’s resignation following several armed robberies and shootings in the city. Guess what the chief said. With Webster announcing his retirement, he withdrew his lawsuit against the city following receiving the first reprimands of his career; while at the same time, Ireton withdrew the four repreimands against the chief (hhhhmmmmmm….)
While we are reliving dormant items, Prince George’s Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) is still under investigation for his consulting work for Shoppers Food Warehouse, specifically, did he use his political influence in favor of his employer.
The Associated Press (via The Baltimore Sun) says that a Legal Defense Fund has started on behalf of the veteran lawmaker. The effort is being led by attorney Bobby G. Henry Jr.
In case you are wondering, yes Virginia, the federal investigation into the side dealings of Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) is continuing with new movement reported one week before the General Assembly session where the budget will take center stage. Did we mention that Currie is the chairman of the budget and taxation committee which will have a lot of attention paid to it?
The Washington Post says that Franklin Jackson, chairman of the Prince George’s County Board of Liqour License Commissioners told the paper that he spent more than 90 minutes in Baltimore getting scrutinized by investigators who are checking to see if Currie used his office to win favorable decisions for Shopers Food Warehouse, where he is a consultant to the company. The problem: he did not disclose the more than $200,000 of salary over four years earned on disclosure statements.
Forgive me if I am a bit skeptical about politicians who make brave statements hundreds of miles from their home states about controversial statements.
This morning in The Baltimore Sun, Senate President Thomas Mike Miller (D-Dist. 27) said that he was not going to ask Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie to step down from his leadership post as chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee.
Miller said that in his opinion Currie made a terrible mistake and that his work for Shoppers Food Warehouse as a consultant should be investigated by the General Assembly.
Let’s put this in perspective, we have not really heard a peep from the FBI who is investigating this. I think Miller is thinking now that all is quiet, he can keep Currie in his leadership post and things will ultimately die off.
It has been a while since we had heard from Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25). We hear from him this weekend about a legal matter, just not his own. In a comment published in The Gazette, the budget and taxation committee chairman was critical of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the handgun ban that the District of Columbia had for 32 years until recently.
Currie said that he is outraged that the nation’s high court “has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the reality of handgun violence.” He also says that the court used the National Rifle Associations interpretation of the second amendment.
Newly released documents from earlier this week showed that Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) was the middle man between top rankings cabinet officials of the past two administrations and Shoppers Food Warehouse.
The Baltimore Sun said that on one occasion, Currie used his legislative stationary to send a letter to Shoppers CEO William White in 2003 stating that he spoke with Chip Di Paula, Gov. Bob Ehrlich’s (D) budget secretary, about Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore where Shoppers was planning a major investment.
Documents also show that Currie also met with both economic development secretaries under Ehrlich and Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and with Robert Flanagan, transportation secretary under Ehrlich.
Currie is starting on his 2010 re-election campaign in his district. Senate President Thomas Mike Miller (D-Dist. 27) says that he has no plans on removing Currie from his leadership post. Last month, Miller gave a hint of a wait and see approach based on what happens by January, a time line in all honesty (at least that’s the speculation.)
At the request of WBAL-TV (Channel 11), The Baltimore Sun and other news organizations, a judge unsealed financial details that were part of a search warrant affidavit in the investigation of Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) which revealed that Shoppers Food Warehouse paid Currie over $200,000 between 2003 and 2007.
Remember, Currie is the chairman of the senate budget and taxation committee and he did not tell anyone that he was a consultant for the company. However, The Sun reports that Currie did report his income to the IRS and several defense attorney’s tell the paper that he is in very good shape.
Currie averaged $40,000 a year as a consultant for Shoppers and his yearly salary as a senator is $43,500.
In the span of 24 hours, Senate President Thomas Mike Miller (D-Dist. 25) and The Certain Liberal Blogger have really shown their confidence in Prince George’s Senator Thomas Mike MIller (D-Dist. 25). Miller, as astutely observed by PolitickerMD.com colleague Wally Edge, gave Currie, who is also the chairman of the committee for Budget and Taxation, enough room to do something resembling a graceful exit…while at the same time, throwing some weight off of the sinking ship of the Democrats when it comes to ethics.
