CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN MANAGING CWAH FUND?
Blogger “Stan” asked if we would devote a main thread to an important community issue. We have agreed.
“I notice that one of the local charity funds, Community With a Heart (CWAH), a Star-Banner administered charity, may be in serious trouble with the FDLE. This incident raises several important questions from my perspective as an interested community activist:
1. Where is/was the financial oversight of this charity from the Star-Banner and the CWAH Board? Is more transparency needed?
2. Will this incident get as much press coverage and sensationalism as did a much less serious internal-investigation situation at the Munroe Foundation about a year ago? Will the dirt dumped on the Foundation be equally applied to CWAH, now that the dump truck is in the backyard of the Star-Banner?
3. What “spin” will the Banner use to cover its butt on this? I see that may have already started with the Banner’s article announcing FDLE’s investigation of CWAH.
4. Will “guilty until proven innocent” be applied to CWAH in the same manner it was to the Munroe Foundation?
5. Will people be more hesitant to donate to CWAH? It was on our personal 2006 list, it is now temporarily off.
One thing our community can probably count on, the Star-Banner dump truck will not apply as large a load of dirt to the CWAH situation as it did to that of the Munroe Foundation."
"Stan"
posted by Blog Master @ 2:08 PM
76 Comments:
Come on Stan, get real.
People who live in glass houses never see their own image, and it was probably that way when I was running my own newspaper ship.
Hopefully, however, there is no criminal activity or money missing. FDLE should keep things straight, and locally, the only good thing about the situation is that Tom McNiff is involved, and he is a good man and will not cover it up IF he has a free hand.
But I am sure you agree with me in that e hope there is nothing wrong.
--pwf
Understand that the person under criminal investigation already has a record.
Who's Tom McNiff and what's his claim to fame?
Sounds like Stan has a bug up his behind over the Munroe situation. Speaking of people in glass houses, Stan are you involved in that Munroe mess?
As for community with a heart, the article I saw (on the front page of the paper)said the guy being accused hasn't been charged and that the investigation is focused on him not on the charity. That doesn't mean they couldn't have done a better job of keeping an eye on things. I was actually surprised that they wrote about the investigation before any charges were filed. Seems pretty transparent to me.
The groups involved in community with a heart run that organization. The newspaper pays the costs so the money can go to the needy. I hope nothing bad happened to that money, but I think you're jumping to some conclusions.
What does Munroe have to do with that Community has a Heart?
As for the Star Banner, they support dozens of local nonprofits financially and in many other ways. They started that charity and they pay all of the bills. I've never heard a bad thing about it. Don't you think they should get the benefit of the doubt unless the investigation shows they did something wrong?
PWF,
I can’t believe it, a former newspaper guy who believes in innocent until proven guilty! How refreshing. I think age has softened you.
I also hope there are no criminal charges. I don’t give a hoot about the reputation of the Star-Banner! Just don’t screw up the support for needy local people, even if CWAH can no longer be counted on. The purpose of my posting is to pointedly highlight the hypocrisy of the media. I will be watching closely, as will many CWAH contributors, to see how the incident is handled by the Banner.
I recently had several awful media experiences, personal (concerning the death of our son) and others related to various community activities. The following words describe my current view of the media: arrogant, insensitive, inaccurate, irresponsible, unethical and overall biased. I am developing great disdain for most media people. They are there to sell papers or air time at any cost…..human or otherwise. Think they are on my bad side?
PWF, you may want to think about joining a new group I’m putting together; like I don’t have enough to do. It is called Citizens Against Media Bias (CAMB). I’m still trying to determine the best way to organize it, since it isn’t necessarily for political purposes. The media (Star-Banner, other newspapers, local radio, TV, etc) needs someone looking over its shoulder. CAMB will “aggressively” do that. Also, it will become much more useful than that organization you named CAVE (Citizens Against Virtually Everything)!
P.S. To ANON: I'm a Munroe Board Member, so yes, I guess I am involved in the "mess". However, I likely have more knowledge of the situation than you do---unless you are also a Board Member. Call me at 854-5813 and I'll give you a different side of the story than what's written by the Star-Banner.
ANON @ 7:29 wrote:
Don't you think they (CWAH) should get the benefit of the doubt unless the investigation shows they did something wrong?
Yes, so also should Paul Clark, the Munroe Board and others at Munroe by the S-B. The S-B has bordered on character assassination of Mr. Clark. If I were him, I'd get a good lawyer--if he hasn't already.
I saw the article. You will never hear another thing from the Star Blunder.
A lady in Dunnellon says she never received the funds promised to her after she and her family agreed to be featured in one of the Star-Banner CWAH articles.
