Councilwoman allegedly steals docs from City Hall
TRENTON >> A city official apparently has some sticky fingers.
Councilwoman Phyllis Holly-Ward has been accused of stealing classified and confidential personnel documents from City Hall last Friday, numerous sources with knowledge of the situation told
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter, said the at-large councilwomanhadinitiallyaskedfor a copy of the documents, but was told by city officials that it is a personnel document, and therefore, not allowed to leave the building.
Instead, Holly-Ward was informed she could review the documents at City Hall.
When the councilwoman went to the personnel office on Friday, Holly-Ward took them and immediately said, “You better not put your hands on me,” sources said.
Security was called, but they couldn’t find the councilwoman.
Apparently, she left the office with the documents in hand and proceeded to the inspections department, where she made copies, the sources said.
The councilwoman then left the original personnel documents with City Clerk Richard Kachmar, and left the building with the copied documents, according to sources.
On Wednesday, Holly-Ward contested she didn’t steal any documents.
“The document is mine,” she said. “I can’t steal from myself.”
Holly-Ward, however, admitted to making copies.
“But I destroyed them,” the councilwoman said, adding an attorney instructed her to do so. “And honestly, I wasn’t even able to make a full copy. Nobody saw me take any copies out of there.”
She also claimed the copies never left City Hall, adding, “Anything that I tried to do wasn’t done.”
“I don’t have any documents because just yesterday I went back up to the personnel office to actually review the original document,” she said, adding she spent an hour and a half in the personnel office.
The city is mulling over filing official misconduct and theft charges against the councilwoman if the copies are not returned, sources said.
“You rob a bank and you take the money back because you felt guilty,” a source said. “You still robbed a damn bank.”
After Holly-Ward left City Hall on Friday, city officials emailed her asking the councilwoman to bring the documents back, sources said.
Holly-Ward contended the original document never left the building and she questioned what the officials were asking with an attitude, sources said.
Sources said the printer’s log in the inspections department shows Holly-Ward made copies of the personnel document.
City council is scheduled to meet Monday at noon behind closed doors to discuss the matter. The meeting is billed as discussing a personnel matter for “unwarranted invasion of individual privacy.”
has learned that the personnel documents stem from a long feudthatHolly-Wardhaswith deputy city clerk Cordelia Staton. Both filed workplace complaints against each other and the stolen documents were the findings from an outside law firm over the tiff.
The tension was triggered from a Feb. 18 council meeting when Staton was subbing for Clerk Richard Kachmar and failed to audio record the meeting. Staton claims it was an honest mistake when she was Rice noticed about the matter at an April 5 meeting. Council meetings are regularly recorded.
Afterwards, Staton was told to “stop going back and forth with her superiors” by Holly-Ward, the April 5 meeting minutes show.
Staton responded that she “respects all members of council but they sit on a dais, not a throne,” meeting minutes outline.
Holly-Ward said she wants the documents released because it clears her of any wrongdoing.
“It came out that they were trying to allege that I did something and the document shows that it wasn’t me, it was the person who was making the allegations,” the councilwoman said. “That’s why they’re so upset in trying to create this big thing because what they don’t want people to see is what’s inside the document.”
Staton declined comment whenreachedbyphoneabout the situation on Wednesday. Her boss also had little to say.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Kachmar said. “I really don’t have any comment either as I really don’t know what happened.”
Holly-Ward said the documents in question will “wind up being subpoenaed.” She said some of her peers on council also want the documents released.
City spokesman Michael Walker declined comment, stating that matters regarding personnel are confidential.
The councilwoman feels the controversy is the “best thing that could have happened.”
“What they’re trying to do is dig a hole for somebody and they fell in the damn hole themselves,” Holly-Ward said.