Will the city of East St. Louis ever learn not to recycle and rehire felons who have previously embarrassed the community with their criminality? Obviously, not in my lifetime.
First, Kelvin Ellis was rehired (by the ESL) after a stint in the federal pen for extortion. Ellis repaid the City by (among other things) running a prostitution ring out of city hall, attempting to have a federal witness murdered and engaging in income tax evasion.
Now, also earning the distinction as one of ESL’s dumbest crooks, we find Jessie Lewis, East Boogie’s Chief Building Inspector (who was rehired by the City back in 2007) back in trouble again.
Recall, Lewis previously served a federal sentence (for vote fraud) as the result of his role in assisting political boss Charlie Powell in a scheme to pay for votes, back in 2004.
Lewis’ latest troubles stem from a June 30 memo, from ESL’s Interim City Manager Deletra Hudson, in which he is accused of “theft” resulting from the abuse of City gas card privileges.
In the memo, Hudson outlines several specific occasions (and dollar amounts) in which Lewis allegedly, and repeatedly, used his City gas card (on weekends) to fuel his personal vehicle.
Corroborating the accusations, ESL city councilman Delbert Marion also reported seeing Lewis at a City garage fueling a private vehicle approximately two weekends ago.
Also, according to Hudson’s memo, Lewis’ director denies having given him permission to use his city vehicle on evenings or weekends, meaning that Lewis would have had no reason to ever use the city gas card during the weekend. Can you say “busted” and dumb?
The City’s Personnel Policies: Section 16-5 makes reference to the “Unauthorized use, misappropriation, misuse, or theft of City vehicles, tools, equipment, computer systems, manpower, or materials” and that “Any authorized use must be clearly approved by the appropriate supervisor.”
In Section 16-6: Corrective Action Levels, it goes further in stating that “dismissal may be issued for repeated … offense.”
That means that “Gas-a-holic Jessie” actually called attention to his crime simply by fueling-up on weekends (when he was unauthorized to work). That’s beyond stupid.
And it’s beyond embarrassing. ESL Mayor Alvin Parks is still reeling from a deputy liquor commissioner, Walter Hill, who recently admitted guilt in shaking-down liquor license holders. Hill reported directly to Parks and will soon be shipped off to a federal penitentiary.
Now we have, yet, another City official accused of “theft” (and terminated) after being given a chance to redeem himself with the City.
It’s embarrassing in the sense that it makes it appear as if ESL’s talent pool of competent, talented, honest and employable citizens is so shallow that the city must continue to engage in the recycling, repackaging and rehiring of crooks.
Not only does it give the city of ESL a black eye and a negative reputation; but it causes those outside of East Boogie to be reluctant to take a chance on assisting or investing in a community which is so entrenched in criminality.
This writer is on record as having criticized the City (in this column) upon their rehiring of both Ellis and Lewis. Local so-called leaders (including Mayor Parks) and ESL cable TV hosts argued that these folks should be given a second chance after having paid their debt to society.
Without question, ex-offenders should be given an opportunity to earn a living upon their release. However, those who abuse the public’s trust (like those who “pimp” on city time or steal from the city) should not be given a second chance to rip-off the public. And to suggest that there are no other jobs available (to them) is an insult to the intelligence of any thinking person.
However, in East Boogie, the rehiring of crooks is a recurring theme which will forever deny the city the opportunity to move forward and out of the shadow of corruption which has haunted them for decades.
The question I pose, and perhaps it is a rhetorical one, is what will it take for ESL leadership to finally get a clue? Deletra Hudson is to be commended for taking decisive action in this matter; but it will take consistent efforts (such as hers) to make real and lasting change.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com.