Wonder how many more of these examples are out there? Using the misfortune of individuals and families to solicit funds from the community and then not providing money as promised doesn’t sound too kosher!
I think the Dunnellon example is going to get some additional exploring. Where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. May be more to the Banner story than meets the eye.
I’ll give credit where credit is due. Today’s Star-Banner editorial about the CWAH investigation was only about one-third spin. I wish more of today’s “tone” would have been inserted in the editorials about the internal investigation of the Munroe Foundation several months ago. Let’s continue watching the CWAH coverage.
I wouldn’t give a penny to anything the newspaper is involved with. One time we asked them to help us with some United Way advertising and they basically told us to (blank) (blank).
The situation with the lady in Dunnellon is affirmative. Cancel the kosher symbol.
To all:
My name is Robyn Tomlin. I'm the executive editor of the Star-Banner. I was told that someone on this blog has some information about a woman from Dunnellon who was promised assistance from a CWAH agency and that she claims she didn't get that assistance. We have not been informed of this situation, and it's important that we know more so we can make the FDLE aware of it so they can include it in their investigation of Carmine Marvin.
I'm not going to get into a debate on this site about the CWAH situation. The board agreed to cooperate with the FDLE investigation and the Star-Banner will report thoroughly on the situation as it unfolds. We believe strongly in transparency and openness even in difficult situations like this one.
I'd invite anyone who has additional information about this situation or who has questions about CWAH to call me at 671-6405 or e-mail me at robyn.tomlin@starbanner.com
Warmly,
Robyn
CWAH is a good cause. It is too bad they have to go through a nasty situation. Poor decisions by one person doesn’t mean the cause is bad. Like the hospital foundation situation, there can sometimes be flaws in even what appears the best.
“Star Banner Editor”
Another local media source has the situation on their radar screen. I’ll ask them if they want to share it.
We have too damn many local charity organizations. Getting so you don't know which to trust.
AMEN TO THAT!
Some radio stations have picked up on the situation with the Banner and CWAH. Raising some of same issues as on the blog.
Someone asked who is Tom McNiff? He's the # 6 or 7 guy in the pecking order of the honchos at the Star Banner.
Actually, without loking up the list of execs at the Banner, I believe McNIff is number uno involved in the actual production of news. The exec editor Robyn Tomlin) has all the staff meeting with advertising, publisher etc and PR problems, but the one who runs the staff on stories is as I understand it, McNiff. We do not always agree on coverage, but he tries with the limited staff hours available.
Most of my career was before lawyers ran media companies and made sure they follow wage and hour, discrimination laws, etc, and when reporters had a whole different work pattern. There were times I never saw my family for a week at a time, many times for 48 or more hours. That just doesn't happen today. We didn't have lawyers looking at us, but we did have very hard nosed publishers who owned the paper -- as a couple of them reminded me from time to time.
I may disagree with her on Sunshine issues, but I am willing to give Robyn a shot at improving the Banner.
--pwf
I'm with Mike, United Way is the way to go.
And what is IPNOW.org?
--pwf
Not looking for any fight, but you might check the percentage of contributions to United Way locally that go to administrative costs.
Not many groups equal the 93% of contributions getting to the need that Interfaith has.
But always look at the administrative costs. They sometimes run very high.
--pwf
I don't contribute to ANY organization that doesn't return at least 85% or more of contributions collected to the people or groups they are supporting.
safest and best way to contribute, give only to your church.
Amen to church contributions.
There are a few comments on the Munroe Hospital situation. The hospital has several conservative business people on its board and they have always attracted the evil eye of the liberals at the newspaper. Just raise our taxes to keep the hospital afloat, that’s the solution….right Star Banner? Let’s attack those conservatives trying to keep taxes low. Politics is politics, plain and simple. And yes the newspaper plays it!
Maybe its time to get Mr. Dinkins back on the board and have some discussion about taking Munroe private.
The worst single thing that could happen to health care in Marion County would be to take Munroe private as my friend C.L. Dinkins once proposed, and my friends Randy Harris and John Lund still advocate.
Munroe is a well run institution. Sure, there are times when I object to decisions they make, and they may be arrogant, but so was I 30-35 years ago.
Munroe provides a far higher level of medical service to the entire community than its competitor across the street which gets $1 million of your hard earned tax money. Munroe gets no direct tax contributions from Marion County. In fact, they relieve the county property taxpayers of something like $10 million annually by absorbing indigent care costs, and they contribute another $8-10 million annually in writing off medical costs for patients who don’t pay their bills.
