Healthy Holly's Hand Caught In Cookie Jar

[vmax]

Conflict of Interest doesn't exist for some people.

Get in a position of power and authority and the temptation to make deals that increase your finances is too much for many people to handle.

Then there are those who seek power and authority solely to gain wealth.

Selfless public servant?????

They no longer exist at the higher levels of government.

 

So...here we are with another crappy Mayor of Baltimore.

 

 

More than 8,000 copies of a children’s book written by Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh are sitting in a Baltimore school system-owned warehouse, according to a spokeswoman.

The mayor has come under fire after The Baltimore Sun reported that Pugh had failed to fully disclose a longstanding business deal with the University of Maryland Medical System, where she served as a board member until this week. The hospital system has purchased $500,000 worth of “Healthy Holly” books, which Pugh self-published, between 2011 and 2018....A third of the members of the hospital network’s board of directors had business deals with the system worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each,according to a review by The Sun. The goods and services they provided the system ranged from consulting to pest control to civil engineering.

The revelation has sparked outrage in the General Assembly: House of Delegates Speaker Michael Busch — who also sits on the medical system’s board — said he can’t “remember a scandal of this scale taking place since I’ve been in office.” Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said the hospital system’s “self-dealing” represented a “huge disaster” for the state. Gov. Larry Hogan has called for reforms....https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/k-12/bs-md-ci-healthy-holly-20190318-story.html

 

8,000 unused copies. Must not be much of a book.

Most of her apology....if you can call it that....was about her book and wanting to help children.

If so, then why not break even?...make no profit because she is the Mayor and on this Board of Directors....and simply wants to help children.

 

[papasmurfbell]

Can we elect a good mayor?

[varaven45]

Max,

 

For whats its worth, genuine public servants these days are practically impossible to find.

It sounds like times remain tough in charm city. Not much different anywhere else in US.

 

Living life through the lens of politics is awful right now; life through the lens of faith is far better.

My two cents.......

[vmax]

That hospital, of which she is a Board member, paid a half a million dollars for her book!

She had to pitch somebody, or some committee to buy it.

And somebody to turn their head.

[GrubberRaven]

VA, politics has become a new religion...a very sad and distorted one.

[varaven45]

Agreed grubber. But theres always hope.

[vmax]

This gets more serious and sad in nature as evidence in the investigation keeps turning up more facts.

 

It has all the base elements of graft, cronyism and influence peddling.

 

 

From 2011 through 2018, the University of Maryland Medical System had a deal to spend $500,000 for 100,000 copies of Pugh’s self-published book series.........That would mean 80,000 should have been printed and distributed. In the publishing world, that is an astounding number of books; for example, the first U.S. print run of “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone” was for 50,000 copies............It is not clear where at least an estimated 50,000 copies of the “Healthy Holly” series went.........Literary agents who work on children’s books describe the sales numbers as eye-popping, especially for a self-published author. Selling that many books, they say, is a huge deal...........One agent wrote in an email that the mayor’s sales are “STAGGERING.” Karen Grencik, an agent for Red Fox Literary in California, said she would give her “right arm to have those kinds of sales numbers.”.....https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/investigations/bs-md-ci-healthy-holly-20190323-story.html

 

Most of this article follows the money trail and in general, only a small percentage of books were received and nobody knows where most of the books are.

[vmax]

OK...I'm getting obsessed with this.

I think mainly that's due to the extremely long history of corruption and mismanagement in Baltimore City Government and Pugh is simple the latest to get caught using power and influence to fill their bank account.

Basically nobody other than the Maryland Medical system has purchased these books. Nobody outside of Maryland. Few have seen or read them, so they must not be very good. The ones that are purchased are gathering dust.

 

The Mayor will hold a press conference on this as soon as she's healthy.

So I've asked the Predictor to share his thoughts on this upcoming press conference.......

"Here's what will occur this upcoming event:. I feel certain that she will spend a lot of her talk about her high and noble cause to get children healthy and what a wonderful book this is. That all she is guilty of is nobly wanting help the children and this is one big witch hunt to throw mud on this high and pure cause. And then, with an "Oh by the way shrug" say, "i don't know how I forgot to report this trifle.It was an oversight. I apologize."

Only a half million dollar oversight. Akin to you or I forgetting to claim the $68.75 that we earned at our yard sale to the IRS.

Yea...she gave$100,000 back. Only because she got caught. If it was proper and legal to engage in this deal then she would morally stand on her right to do what she did and not give anything back.

 

Yup. She'll go on... A political witch hunt and we're spending all this time diverting her from handling so many more important issues in this city so could "you please stop so I can move on?"

 

It'll play out something like that.

[vmax]

Another honest and innocent mistake

 

 

The University of Maryland Medical System made a $20,000 contribution to Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh’s inaugural committee while she was serving as one of the hospital network’s board members, according to records shared by the committee.

The money toward a day of festivities in December 2016 to celebrate the then-state senator’s election to the city’s top office was not publicly disclosed and came at a time when the medical system was regularly paying her installments of $100,000 for children’s books she authored.

