musicman Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 any comments on the new scandal concern Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado and how 4 of her employees gave themselves $150,000 worth of bonuses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west20th Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 any comments on the new scandal concern Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado and how 4 of her employees gave themselves $150,000 worth of bonuses?Is she the "b*&^h" lady? The one that referred to another councilwoman by that term a few weeks ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Yes. She's also the one who "forgot" to take her UH exit exam/essay. Another nice cover up by Carol on that one. You just don't forget to take the exit exam/essay. Eventually they are going to get her. Mabye not on this, but on something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Is she the "b*&^h" lady? The one that referred to another councilwoman by that term a few weeks ago?You stole my thunder west20, I was gonna ask the same question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 any comments on the new scandal concern Mayor Pro Tem Carol Alvarado and how 4 of her employees gave themselves $150,000 worth of bonuses?Really. That would seem like a very unwise thing to do seeing where it would be likely that it would be found out at some point.I like Carol as she is good about showing up sometimes to our civic club meetings but her staff....for bonuses like that, I should've at least received an answer to my email that I sent awhile back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west20th Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 You stole my thunder west20, I was gonna ask the same question.Her rep seems to already be trashed. I mean when people remember you as the "b&^%h lady"....Don't know how she can wiggle out of this. Her pleas of ignorance are as believable as Ken Lay's or Jeff Skilling's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 If she claims "ignorance" lord help her, I am pretty sure she has to sign-off on claimed bonuses in her office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 16, 2006 Author Share Posted February 16, 2006 If she claims "ignorance" lord help her, I am pretty sure she has to sign-off on claimed bonuses in her office.She has already claimed ignorance. She said that she can only hire people and she can't know what every single person does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west20th Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 If she claims "ignorance" lord help her, I am pretty sure she has to sign-off on claimed bonuses in her office.She says she knows noooothing.....nooooothing (think of Sgt. Schultz for you older folks out there) but she will cooperate fully with the investigation. Hmmmm....wonder how she looks in orange? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Well, if she knows nothing (again) then she is truly incompetent.Pretty scarry. Especially considering she aspires to be Mayor of Houston one day. God help us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west20th Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 She said that she can only hire people and she can't know what every single person does.I like that. Can't be bothered with $150,000 details. "Hey I'm no micro-manager.....yeah that's the ticket!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 She sure is one foul-mouthed beotch:Asked whether someone might have forged her signature, or she might accidentally have signed off on the payments, Alvarado said, "There is something that doesn't smell right here. There's no way in hell I would ever authorize an increase of that magnitude.''http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3663186.htmlAlvarado inherited three of the four employees from her predecessor as mayor pro tem, former Councilman Gordon Quan. She hired the office manager, a longtime city employee who also is a friend. That office manager received $47,500 in extra pay in 2005, putting her total pay among the city's highest: $126,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 I'll give her the benefit of the doubt *for now*. When you have a large staff and busy schedule, things can and do fall through the cracks. Not $130k things, mind you, but you get my point.As someone who deals with the creation and implementation of internal controls, I have seen a lot of cases of neglect or fraud. Payroll internal controls are normally tightly integrated into the overall system, at a minimum allowing only certain people to approve, and other people to pay. Anything above a certain amount, or out of the ordinary (bonuses for people who aren't eligible, raises over x%) should have red flags all over them which would have required another set of eyes. These controls would have been tested at system implementation by the city audit group, and then routinely audited for exceptions every year. Or should have been...Not knowing how the city payroll system is set up, I can't comment except to say what we all know: *Something* failed. Whether there was collusion involved (a sure fire way to get around a control), or whether controls were circumvented for the sake of convenience, the outcome is that