CONFIDENTIAL: Sexual Harassment Investigation [Dem Legislator’s husband a childcare provider.]

See scanned documents detailing the Elijah Willingham Sexual Harassment Claim (Google Documents):

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B0Q-lAhWOW_WMTQxYTU3NTYtZWE5ZS00OWM1LWI0Y2YtZmJiZjZmZDdhYTEw&hl=en_US

"Lawmaker's child care deal draws critics"

Spouse of Wanda Willingham paid by Albany County to sit grandkids

Albany Times Union By CAROL DEMARE Staff writer

Friday, August 5, 2011

ALBANY -- The husband of County Legislator Wanda Willingham was paid more than $45,000 over three years by the county Social Services Department to care for the couple's grandchildren through a program that helps working mothers. But, while it is legal, the arrangement has raised eyebrows.

Willingham is chairwoman of the Legislature's Social Services Committee, which in December approved an annual payment of $233,000 from the county to the Capital District Child Care Council. The council provides registration, training, investigations and approves child care providers for county Social Services.

Elijah Willingham, the lawmaker's husband, was approved by the council and has complied with its requirements each year, according to an investigation by the office of County Comptroller Michael Conners.

"It creates a potential for a conflict of interest when you've got the chairwoman of a committee's husband getting benefits from the department that her committee oversees," Conners said Thursday.

(...)

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Lawmaker-s-child-care-deal-draws-critics-1728288.php#ixzz1VKpPpZR3

"Social Services officials told the comptroller the department paid Elijah Williingham a total of $45,610 over three years for child care through a subsidy the agency provides for working mothers."

Source.

Do Google Images on "Elijah Willingham." He's got his picture all over the place because he was quoted, in an article in the Albany media, as wanting NY to declare a gas-tax holiday.

It’s noteworthy that investigations and approval of child care providers for county Social Services regularly takes upwards of a year to complete. During this time they question current and former employers. It’s a fairly thorough back ground check (or for everyone else).

Somehow it appears Elijah Willingham was approved in record time. Social Services didn’t apparently take issue with the many ongoing sexual harassment claims against Elijah Willingham at what was then his current employer. How could that be?

So let‘s do a quick tally, Wanda Willingham collects $66,000 annually for a pension from a former State job, and, Legislators’ pay. Meanwhile, her husband was working for AMTRAK, and is now collecting a pension from the same…all the while collecting another $45,000 over three years from Social Services to watch his own grandchild.

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