An aide to Philly’s new sheriff says he questioned ‘slush fund’ spending - and she fired him

Inquirer ^ | 3/03/20 | Chris Brennan

[Libloather]

A top aide to new Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said he was fired and escorted out of the office by armed deputies after raising concerns about controversial spending practices that have dogged the agency for years.

Brett Mandel, who lasted just five weeks as Bilal’s chief financial officer, said her first order of business was to continue spending with little budgetary planning or oversight. She spent out of a multimillion-dollar fund of money from fees collected by the office for sheriff’s sales, serving writs, and other duties, Mandel said, describing it as a “slush fund.”

Mandel said that he was fired and ushered out on Feb. 10 after raising concerns about that and a practice of handing out expensive contracts for advertising sheriff’s sales.

Bilal, who ran for Philadelphia sheriff last year vowing to end “two decades of scandal after scandal after scandal" in the office, declined to be interviewed for this story. Her office did not deny any of Mandel’s allegations.

[VTenigma]

That “chick” actually looked smarter.