Carol's reputation is definitely tarnished in the short-term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 You are right travelguy, all those employees to look after, she has like what, 50 or 60 people to look after and handle her affairs, you know she just..... , I'm sorry, I just couldn't do it with a straight face, she has maybe 5 people including HER in her office. I'll tell you what "slipped". Her BUDGET for her office, when you spend twice as much as you are allocated, someone is gonna start sniffin around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmainguy Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 You are right travelguy, all those employees to look after, she has like what, 50 or 60 people to look after and handle her affairs, you know she just..... , I'm sorry, I just couldn't do it with a straight face, she has maybe 5 people including HER in her office. I'll tell you what "slipped". Her BUDGET for her office, when you spend twice as much as you are allocated, someone is gonna start sniffin around. TJ, I agree about the sniffing...I'm in pre-production for my next movie "The Deconstuction of Carol in 3 Easy Steps" Wanna play Mayor White? [Oh yeah...your avatar...are you SURE you're straight????] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 [Oh yeah...your avatar...are you SURE you're straight????] Hey, you homo's can't hog all the good brands! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 You are right travelguy, all those employees to look after, she has like what, 50 or 60 people to look after and handle her affairs, you know she just..... , I'm sorry, I just couldn't do it with a straight face, she has maybe 5 people including HER in her office. I'll tell you what "slipped". Her BUDGET for her office, when you spend twice as much as you are allocated, someone is gonna start sniffin around. Her monthly variance to her budget is part I don't understand. If I spend more than probably about 2% over my monthly payroll, questions are asked, as they should be. I know government accounting is different (less intense?) than corporate accounting, but still...is no one reviewing spending on a monthly basis? I assume most of these employees are exempt from overtime so their payroll should be pretty much fixed. *sigh* I need a government job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 internal controlsYes, and each year the process owner for each control must certify these controls are effective and still working. At least in the pubilcly traded companies 10K filings.So this someone should be council wild-woman Alvarado, or at least Mayor White. Of course, this is not the real-world, it's City Hall. I love her "Ken Lay" defense:"There is no way that an elected official can police every single iota, every single detail, that goes on in their office," Alvarado said. "My job is to delegate, to hire people, to trust people that will bring forward any types of irregularities."http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3666107.htmldistricti@cityofhouston.netAnd FWIW, she has 4 people on her staff.Not many IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 TJ,I agree about the sniffing...I'm in pre-production for my next movie "The Deconstuction of Carol in 3 Easy Steps" Wanna play Mayor White? [Oh yeah...your avatar...are you SURE you're straight????] HEY ! I am just trying to "class-up" the joint a little bit. Jeebus is right, you already got Prada, and D&G, this one is ours, see if you can get "Tommy" away from the brothers. Back on topic: Alvarado is goin' DOWN ! I think that the investigators are gonna find out that these troubles didn't start until her and her office manager buddy came into the mix. I have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy too much hair to play mayor White, and I'm about 4 inches taller, and 10 inches wider. I am about as "pasty white" as him though, but, I don't want to be "type cast" you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west20th Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Hey, you homo's can't hog all the good brands! It's ours damnit. Stick with Old Spice and Aqua Velva like your supposed to. Hey we'll even throw in Brut to seal the deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 I'm sorry, I just couldn't do it with a straight face, she has maybe 5 people including HER in her office. I'll tell you what "slipped". Her BUDGET for her office, when you spend twice as much as you are allocated, someone is gonna start sniffin around. I'm with TJones on this one. Tracking the four employees shouldn't be that difficult. She probably got distracted cause she was trying to get a BS degree. A little common sense is all that it takes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 I'll give her the benefit of the doubt *for now*. Whether there was collusion involved (a sure fire way to get around a control), or whether controls were circumvented for the sake of convenience, the outcome is that Carol's reputation is definitely tarnished in the short-term.Well the news just said that there is a complete paper trail and her signature is on the paperwork. Carol said she was "shocked!" She was shocked alright, shocked that she was caught! