Thompson and the School District
We continue to learn more about the past lives of Linda Thompson, candidate for mayor of Harrisburg. Here is what I found out yesterday.
When I was looking at the Personal Statements of Income that Thompson filed with the City of Harrisburg for her $20,000 a year city council job, I noticed that she had filed a supplemental form in 2007 reporting income amending her 2003 PSI to include income from the Harrisburg School District for 2002. What was the income for? She didn't say.
I subsequently heard that she had done "consulting" work for the school district, so I filed a Right To Know request and got the results yesterday.
According to the vendor payment history the district provided, Linda Thompson Consulting was paid more than $56,000 by the Harrisburg School District, either directly or indirectly, between Nov. 21, 1997, and May 10, 2002, although there is only one $200 payment to Thompson's Loveship non-profit organization after June 27, 2001. More on that $200 in a minute.
Harrisburg School District was taken over by the state in 2000, which gave it over to a Board of Control appointed by Mayor Stephen Reed. Dr. Gerald Kohn was hired in 2001. The rumor I heard--one of many rumors circulating around Thompson--is that her antipathy to Kohn stems from his supposed decision not to renew her consulting contract. Mark Holman, who is the district's Right to Know officer, said he could "not confirm" why her contract was not renewed.
What sort of consulting services did Thompson provide? I'm told that some of her work was done for Cornell Corp., which operated the Cornell Abraxas Academy for troubled youths for the district. But there are also notations on the vendor payment history that suggest Thompson was hired to provide services to district faculty, such as a $2,090 bill for Title I Professional Development dated June 29, 2000. She billed the district $3,000 and $3,975 in 2001 for two Read to Succeed four-day professional development seminars.
The final, mysterious entry from May 10, 2002, is a $200 payment to Loveship for "(2) Tickets - Inauguration." Whose inauguration? The only one held that year was Mayor Reed's. But why was this a payment responsibility of the school district and its taxpayers?
Mysteries upon mysteries. Linda Thompson unravels before our eyes. The question is whether any of this makes any difference at all to her hardcore base, and if it will drive enough anti-Thompson Democrats to the polls next Tuesday.
Comments
That is some very interesting information you have found. And more questions raised. Of course she wouldn't reveal this to anyone, it raises doubts about partiality, possible revenge tactics, and since she hasn't released it, the doubt about her truthfulness and 'transparency'.
This may have no relevance to anything, but I found it interesting: in 1998 about 6 months after her mother signed the house over to her, she took out 2 mortgages on it totaling $60,000. 2004 she pays back the 1st part, after taking out a 3rd for $56k, a couple of days later she pays off loan 2. 2005 a month before paying off loan 3 she takes a 4th for $60k. 2007 she gets a 5th for $60k, 2 months later she pays off loan 4.
Now I understand people can build credit by taking out small loans and paying them back, but I thought that paying them back too early was a bad thing? As I said, it's most likely nothing. Just curious.
Posted by: Jen | October 30, 2009 01:47 PM