Ernie Graham

Graham resigns as Winder consultant after new administration quizzes billings

Posted by
Mike Buffington
in Top Stories & Breaking News, Winder Archives
Wednesday, June 6. 2012
Comments (17)
Former city administrator and longtime consultant Ernie Graham ended his nearly 40-year business association with Winder’s city government on Monday after questions were raised late last week about some of his recent billings. Graham informed Mayor David Maynard of his decision on Monday. He scheduled that discussion hours after the Barrow Journal on June 1 requested copies of the past year of his invoices to Winder and Braselton. Graham apparently got a special deal in 2002 to retire from the city at age 50 and after that, has continued until this week to draw other income from the city as a consultant and also from Braselton as a consultant. Over the past 10 years, Graham has collected about $1.1 million in public funds through a combination of early retirement benefits and consulting fees from both Winder and Braselton.
For the full story, see the June 6 issue of the Barrow Journal.
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#1 mark my words on 06/06/12 at 11:43 AM [Reply]
No wonder we have no money. How many more 'special deals' are there out there?
#2 Anonymous on 06/06/12 at 07:21 PM [Reply]
Criminal. I hope charges are brought against him.
#3 Anonymous on 06/06/12 at 07:51 PM [Reply]
Robbing the taxpayers blind and getting away with it for years. Only in Winder.
#4 graham on 06/06/12 at 10:22 PM [Reply]
I hate having the same name as a crook. Ernie you should give back the money.
#5 mark my words on 06/07/12 at 06:35 AM [Reply]
Good work Barrow Journal! Thank you and please follow up on this!
#6 WHAT THE H$%& on 06/07/12 at 07:34 AM [Reply]
1.1 Mil this guy should be ashamed! What a clown this is the stuff we all want to fix but everyone keeps voying the same old bunch back in office year after year!!!!!!!
#7 facts anyone on 06/07/12 at 07:53 AM [Reply]
Give BCJ credit for not pulling punches and give Buffington room for his editorial rant against guvmint employees. He has points.

But there's nothing criminal here. The early retirement, especially the obligation to pay part of health care costs was a dumb idea for the city but a great idea for the few, privileged employees. Blame the former mayor.

The consultant work should be open and transparent and seems to be. The billing rate is competitive for the extensive knowledge base of the principal. Blame the former mayor if the city didn't get value for their fees.

The BCJ makes a big deal out of the "$1.1" in public funds paid to Graham but over half of that is his retirement benefits, agreed upon by the city. Blame the former mayor if this is excessive.

This is an interesting story and an example of why municipalities should rework their benefit package so that the taxpayers are not obligated for defined benefits. Let the employees have their own 401k and the city contribute a matching percentage. Defined benefit plans, be they for police, fire, or whomever are a bad deal for the taxpayer.

Graham is not to blame for any of this and there is less than meets the eye in this story.
#7.1 Mike Buffington, Publisher on 06/07/12 at 08:37 AM [Reply]
You are correct that the real responsibility here is with the governments who approved the deal. However, Graham was city administrator when the deal was cut and had a role in having a sweetheart deal done for himself and a few others. As for consulting, it's not clear if all of that was necessary, or another part of a wink-wink deal. It may not be criminal, but it is not what real public service is supposed to be, either. But this is just one example of that kind of insider abuse; it happens in many local governments. I agree, get rid of defined benefits for all public sector employees and go to 401k plans or similar alternatives. This situation is, I fear, just a small part of a much bigger problem.
#7.1.1 Tao on 06/10/12 at 05:30 AM [Reply]
Why should someone be allowed to retire from a government job and then work or run for office?

If your retirement check comes from a government source and you decide to run for office or work then the original government should stop your retirement payments.
#7.1.1.1 John Galt on 06/10/12 at 06:51 AM [Reply]
Different Graham running.
#7.2 Anonymous on 06/07/12 at 09:40 AM [Reply]
Defined benefit retirement is only a bad deal for the taxpayer if you don't mind having a second rate group of employees. That am be ok inthe water dept.but not in the fire dept. or police dept.the pay for county and city workers is so low that it usually only attracts people who can't find a job in the private sector.having a good retirement plan has always been what would attract quality people into your work force.
What we are seeing now that there has been a few bad years in the economy are lying politicians and their minions in the media try and steal the pensions that these people have worked for their whole working lives.aside from the obvious bad will that comes from this kind of theft from citizenry towrs elected officials , the true damage will be felt many years down the road with lesser quality people in positions at the fire dept. and police dept.i predict more corrupt police in the future taking more bribes and using their positions for their own gain.i also predict more lazy and gutless firemen in the future willing to sit and watch buildings burn and people die ather than risk anything themselves. All this will be a boon for lawyers and courts as well as news media types.
The only loosens in the long run will be the citizenry, ironically the same people that mike pretends to be speaking up for in his ranting editorials about govment employees.
#8 Trevor T. Middle on 06/07/12 at 12:15 PM [Reply]
If anything looks like a tabloid, it is the barrow county news with each page nothing but big huge blurry pictures. Not sure whats happened to them, but I think they have already turned in their keys. People here must not know what a real town newspaper is supposed to be or they would know barrow journal is much more on the mark.
#9 facts on 06/07/12 at 01:17 PM [Reply]
BCJ did well to report this. The sweet deal here is any government employee who has a defined benefit plan that includes any portion of taxpayer funded health benefit. Drop that nonsense. If we cannot get decent employees then raise the regular pay.

Early retirement for police and fire is a sweet deal also. Drop that.
#9.1 Anonymous on 06/07/12 at 07:54 PM [Reply]
Please tell me about the early retirement? I am a firefighter and sure dont know about it. Since you want to gripe, then you know ALL about my benefits. Please explain what you know.
#10 Anonymous on 06/07/12 at 06:54 PM [Reply]
Funny you took down the comment criticizing you, but left the one up attacking the other paper in town. How hypocritical.
#10.1 Amazes me still. on 06/07/12 at 07:32 PM [Reply]
It amazes me how people get so upset when something is deleted on here. Ask for your money back! It is their site. I do not always agree with the paper but compare the comments section on this papers site to the the other ones. Go post over there. Oh wait, they would not even cover the story.
#10.2 Mike Buffington on 06/07/12 at 08:54 PM [Reply]
No, we took down comments made by one person who posts on both sides of an issue and pretends to respond but is really answering himself. He is scamming the blog and we don't allow that.
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