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Well the news just said that there is a complete paper trail and her signature is on the paperwork. Carol said she was "shocked!" She was shocked alright, shocked that she was caught!I still have a hard time believing she would risk her career for something like that. Then again, she did work for Lee Brown, but he at least waited until he was a mayor on the way out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeebus Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 It's ours damnit. Stick with Old Spice and Aqua Velva like your supposed to. Hey we'll even throw in Brut to seal the deal. Bastards! At least you'll never take Stetsen, Carhartt, or Wrangler from us! Oh wait... DOH! EDIT: I know, I'm off topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Well the news just said that there is a complete paper trail and her signature is on the paperwork. Carol said she was "shocked!" She was shocked alright, shocked that she was caught!KPRC reported on the news today that payroll oversight was pretty much where it should be: With the city's F&A department. Unfortunately, one of the only other ways (besides collusion) to circumvent good controls is old-fashioned lack of care.Unrelated, but the office manager in question, Rosie Hernandez, made $72K base salary? I admit to not knowing in detail what she does, but that alone seems excessive for a city employee in that position.http://www.click2houston.com/news/7166580/detail.htmlI'm with TJones on this one. Tracking the four employees shouldn't be that difficult. She probably got distracted cause she was trying to get a BS degree. A little common sense is all that it takes.I misread the facts, actually. I thought it reported that her office was responsible for all council payroll, including staffers. You are right, you shouldn't have to strain to track 4 employees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 I still have a hard time believing she would risk her career for something like that. Then again, she did work for Lee Brown, but he at least waited until he was a mayor on the way out. Sorry, Danax, your girl did it, and she is going bye-bye. She is now claiming, "forgery", of course she didn't ask any questions when she was getting HER performance bonuses. What I like about this, is the fact that she didn't try to hide it, she is an innovator, she figured out that everyone else tries to hide the money, why not just have a papertrail, out in the open where it is right under their noses, nobody ever looks there. It's, it's GENIUS !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce_oneal Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 from what i've seen of the signatures in the chronicle, her signature is quite different. don't know if they are gonna get her on this, but it does seems like she is ruining her chances at being taken seriously as a future mayoral candidate by houston voters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Sorry, Danax, your girl did it, and she is going bye-bye. She is now claiming, "forgery", of course she didn't ask any questions when she was getting HER performance bonuses. What I like about this, is the fact that she didn't try to hide it, she is an innovator, she figured out that everyone else tries to hide the money, why not just have a papertrail, out in the open where it is right under their noses, nobody ever looks there. It's, it's GENIUS !!! I don't know about genius, more like poor judgment in trusting her ol' bud Rosita Hernandez, who appears to be a criminal and, if so, hopefully headed to the Gray Bar Hotel for a spell. And that employee Watkins...making 50K, which sounds like a lot to me for an "administrative coordinator" and she has the gall to tell the public ""I don't think it was wrong now because I feel I worked for it. I feel -- I work. I work," ..A bonus worth almost as much as her salary? Lady, give us a break. You've been busted robbing from us and you are history. Sounds like she'll be taking as many of her co-workers down along with her as she can with her other comment; "By the time this bird has finished singing, there's going to be a lot of people (in trouble). They are going to look at a lot of people. We weren't the only ones that got incentives," I STILL don't believe Carol knew about it, not because she's "my girl" TJ, but because her ambitions would seem to overide any temptation to pilfer the coffers. Either way, her credibility as a potential leader beyond her current position seems damaged beyond repair. Of course, we've all seen stranger things in politics. It's a good thing for Houston that this has come to light, as was the pension-pumping scandal during Brown's term, so we can hopefully keep a better watch on things and candidates in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 Hey, you homo's can't hog all the good brands! homos? what language... i so often forget i am in texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 STILL don't believe Carol knew about it, not because she's "my girl" TJ, but because her ambitions would seem to overide any temptation to pilfer the coffers. Well, Carol's abilities are clearly the biggest obstacle to her "ambitions".Three scandals in less than 12 months. Ironic? No. Coincidence? You bet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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