Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford today threw out a lawsuit two former city councilors filed against the city of Burlington seeking repayment of $17 million in taxpayer money illegally loaned to Burlington Telecom during Bob Kiss’ tenure as mayor.
The lawsuit by Gene Shaver and Fred Osier sought to hold Jonathan Leopold (pictured), personaly liable for repaying the cash; Kiss’s powerful chief administrative officer oversaw the loans to BT. According to the Burlington Free Press, Crawford ruled that the municipally owned Burlington Telecom had in fact violated its state license by failing to pay back loaned taxpayer money within 60 days, but ruled that Leopold wasn’t on the hook.
Seven Days contributing writer Kevin J. Kelley caught up with Leopold by phone Tuesday evening; he had just returned from a short holiday with his family in Italy.
“I feel vindicated,” Leopold told Kelley. “It’s taken a long time for the facts to come out and I’m pleased with the decision.”
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Does this mean osier and shaver have to reimburse the city for legal fees?
Leopold is living in the Bahamas… surprise surprise surprise. All that extra BTC money in an offshore account in the Bahamas and Stealopold is living the life in the Carribean.
Interesting ruling though, Crawford rules that Burlington in fact did break the law in violating its CPG and yet Sorrel and Donovan both punted the case instead of pursuing it and protecting the citizens. I think the dems lose the AG by default. The biggest city in the state, the most liberal city in the state just got hosed by it’s own.
Depends, did the city file a motion for an award of attorney fee’s and was Osier and Shaver’s suit intended to harrass, defame, or prolong the issue? I’m thinking no on both accounts.
Two things: Kevin Kelley is either incredibly ill-informed or playing to the pinheads by ending the piece about Leopold’s son in the Bahamas. Same with the note about Italy. Neither of you realize that the money was used for BT? You really think it went to Leopold personally? Did a St. Mike’s freshman write this? What a load of crap.
I think that someone who is naive enough to not realize that people were pilfering money and being paid off has no business calling anyone pinheads.
Here’s my main concern/question, how does a superior court judge throwout a lawsuit against John Boy because he has “immunity” when 5 members of the Supreme Court of Vermont in December 2010, rejected Stealy’s appeal for immunity?
I’m thinking this has appeal written all over it.
You’re, of course, right. I’m not sure why people haven’t demanded to see his birth certificate.
How long have you two been married?
jcarter1, I’m with you a lot of the time. But you’re going off the deep end here. Since the illegal $17m semi-secret bailout came to light in 2009, NO ONE has ever accused, or had any evidence to accuse, Leopold of personally pocketing any City money, and no one’s been “paid off.” Yeah, reasonable minds can probably differ on whether TJ took a pass on a viable criminal prosecution, but no one got “paid off.” In three years of investigating by several groups including outsiders, there’s not even a hint of any evidence that anyone personally pocketed any money or was paid off. Who pocketed money? Who got paid off? Sheesh. Have a beer. Calm down. Employ reason. Watch the replacement refs and yell at your TV. No one’s being naive just because they don’t accept your unfounded suspicions of personal pilfering and people being paid off.
Well someone stole money, the audits showed gross overbilling for hook ups and expansion, money that has never been returned. So did the contractors walk away with a few extra million dollars that they somehow missed in their accounting and billing, AND somehow those in charge of paying the bills and accounting for expenditures missed it until the audits, or is it possible that someone was intentionally missing the over billing in exchange for a cut?
Yeah, I’m sure it’s all just incompetence all around.
Never underestimate the human capacity for incompetence, mismanagement, and lack of attention, jcarter1. The world runs on incompetence, mismanagement, and lack of attention. The Burlington City Council is Exhibit No. 1. There’s no evidence that anyone personally pilfered or was paid off. But there’s plenty of evidence of incompetence, mismanagement, and lack of attention.
Short vacation in Italy. Really. I shall now vomit on Leopold’s shoes, those newly acquired Italian models.
He feels “vindicated”…, hahaha. Claiming incompetence is the last refuge of the white-collar criminal.
Fraudsters know that stupidity is not a crime.
EVIDENCE of wrongdoing. Lacking. The New North End city council members continue a costly ill advised reactionary witch hunt. EVIDENCE! Now lets elect reasonable city council members and forget about the “shoot from the hip” style of Osier, Scott Shumski, Kirk and so many others.