Ethics

The conviction of a former Trustee for bribery means that Clinton Township officials now need to go above and beyond to secure the trust of our residents.  

Carlo Santia Issue

During the trial, our former planning Director testified in open court that he participated in a fraud conspiracy, to help an employee of the Township’s engineering contractor recoup funds illegally paid to the former Trustee.  The former Planning Director created a private company unrelated to the Township, and submitted false invoices to the engineering firm.  Upon payment, he then kicked a portion of those funds back to the representative of the engineering firm.  

Paul immediately called for the former Planning Director to be placed on paid leave and removed from the building.  He then called for an independent investigation to ensure that no fraudulent invoices were paid with Township funds.  

From the The Macomb Daily:

Clinton Township Treasurer Paul Gieleghem said when he learned Santia planned to use his vacation days this week, he suggested Santia be placed on administrative leave, relieved of his duties and removed from the building. The move left many in the Civic Center feeling disheartened as Santia was popular with the workers, one employee said.

‘I’m glad that personal relationship were eventually set aside to concur in these recommendations,’ Gieleghem said. ‘My personal feelings are that while Mr. Santia may be entitled to due process, the (township) Board and the public are entitled to answers.’

Ethics Policy

In 2020, Paul was elected by his colleagues to serve as the Chair of the Budget Ways and Means Committee, and began working to strengthen the Clinton Township Ethics Policy, by:

  • Requiring Township Officials to disclose their personal income, real estate holdings, and business interests.  
  • Requiring Township Officials to disclose any relatives working for the Township
  • Creation of a Township’s Ethics Portal on the Township’s Website making these disclosures available to the public. 
  • Creation of an Ethics Board that can issue advisory opinions on violations of the Ethics Policy
  • Preventing township officials from accepting gifts from township service providers.
  • Preventing township officials from soliciting campaign contributions from township employees or township service providers. 
  • Ensure that provisions of the Ethics Policy apply to all township employees.

Purchasing Policy

Competitive Bidding is the way that we ensure that private companies provide the township the best service at the best possible price.  

Paul worked to update the Township’s Purchasing and Bid Policy:

  • Departments must demonstrate that they’ve shopped-around for the best price for Expenditures of $1 to $1,999.  
  • Departments must contain competitive quotes for all purchases costing $2,000 to $19,999.  
  • Contracts in excess of $20,000 must utilize a competitive sealed bid process for all purchases $20,000 and over.  
  • Require that all professional service contracts are brought to the Budget Ways and Means Committee 6 months prior to their expiration date, so they can be reviewed and a recommendation can be made to the Board of Trustees.   
  • Require that by January 31st of each year, the Finance Director will provide a list to the Board of all vendors that have been paid in excess of $20,000.