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Philadelphia Mayor Probe Now Includes Mobile (Ala.)County Schools
Mobile Register ^ | 10-21-2003 | Rena Havner

Posted on 10/21/2003 5:58:41 AM PDT by blam

Philadelphia mayor probe now includes Mobile County schools

Ronald White, close adviser of Street's, may have done work on construction bond

10/21/03

By RENA HAVNER
Staff Reporter

Federal investigators in Pennsylvania have subpoenaed Mobile County school records in conjunction with a probe that centers on Philadelphia Mayor John Street.

Officials with the Mobile County Public School System on Thursday were ordered to turn over documents pertaining to a $121 million construction bond managed by JP Morgan Securities Inc., Philadelphia attorney Ronald A. White and Georgia attorney Anthony Snell, said system attorney Bob Campbell.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that White is a close political adviser of Street's who has raised $250,000 for the mayor, who is up for re-election in November.

According to the newspaper, Street is the "subject" in an FBI probe, but federal investigators will not say why. Street, a Democrat, has alleged the investigation is a Republican trick meant to derail his election campaign.

The case received national attention earlier this month after the FBI admitted bugging the mayor's office as part of the investigation.

The Mobile County records were submitted to the U.S. attorney's office Friday. Campbell said school officials were told the information will be reviewed by a grand jury that will convene in Philadelphia starting today.

Besides issuing a subpoena for the Mobile County school records last week, the Philadelphia grand jury has ordered that personal financial records of Street, members of the mayor's family and White be turned over to authorities. The agency also has ordered copies of records pertaining to White's dealings with the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the Philadelphia International Airport, according to the Inquirer.

Campbell said no one in the Mobile County School System had heard of White or Snell until the subpoena was issued.

"We don't know what these people have allegedly done or have not done. We just responded to a subpoena," Campbell said. "As far as the facts and the basis for the investigation -- we have no knowledge at all. It appears there is some investigation into these men, not the Mobile County Public School System."

Preston Bolt, a Mobile attorney who worked with the school system to secure the bond, said White was not involved in the initial work. "It's possible he did some work for JP Morgan. I'm under the impression that there was no real connection to the school system."

Nancy Pierce, spokeswoman for the 65,000-student school system, said this bond is the first the school system had done by JP Morgan.

White and officials from JP Morgan did not return calls to the Mobile Register on Monday. On Saturday, White, who is black, told the Philadelphia Daily News that he believed the probe was racially motivated.

The school system's $121 million bond was issued through Mobile County in 2003 for such school projects as the new performing arts school to be built at the old Gayfers building in downtown Mobile, a stadium at Citronelle High School, an auditorium at Davidson High School, a new Council Elementary School and a new Alba Elementary School.

The county, not the system, took out the bond to save the school system $20 million in interest. The school system actually incurs the debt and has full say in how the money is used, according to officials.

Campbell said he has no reason to believe this subpoena is related to another subpoena the school system received in August. FBI officials in Mobile have seized construction documents from the past six years and will not comment on the investigation.

The school board will meet today to decide whether Volkert & Associates or one of five other companies will manage the projects. Volkert has overseen all school construction projects over the last few years but was abruptly fired in August.

(Staff Reporters Joe Dan born and Steve Myers con tributed to this report).


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: county; johnstreet; mayor; mobile; philadelphia; schools; street
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To: aristeides
I think 1999...
41 posted on 10/21/2003 1:49:19 PM PDT by Dog
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To: Dog; aristeides
he was elected in 1999
42 posted on 10/21/2003 1:53:57 PM PDT by Mo1 (http://www.favewavs.com/wavs/cartoons/spdemocrats.wav)
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To: blam
How many other cities....you would not know about this unless I posted it.

When they showed the fatal Chicago fire on FNC, I told my spouse about speculation that Daley was taking pre-emptive action after seeing what's going down in Philadelphia.

He pooh-poohed me and said the room it started in was probably a maintenance store room with lots of solvents or something. I agreed that was probably true, but what if it was in an archive of some type... A little later he came after me to tell me that Fox had announced it was a document room. I haven't heard one more word about it, but I'm hoping.