They are audited independently by a nationally known auditing firm. Those audits are furnished every year to the County Commission. I will contribute $10 to your favorite charity if you can prove that any commissioner in the last 15 years have ever examined those audits, and another $10 if you can show that John Lund has ever picked one up and studied it.
What good does an independent audit do if the people responsible NEVER look at the audit?
Randy Harris has slowed his criticism of Munroe because he knows in his heart they are doing many good things, and while there are individual items he dislikes, on the whole, it is a good hospital.
Go to areas that have only private, for profit hospitals and see what type of medical care you receive. I have checked those areas, and they ar enot what I want to see in my county where I now need medical attention.
Lund offered me time on his show to present my views in contract to his, but I didn't want to get him another half dozen listeners to go with the half dozen he now has so I turned him down. Seriously, John has a bug up his fanny that he can not justify with real facts, only with the same diatribe he has spewed for ten years.
Someday, I will write about the real medical crisis in Marion county, rather than a phony one raised by Sue Carr. You know it is a crisis when it affects me or my friends. It is only an inconvenience when it affects you!
Enough, but don't even think about trying to sell Munroe to a for profit group. You will find what a crisis really is!
--pwf
PWF,
I think you would be amazed at the support for selling Munroe! Give voters the option of higher taxes or the option of selling and see what they decide. I know where I would vote.
I'll stick with Community With a Heart.
I'd vote for keeping Munroe as a community hospital.
DITTO FOR ME.
You really think the local newspaper picks on conservative business people serving on boards and committees. I can't believe it!!!
Fiscal Conservative writes . . .
"I think you would be amazed at the support for selling Munroe! Give voters the option of higher taxes or the option of selling and see what they decide. I know where I would vote. "
Frankly, I believe a survey would show almost no support for selling. The only reason there is any support for selling is misinformation. If you want to consider "higher taxes" just where would they come from? The property tax on Munroe would probably be some where around $3 or $4 million in payments to the county. The county would then immediately be stuck for about $9 million annually and growing in indigent care costs the county is required by law to pay, but which Munroe voluntarily now pays. (They agreed to shut up the contstant stream of bad press from acouple of commissioners and the Banner.)
Do you think Ocala Regional (which now gets a $1,000,000 subsidy from Marion County) would absorb the $9,000,000 Munroe now pays? And if you think Munroe's emergency room is slow now, wait until you see a private for profit emergency room which must make a profit center for the bean counters in Nashville. In fact, those bean counters made Ocala Regional give up their baby center because it didn't make a profit, so now all the unpaid for babies are born at Munroe.
Munroe has problems, but you have not seen problems until you see a community with only for profit hospitals. Shands would be over run with Marion County charity cases until Shands forced Marion County to pay the bills.
By the way, you can thank the private, not for profit status of Munroe Regional Medical Center for the hospital we have, for almost all of it has been built not with property taxes, but with a "sick tax" paid by people who have insurance and with Medicare payments. Contrary to the stuff fed by John Lund and his radio show, property taxes have not paid for a bond issue at Munroe since about 1961. All of the expansions since that time have come through bonds floated by Big Sun Health Systems and Munroe Regional, not finance by property taxes.
Better not ask for the sale of Munroe. You won't like what you get.
--pwf
One thing for sure, Lund is all wet in his criticism of the hospital! He's frequently all wet.
I finally listened to some of his radio shows. A great headline for the local newspapers and a good introduction to the Big Bad John show:
“John Lund Vows Not To Give Up Hopelessness”
that is why lund is president of
the CAVE society -- that's citizens against virtually everything" as someone once introduced him. never a positive thought comes from him. at least Barbara can think for herself.
I think PWF has Munroe Hospital in his veins. Did you get some sort of transfusion there? It's a good hospital, but so is Ocala Regional. I don't think it is a private or public hospital issue. What is the best for the community and taxpayers? Someday that question will have to be answered by the district trustees who run Munroe.
Radioman, you been playing golf? Missed you.
PWF, you have not changed my mind. Done right, sale of the hospital could generate quite a bit of money to be returned to our community for health care. Including care of uninsured. A long time member of the hospital trustees showed me a study on how several privatized community hospitals were actually able to pay for more uninsured patients and without added taxes. The trend is privatization, like it or not.
At one time, Ocala Regional was probably as good as Munroe. No longer, however. As a patient there before the changes and since, I can attest that it is not as clean, the nursing care is irregular at best, and other than a shorter wait in their ER, disappointedly, I have to say it has declined. And I have watched it since it was announced at the Radama Inn many years ago.
No, Monroe is not in my veins. I just understand the facts. And if that study was authentic, don't you think the trustees through the years who have opposed management would have pushed it?