The IRS requires nonprofit organizations like UMMS to disclose grants to other organizations; in a 2015 tax filing, UMMS disclosed that it gave $25,000 to support the inauguration of Gov. Larry Hogan. But two years later, the backing for Pugh’s committee was not included in its filing.

 

really...they shouldn't have to report $20,000. It's chump change!

[vmax]

 

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh says she was advised not to take any questions at the end of her explanation of her book deal. Many in the community tell 11 News that's not good enough and they want answers.

"We just want to know what's going on," said Baltimore City resident Kenny Eebron.

Eebron is among many Baltimore City residents who say they feel left in the dark......On Thursday, Pugh addressed her book deal with the University of Maryland Medical Center.

"We're looking for what happened, why it happened, when it happened and what you all are going to do about it," said Eebron.

From west Baltimore to north Baltimore, the feelings were mutual.

"She's not having a great moment," said Nnandigi Isa. "It's kind of embarrassing for the residents and everyone's perception about us outside of Baltimore. There's a lot that needs to be answered for from her.".....https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/baltimore-residents-react-to-pughs-press-conference-demanding-more-answers/ar-BBVmCPm?ocid=U508DHP

 

Here's where being a ER member really pays off and sets you ahead of everyone else.

 

Simply use your ER Code Book that was given to you in secrecy when you were accepted as a member and decipher the Mayors statement!

 

 

Now you can easily see the hidden message!

 

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh dodged getting caught in a lie and it's cover up by saying her spin doctors advised her not to take any questions at the end of her phony explanation of her book deal.She was advised to look calm, in control and innocent, and to simply walk away like nothing is wrong because everybody would forget about this in a short time.

 

One final ER Exclusive

One fine ER Board member captured a photo of this man standing behind the Mayor....curiously, he doesn't remember being there!

 

 

Edited March 29, 2019 by vmax

[vmax]

She did the right thing. I can respect that.

 

 

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh will take a leave of absence Monday, engulfed by a scandal over hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments for her self-published “Healthy Holly” children’s books.

On Monday, The Sun reported that health insurer Kaiser Permanente also paid Pugh more than $100,000 to purchase copies of her books from 2015 to 2018. In September 2017, the city’s spending board, which Pugh sits on and controls, awarded Kaiser a $48 million contract to provide health insurance to city employees from 2018 through 2020, with options to renew. After The Sun reported the Kaiser purchase, State Comptroller Peter Franchot called on Pugh to resign and Gov. Larry Hogan asked the office of the state prosecutor to begin a criminal investigation of the allegations against Pugh.

Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke said it was right for Pugh to step aside for now.

“It’s a tsunami here and we’re drowning,” Clarke said. “We need to survive as a city and to thrive.”...........https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-pugh-developments-20190324-story.html

[vmax]

Let me take that back. It seems she is taking her leave of absence due to pneumonia.

There is now a large outcry for her to resign as more unreported conflicts of interest arise.

She has got to go.

 

 

she did not address new revelations that she was paid nearly $200,000 by Kaiser Permanente and Associated Black Charities for about 30,000 books. Kaiser was seeking a lucrative contract to provide health benefits to city employees at the time of the sale.........https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-healthy-holly-reax-20190401-story.html

 

[vmax]

 

The University of Maryland Medical System wasn’t the only major buyer of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh’s “Healthy Holly” children’s books.

Health provider Kaiser Permanente paid Pugh more than $100,000 to buy about 20,000 copies of her books during a period when the

And the nonprofit Associated Black Charities says it collected nearly $90,000 from five separate entities — including CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, another city insurer — to buy and distribute 10,000 copies of Pugh’s books, forwarding nearly $80,000 of that to Pugh’s company and pocketing the rest.

Pugh previously said that the $500,000 she was paid by UMMS for 100,000 books represented her only sales. On Monday, her attorney, Steven Silverman, did not dispute the purchases as described by Kaiser and Associated Black Charities. He stressed only that they had not purchased books UMMS had paid for already......In September 2017, the city’s spending board, which Pugh sits on and controls, awarded the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States Inc. a $48 million contract to provide health insurance to city employees from 2018 through 2020, with options to renew. Pugh does not appear to have abstained from voting on the contract.https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-kaiser-deal-20190401-story.html

Associated Black Charities also does business with the city. In January 2018, the city spending board gave the organization control of a $12 million youth fund under a deal that awarded the nonprofit $1.2 million for administrative costs.

[vmax]

The mountain of evidence is piling up..........

 

 

While she received hundreds of thousands of dollars though a no-bid book deal with the University of Maryland Medical System, then state senator Catherine Pugh sponsored dozens of bills affecting hospitals in Maryland — including several that would have benefited UMMS.

From 2011 to 2016, Pugh — who is now on indefinite leave as Baltimore’s mayor — sponsored or co-sponsored more than 40 bills affecting hospitals, doctors and insurance companies, according to General Assembly records. The Baltimore Democrat did this while serving on the medical system’s Board of Directors, which is now under fire over accusations of self-dealing in part because of Pugh’s $500,000 book deal.