43 posted on 10/21/2003 5:31:15 PM PDT by Sal
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To: Sal
"I haven't heard one more word about it, but I'm hoping."

Good thinking. Let me know if you find out if this is connected to the Street case.

44 posted on 10/21/2003 5:52:03 PM PDT by blam
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To: Miss Marple
Oh, there's a LOT more to this story...




http://www.scrantontimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11040271&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6
45 posted on 02/28/2004 3:18:32 PM PST by Bella
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To: Bella
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/fbiprobe/
46 posted on 02/28/2004 3:20:30 PM PST by Bella
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To: blam
It sure looks that way...see the posts I made..
47 posted on 02/28/2004 3:21:04 PM PST by Bella
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To: WhyisaTexasgirlinPA
Check out what I posted.
48 posted on 02/28/2004 3:24:04 PM PST by Bella
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To: Bella; Kenny Bunk
Thanks for the info Bella. I thought it had all been swept under the rug.

Kenny Bunk, it's not over yet. See the above posts by Bella.

There are a lot of complaints about the quality of construction and repairs of some of the schools down here (I believe) associated (somehow) with this scandal.

49 posted on 02/28/2004 4:36:22 PM PST by blam
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To: blam
What makes it more interesting is that there are Scranton people involved, that one "little" clique, know what I mean..And if you read the article in the Scranton paper, you can see they're running for cover...I know these people..lol...let them all be jailed!
50 posted on 02/28/2004 4:56:37 PM PST by Bella
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To: blam
BTW, if you notice, the same people are involved..and also check the Philly paper, the one guy is a convicted murderer who changed over to Islam..big story..
51 posted on 02/28/2004 4:58:08 PM PST by Bella
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To: Bella
"What makes it more interesting is that there are Scranton people involved, that one "little" clique, know what I mean..

What is the significance of Scranton? I don't know much about that state.

52 posted on 02/28/2004 5:04:02 PM PST by blam
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To: Bella
"In City Hall, meanwhile, a gallows humor prevails. One joke making the rounds among Street aides: What do we call the time when we fielded questions about a Molotov cocktail tossed at the office of the mayor's opponent? The good old days."

This is funny.

53 posted on 02/28/2004 5:10:04 PM PST by blam
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To: Bella
It's almost cartoonish they way they are so open about payoffs....... like they are untouchable......thanks for the update
54 posted on 02/28/2004 5:12:47 PM PST by WhyisaTexasgirlinPA
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To: blam; WhyisaTexasgirlinPA
I'd love to tell you what I know, but, I don't know WHO reads this forum..I will post some impt url's to explain some things..Some of the "players" are from Scranton, and you can "read" why I can't come out and say things..please understand because I know these people and they worked for the last campaign/election. There's been a LOT going on in Scranton, and I was unaware of just how "deep" this is/was, and where it's going to go.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11038733&BRD=2212&PAG=461&dept_id=465812&rfi=6

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/8053824.htm

http://pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1077924547102700.xml

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/fbiprobe/

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7906124.htm

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/fbiprobe/7899958.htm

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/8053826.htm

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11034932&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416045&rfi=8





55 posted on 02/28/2004 5:56:10 PM PST by Bella
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To: Snowy
PING
56 posted on 02/28/2004 6:29:59 PM PST by Bella
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To: rightazrain
Ping..
57 posted on 02/28/2004 6:30:38 PM PST by Bella
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To: JeanLM
Ping
58 posted on 02/28/2004 6:31:05 PM PST by Bella
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To: Owl_Eagle
Ping...would you please Ping your friends to this thread...things are happening..
59 posted on 02/28/2004 6:32:46 PM PST by Bella
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To: Owl_Eagle; brityank; Physicist; WhyisaTexasgirlinPA; GOPJ; abner; baseballmom; Willie Green; Mo1; ..
ping
60 posted on 02/28/2004 6:34:46 PM PST by Tribune7 (Vote Toomey April 27)
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