Tuesday, May 4, 2010

John Williams' ethics


This morning, I visited the SOCCCD website, where I found board policies, including BP1400, the "code of ethics for members of the board of trustees."

Point 3 of the code is the following:

As you know, recently, we came upon copies of timesheets submitted by trustee John Williams for his county job as Public Administrator/Guardian. It appears that, on those timesheets, Williams claimed full work days (presumably in his office in Santa Ana) on days in which, according to SOCCCD records, he was many miles away (in Orlando, Tampa, etc.) at conferences in his role as college district trustee.

Assuming that the fellow cannot be in two different places at once, and assuming that district records of trustee travel are accurate, it would appear that Mr. Williams claimed to work (as a county official) when, in truth, he was not working (in that capacity).

According to my Mac's dictionary, fraud is "wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain." Filing multiple false claims of full work days (for which one is paid) would seem to qualify as fraud.

We at DtB would like to hear from readers. Is there an ethical problem here?

If so, is this a matter for the Academic Senates to pursue? The board? The DA?

Tell us what you think.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Board and ethics in the same sentance? Isn't that like an oxymoron?

Corky said...

How can the other trustees watch this unfold and say nothing? Do they have ethics or don't they? Do they stand for anything? Will they view apparent fraud and say nothing?

Anonymous said...

They paid Greer $25k for some converstion about Mathur's contract. Of course they'll do nothing.

Anonymous said...

There were comments made some time ago about Williams (as the elected Public Administrator) fired Assistant PA Nancy Padberg (SOCCCD Board of Trustees) for conducting in her law business while on duty? Maybe she would love to chime in?

Anonymous said...

When's the next board meeting - think I will go say a few words about his honor, honesty and integrity or lack of.

Anonymous said...

The next board meeting in on Monday, May 24, at 6:00 p.m. at the "Ronald Reagan Board of Trustees Meeting Room." They'd love to have you!

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...