Pugh repeatedly sought — with eight different bills — to make it harder for aggrieved patients to sue hospitals and doctors for big judgments via medical malpractice claims and lessen the financial impact of those suits. Those measures did not win General Assembly approval, nor did legislation she sponsored to expand the kinds of bonuses insurers can pay health care professionals.....“It is a clear conflict of interest,” Joanne Antoine, of the government-watchdog organization Common Cause, said of Pugh’s legislative proposals while being paid by the system........Board members and senior executives with the medical system and its flagship medical center have donated or loaned nearly $292,000 to Pugh’s Senate and mayor campaign committees since 2005, according to state campaign finance filings........

[vmax]

and mounts.............

 

 

Maryland Auto Insurance Fund...The quasi-public company created by the Maryland General Assembly for hard-to-insure drivers gave a $7,500 donation in 2012 to then state-Sen. Catherine Pugh’s Healthy Holly book company, shortly before she successfully sponsored legislation supported by the company. The money was for Healthy Holly’s “outreach program with the Associated Black Charities,” Mark McCurdy, executive director of the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, said Tuesday.

 

McCurdy, who took over in 2015, said a search of the insurer’s records found a second donation in 2013 for $5,000 to Associated Black Charities when the nonprofit was soliciting funds to buy Healthy Holly books for distribution to African-American children.

The auto insurer’s contributions were made while M. Kent Krabbe was its executive director, McCurdy said. Krabbe went on to become a paid staffer on Pugh’s mayoral campaign in 2016 and served later that year as president of her inauguration committee. In March 2017, a few months after Pugh took office as mayor, he started a $107,000-a-year job at the city’s department of transportation. He left that post in February 2018.Associated Black Charities confirmed Monday that it had received donations from five groups totaling about $87,000 to purchase 10,000 of the mayor’s books from 2011 to 2016. It said it received 4,500 books, of which 4,100 were distributed. An additional 5,500 were left to Healthy Holly LLC to distribute, the charity said....https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/marylands-state-auto-insurance-fund-paid-dollar7500-to-then-sen-catherine-pughs-healthy-holly-company/ar-BBVy4WH?ocid=U508DHP

 

She has to resign.

Edited April 3, 2019 by vmax

[papasmurfbell]

The steady stream of reports is amazing. Pugh is gonna be blown out.

[vmax]

Now she's issuing a threat to the good citizens of Baltimore..........

 

 

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh intends to return from her leave of absence once her health allows, her spokesman said Saturday..........https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-smith-resigns-20190406-story.html

[vmax]

Heading for High Noon.........

 

Members on the City Council voted to ask her to resign...

 

 

The demand for Pugh to resign was signed by all 14 members of the City Council.

Councilman Eric Costello tweeted out a memo Monday morning that called for Pugh to resign immediately. The memo stated, "The entire membership of the Baltimore City Council believes that it is not in the best interest of the City of Baltimore, for you to continue to serve as Mayor. We urge you to tender your resignation, effective immediately."

Below the message are the signatures of all 14 City Council members......https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/entire-baltimore-city-council-calls-for-mayor-catherine-pughs-resignation/ar-BBVIYeu?ocid=U508DHP

 

The City Council wants her out. Yet they can't vote her out.

Will she follow through on this?

 

 

The mayor's office released a statement Monday around 11:45 a.m., saying Pugh will return to her office once she has recovered from pneumonia.

"Mayor Pugh has taken a leave to focus on recovering from pneumonia and regaining her health. She fully intends to resume the duties of her office and continuing her work on behalf of the people and the City of Baltimore," the statement read.

[vmax]

Meanwhile, this avid Baltimore Sun reporter remains busy at work trying to see what else he can find on her....

 

[vmax]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-john-oliver-healthy-holly-20190408-story.html

[vmax]

Looks like Pugh's Last Stand....

 

 

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — After FBI and IRS agents raided Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh’s house, City Hall and other locations early Thursday morning, new and resounding calls for her resignation have poured out of the state.

Shortly after the raids were announced, Gov. Larry Hogan officially called for her resignation.

“On April 1, I directed the state prosecutor to investigate the disturbing allegations surrounding Mayor Catherine Pugh’s questionable financial dealings with the University of Maryland Medical System. Today, Federal law enforcement agents are raiding Baltimore’s City Hall, the homes of Mayor Catherine Pugh and the office of her attorney.”

He continued saying Baltimore needs “strong and responsible leadership,” and that the mayor has lost the public’s trust.

“She is clearly not fit to lead,” He said. “For the good of the city, Mayor Pugh must resign,” He concluded............https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/calls-for-baltimore-mayor-catherine-pughs-resignation-increase-amid-fbi-irs-raids/ar-BBWhXgl?ocid=U508DHP

 

[papasmurfbell]

I think the city counsel should right a law that says if the Mayor is not able to serve their office for a eriod of time can be pushed out and send the law to Young to sign.