Elias benefactor in dog deal

STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb5thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com

July 18, 2001

City pays for life insurance on animal 

BUT THE CITY DOES NOT OWN THE ANIMAL

By CHRISTINE HARVEY
THE SUN HERALD

Friday, August 18, 2006

It seems like the Mayor of Long Beach has had a lapse of memory.

The Mayor has borrowed a dog, which was purchased for $8,000 by police
Sgt. Elias.

The Mayor then makes a verbal agreement with our past police chief Tom Bishop
to borrow the dog from Sgt. Elias.

Then the Mayor authorizes the use of taxpayer’s money to insure the borrowed dog,
but if the dog dies the owner, Sgt. Elias would receive $10,000.

Is what the Mayor has done legal, I am not an attorney but I will email the city attorney
and ask him.

This is an email I received August 4, 2001

This is the email I sent to the City Attorney and Mayor requesting an answer.

Subj:	Is this true? Dog donated to Sgt. Elias
Date:	8/4/01 10:26:38 AM Central Daylight Time
From:	Mccaleb5thdist
To:	jmeadows@datasync.com, mayor@cityoflongbeachms.com
CC:	permits@cityoflongbeachms.com, waterdept@cityoflongbeachms.com

I would like to know if the below email is true?

Was the dog which the taxpayers of Long Beach is paying for donated to Sgt. Elias?

Please reply,

Steven A. McCaleb

LONG BEACH - The police officer son of a former alderman would receive $10,000 in insurance money if the police dog he owns dies, even though the city pays for the dog's life insurance policy.

This smells funny too me, what is the Mayor doing allowing your tax dollars to pay for insurance for a dog the taxpayers will not get back.

Sgt. Louis N. Elias is listed as the benefactor for Brutus, a 5-year-old German shepherd that worked for the Long Beach Police Department until last week. Elias would be paid whether Brutus dies in the line of duty or not, said Alderman Gary Ponthieux.

I would say Sgt. Louis N. Elias is getting a great deal, except the taxpayers are not getting anything.

I hate too say it, but it sounds to me like the city is giving Sgt. Elias a win, win situation, and of course the taxpayers get the shaft.

 Questions about the insurance policy were raised at Tuesday's Board of Aldermen meeting. The aldermen just learned last week that Brutus even existed and had been working for the city.

I wonder what else the alderman doesn’t know about.

Can a Mayor legally spend taxpayer’s money without the knowledge of the citizens knowing about how the tax dollars are being spent?

REMEMBER: MONEY, POWER, & PERKS + FRAUD, WASTE, & ABUSE = CORRUPTION

How do you hide a dog? And how long has this dog been on the payroll? 

Ponthieux wanted to know why the city would pay to insure a dog it does not own, and then not name itself as benefactor. Ponthieux also questioned the need for a K9 unit period, let alone three police dogs for two K9 officers.

This is where I question the integrity of the Mayor, since Long Beach already owns two K9 dogs, why would the Mayor borrow another dog.

Mayor Robert Bass said he had made a verbal agreement last year with former Police Chief Tom Bishop to use Brutus, already certified as a police dog.

Let's think about this.

The Mayor made a verbal agreement with, now fired, Police Chief Tom Bishop.

Although Long Beach already owns two K9 dogs, and it's questionable whether these dogs are needed.

After firing the Police Chief, and keeping him on the payroll, then making a job position to keep him on the cities payroll, it is looking like corruption.

Bass said it was an oversight on his part not to have told the board about his and Bishop's agreement, but that he thought the Police Department could make good use of the dog. He added that Elias had been working for the past two months to prepare a written contract for the dog's use but had not yet completed it.

Mayors do not have, "oversight," but that is what I would say if I didn't want anyone to know what I had done.

Since it is questionable whether Long Beach needs the two dogs, why would the Mayor think the city need three dogs?

Why would Sgt. Elias prepare a contract, the city has an attorney on the payroll, it would be his job to prepare the contract, not Elias.

The agreement between Bass and Bishop stipulated that the city would use Brutus, care for him and pay his insurance, Bass said.

Can the Mayor make a verbal agreement to spend taxpayer’s dollars all by himself?

I am not an attorney, and I am sure if you asked the city attorney he would have to put "spin" on the answer.

Alderman Allen Holder said Elias should be compensated if the dog died since he paid for it. According to an invoice that Holder produced, Elias bought Brutus from Mississippi Highway Patrol officer Glenn Grice for $8,000 in February 2000.

Why would Sgt. Elias purchase a dog for $8,000 unless he knew the Mayor and past Police Chief Tom Bishop would be using the dog?

I don't believe Elias purchased an $8,000 dog and not have a prior plan for the dog.

Though Elias owns the dog, Sgt. Billy Seal actually works with him. The city took out the life insurance policy on Brutus and two dogs it owns, Nitro and Thunder, in September from Sawyer Insurance in Gulfport. The yearly premium to insure all three dogs is $2,680.

OK, the Mayor approves the use of a K9 dogs the city does not own.

Then the Mayor approves taxpayers money be spent to insure the dog.

Then after the city acquires the dog the person who owns the dog doesn't even work the dog.

I think the Mayor is up too his butt in alligators, and he is hoping someone will drain the pond. 

The city is the benefactor on the life insurance policies of the two dogs it owns. Nitro is insured for $12,000 and Thunder for $10,000.

It is comforting to know the taxpayers have two legal dogs, but does Long Beach need two K9 dogs.

STEVEN A. McCALEB

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