Let’s think about this, Currie is being investigated by the fed, while Baltimore Mayor Shiela Dixon (D) is under a state investigation. I can see Miller willing to give Currie a nudge considering that he can give a committee assignment to anyone, while Mayors are elected by us, John (or Jill) Q. Public. Here’s a question to ponder, would it be fair to call Currie’s career collateral damage in order to prop up the Democratic party?
I think it is a significantly fair question to ask, considering no one is calling on Dixon to committ a similar action. I also must ask what happened to party loyalty? Smith, before the first details were leaked, err, reported about what was seized in last month’s raid of Currie’s home and the offices of Shoppers Food Warehouse, was all but calling for Currie to step down. Miller’s statement this week only inserted doubt into the air as far as Currie’s leadership. Admittedly, this was done by Currie himself who did not explain his other job.
Either way, in the span of a day or two, two democrats have drove the bus over Currie. 24 hours before that, I was asked if Currie would still have a future in Annapolis. Thanks to Miller, it’s now looking stormy on the Severn.
Senate President Thomas Mike Miller (D-Dist. 27) has asked effectively asked Prince George’s Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) Currie to do something between now and January, giving a time line to allow for the investigation to take it’s corse, while at the same time exercising his authority.
Miller tells The Baltimore Sun that if the issue is not resolved by January, “we will have to make a decision.” The issue is the federal investigation into Currie’s dealings as an outside consultant to Shopper’s Food Warehouse, a fact that was not disclosed on required financial statements filed by Currie. Recent news reports revealed that Currie intervened many times over the past few years, pushing the Department of Transportation to talk about traffic lights that were need by Shoppers locations being built.
I agree with my colleague from PolitickerMD.com Wally Edge who keenly observed that Miller was allowing a six month window to do something graceful.
Thanks to the public information act, the media, including The Baltimroe Sun were privy to documents released by various state transportation agencies, showing where Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) intervened on in the process of having traffic lights installed near a couple of Shoppers Food Warehouse stores that were being constructed.
Currie as we learned was a paid outside consultant for the food chain, which was not disclosed on the senator’s financial forms. He has not commented on the case, Shoppers parent SuperValu, Inc. only stated that he was an employee. A judge ruled recently that Currie was allowed to receive copies of what was taken during a search warrant of his District Heights home last month.
This is a bit of irony as I tell you about this story. During the course of my weekly appearance on the “Word on the Street” radio program heard on WAMD (970AM) in Harford County, myself and host Warren Monks agreed that no big developments from the investigations into Baltimore Mayor Shiela Dixon (D) and Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) were leaked, err, released due to it being a holiday week and we had expected to stuff to happen after the 4th of July weekend. Boy were we wrong…about the latter.
The Baltimore Sun, 12 hours later after those statements from myself and Warren were uttered (based on the time I wake up and see the paper) reported an exclusive story in which it obtained records and interviews linking the embattled chairman of the senate budget and taxation committee to the redevelopment of the Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore.
Here are the puzzle links. Currie’s home in District Heights was searched pursuant to a warrant, while at the same time, a warrant was also executed on the headquarters of Shoppers Food Warehouse in Lanham. That when it revealed that Currie was employed as a consultant to the company by it’s parent, Supervalu, Inc. of Minnesota. This was a fact that was not disclosed on financial forms filed by Currie. Earlier reports indicate that Currie intervened on behalf of Shoppers several times on redevelopment projects. In addition to Mondawmin, he also was present during a hearing about developing land news the West Hyattsville (Washington) Metro station which is close to a Shoppers.
Also, for what it’s worth, the story mentions that Currie was to meet with Dixon and Ronald Lipscomb, head of Doracon Contracting. No details as to what the meeting was about but Lipscomb did get a subcontract for work at the mall. It was revealed that Dixon and Lipscomb had a personal relationship between 2003 and 2004.
CURRIE COPIED IN Continue reading ‘Currie: Linked and Copied In’
The question that Prince George’s Senator Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) had for the attorney general’s office was can he use campaign funds for his legal defense. An Assistant Attorney General says yes, as long as the campaign is being investigated.
WJZ-TV (Channel 13) says that Currie, who is under federal investigation sent the letter seeking the formal opinion on whether or not he can use his campaign chest if charges are filed. The opinion states that the money can only be used for investigations into his campaign, but added that it’s still unclear whether the investigation relates to campaign activities, Currie’s conduct in office or a personal matter.
