Payments Involving Several Fictitious Names Come Back To Glennon Jamboretz
© 2005 First Capitol News
By Tony Brockmeyer
An investigation by the First Capitol News has uncovered what appears to be an attempt by Mayor York to hide payments of taxpayer dollars to her political consultant, Glennon Jamboretz of the Glennon Company. More than $15,000 in City checks have been issued to a fictitious named company owned by Jamboretz.
Our investigation also discovered that Jamboretz had applied for a City business license on September 17, 2004 issued to the Glennon Company on November 9, 2004 for 338 S. Main Street. According to records at the office of the St. Charles County Assessor, Mayor York and her husband Lionel own the building at 338 S. Main Street, the address being used by Jamboretz.
On the second page of the license application the City asks for the name of the corporate office manager. Bryan Vonderhe was listed and then scratched through and Glennon Jamboretz name was written in.
After several attempts, using the Freedom of Information Act, the First Capitol News was able to obtain a copy of the current City check register. In reviewing the register we saw a suspicious entry on August 15, 2005. A check for $13,175 paid to Lafayette Partnership for paper. It appeared to be an excessive amount for the purchase of paper. In looking further, we found another check for $2,300 for paper to Lafayette Partnership on February 15, 2005. We were unable to determine if Lafayette Partnership was a registered vendor with the City.
We could find no City business license for Lafayette Partnership nor could we find a telephone listing for them.
We checked the records of the Missouri Secretary of State and found Glennon Jamboretz of the Glennon Company, Inc. filed a registration of a fictitious name for Lafayette Partnership on February 1, 2005. It gave an address for Lafayette Partnership of 716 Geyer Ave – Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63014. The same address given for the Glennon Company.
The City of St. Louis was contacted and they could not find a business license for Lafayette Partnership. We were unable to find a telephone listing for Lafayette Partnership.
The First Capitol News then contacted the President of the City Council, Rory Riddler, and we asked why the City was purchasing $15,475 in paper from a fictitious name company registered to Glennon Jamboretz. President Riddler said he was unaware of the City using Jamboretz and said he would look into it.
The City assigned vendor number on the checks is 4945. Council President Riddler learned that City vender number was issued on August 16, 2005 to Sarah Collins and Associates at 716 Geyer, Suite 300 in St. Louis. The registration gave a telephone number and a Federal tax Id # 430813448. Council President Riddler said he was at a loss to explain why the check was issued to a different company than the vendor ID and would ask City Administrator Allan Williams to look into the matter.
The First Capitol News called the phone number on the form for Sarah Collins and Associates and Glennon Jamboretz answered the phone. The Federal tax ID number given for Sarah Collins and Associates is assigned to the Glennon Company. We were unable to find a telephone listing or a business license for Sarah Collins and Associates. Nor could the First Capitol News find any type of registration with the Missouri Secretary of State for Sarah Collins and Associates.
On July 27, 2005 the Mayor sent through a Contract Routing sheet requesting the City Attorney, the City Finance Director and Allan Williams the City Administrator to sign off on her request for a contract to be issued to Sarah Collins and Associates. They all signed the Contract Routing sheet on July 27, 2005.
On August 15th the City issued a check for $13,175 to Lafayette Partnership but vendor number 4945 for Sarah Collins and Associates was assigned and it was indicated the purchase was for paper.
Records at City Hall show that on August 16, 2005 a contract was signed by the Mayor with Sarah Collins and Associates to provide professional consulting services related to the development, writing and design of State of the City report for an amount not to exceed Seventeen Thousand Dollars ($17,000).
Bryan Vonderhe, CFO, signed the contract for Sarah Collins and Associates. Bryan Vonderhe is the name that is on the application for a City business license at the building on South Main owned by the Mayor and her husband and then scratched through by Glennon Jamboretz.
WHO IS GLENNON JAMBORETZ?
Glennon Jamboretz lives in St. Louis County. He owns the Glennon Company, a public relations firm with offices at 716 Geyer in the City of St. Louis. He also signed for the fictitious name registration for Lafayette Partnership and appears to also be in control of Sarah Collins and Associates.
Jamboretz has contributed more than $30,000 to Citizens for a Responsible Community headed by Raymond Stone and Carl Maus. A group that put out hate literature in an attempt to defeat City Councilmen during the last election. He has also handled public relations for the St. Charles Police Association and for the FOP State president, Tommy Mayer, when he filed his multi-million dollar lawsuit against the City of St. Charles, the City Attorney and members of the City Council.
In June of 2005 Jamboretz along with Ken Kielty filed papers forming the St. Charles Citizens for Responsible Government with a stated purpose, recall of elected offices. The local group working on the recalls is headed by the wife of a police officer and FOP member.
Kietly is a former City Councilman, political consultant and confidant of the Mayor. He is the former Chairman of the County Convention and Sports Facilities Commission and was recently replaced by Governor Blunt. The fund for the recall of officials, headed by Jamboretz and Kielty, is listed on state records as Premiere Bank in Jefferson City. Mayor York has voted as a member of the Convention Center Oversight Committee to try to move millions of dollars of deposits to Premiere Bank.
Jamboretz has been described as a political hit man for the Mayor. He is also a member of the Great Rivers Habitat Alliance board of directors, which has been doing battle with officials in the City of St. Peters on behalf of Adolphus Busch.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
This is not the first time that taxpayer funds have gone to a fictitious name company with an address belonging to Mayor York and her husband.
In our May 4, 2002 edition the First Capitol News reported Steve Powell, the Director of the Greater St. Charles Convention and Tourism Bureau (he has since left that position and hold a similar position in Peoria, Illinois) authorized payments totaling over $17,000 to a company called Legacy Dimensions, a company owned by his wife. (They have since divorced in Cole County, Missouri).
At that time we could find no such company listed in any publications or telephone directories. There was also no city business license issued for such a company. Legacy Dimensions was registered with the state by Powell’s wife, Donna Cordell, with an address of 10 Hastings Court in St. Charles on May 28, 1998. Records at the St. Charles County Court house show that 10 Hastings Court is the home of Lionel and Mayor Patti York. The Yorks were living there at the time of the fictitious name registration and still reside there.
At that time the Mayor told the First Capitol News, “I have no knowledge of this company.” Even though she denied any knowledge of the company we discovered that Legacy Dimensions had been a contributor to the Mayor’s 1999 election campaign.
Former City Administrator, Jim O’Connor, when asked at the time about Legacy Dimensions said, “I have never heard of Legacy Dimensions. I am going to have to check this out because I was not aware of this.”
None of the Council members in office at the time were aware of the payments made to Powell’s wife.
Attempts to reach Mayor York and City Administrator Allan Williams for their comments regarding this matter were unsuccessful up to press time.
Councilman Mark Brown told the First Capitol News, “If they are doing this how do we know if the same thing isn’t being done with the City payroll and other City Accounts?”