--pwf
there is much misunderstanding out there about the hospital's financial situation. i have met with a board member and know that things are not as bad as lund and some other local people are spreading. the paper has not been much help either.
I was at the Munroe Hospital for x-rays on Monday, never treated better.
Hey Stan! Since there were no sunshine convictions at Munroe Regional, what’s next for the Star Blundering Banner to pick on at the hospital?
I have no idea what the Star-Banner may “pick on” next. I hope it is subjects like: why do we have so many uninsured patients and what can be done to change that; what type of preventative health care should be provided for Florida’s children; why do doctors not want to practice in Florida and how can we work to get them to come here; why is Munroe one of the few community hospitals in Florida not receiving any taxpayer support for its operation; why doesn’t the state have a better nursing education program to address the nursing staff shortage.
Now these are good issues. We need fewer “bed-pan” type articles!
Amen.
A friend at the paper tells me they may be hiring a full time person for medical issues. Any idea on that pwf?
Think you may be right.
Give it a couple of weeks and see what happens.
We have had some good reporters cover health care and sink their teeth into the real issues, not try to bring down the institution.
Hopefully, they will get a good one.
--pwf
Star Blunder has come out pretty sorry in the Munroe episode. Maybe the new publisher will swat some fannies and improve the news coverage. Got to hand it to the editorial page guys who had guts enough to print letters from Hanson & Ferguson which pretty well handed them a thrashing.
Star Banner change? LOL
I read pwf's letter the other day. Will pwf explain the "whole cloth" comment? You don't mean Sue Carr just plain made it all up do you?
From the sound of things, maybe they should send her to one of the weaklies for "ojt" and then perhaps to cover Kiwanis luncheons and write obituary notices.
Sunshine, smunshine! Perhaps there is just much too much newspaper sensitivity about the subject. Saw this on another blog and it makes sense to many people I have shared it with:
“Even public sector decision makers need some privacy for off the record discussions in order to properly come to decisions. Once a decision is made, then they can share the sensitive information used to reach decisions.
When the new United States of America, met in Philly to create a Constitution, they closed the doors and windows to the press and the public so they could get some work done! This on behalf of the people who voted them into this responsibility.”
Jim!!! Jim!!! Jim!!!
You know we have to have the press involved in everything -- like the Defense Dept., like the War Dept., Like the War in IraQ. Thank God we did not have Sunshine during World War II. Only war we ever lost was lost-- Vietnam -- because of the press not our fighting men!
We will see how much sunshine the Star Banner put on the school vandalism problem the local police had over the weekend, and if the docs (and it may be mine) involved can keep it off the front page.
--pwf
Can't wait for tomorrow's paper!
No sunshine in today's paper.
Any bets on tomorrow?
Well they let in a bit of light. But--if those kids (adults) had been poor whites of Blacks they would have named them and specified the charges. Not much has changed in the 20 years of watching the Banner. They protect their own, and eat those they don't like.
AMEN TO THAT!
Agree, already posted something about this on another section of the blog.
So what is happening with the CWAH investigation? Star Banner has not said a word other than the CYA article at first. A controlled story if I ever saw one!! A lot like the Vanguard and Belleview "student fun" coverage.
So did you really expect anything different.
I thought Robyn Tomlin was going to apologize to MRMC and directors in her column today on Banner corrections policy . . . NOT! In my day, you make a big bobo, you made a big correction. A Sentinel reporter once wrote what the MC Grand Jury was discussing in a big murder case and the Judge offered him an alternative -- Page one story admitting he really didn't have access to the Grand Jury discussions or jail for contempt. Our boss -- the owner of the Sentinel -- told him a story from jail would make great copy , but then relented and published a complete denial and apology on page one. The reporter (no not me) later became for 20-25 years the editor of the editorial page of the Sentinel, and I came to Ocala as their Bureau Chief.
Robyn, a forensic story by somone not involved in the past coverage on just how the foundation story and the Paul Clark story happened would be appropriate.
--pwf
Ain't going to happen PWF!!
Probably correct, and it is unfortunate. CBS did it (at least to some degree) on Dan Rather and his phoney story on George Bush and the National Guard records to save some of their creditability.
--pwf
Don't you know the S-B never makes mistakes.
Today’s Star-Banner has a good expose of the many serious issues (legal, criminal, operationally and otherwise) identified by an investigation of the local CWAH organization. I started this thread on April 8 by questioning how the CWAH investigation would be handled by the Banner compared to how it handled that of the Munroe Foundation about a year ago. These are my observations:
1. The CWAH investigation results, to date, were reported in a much more thorough and objective way than was the case with the Munroe Foundation. An apples and oranges comparison of reporter professionalism.
2. The issues identified and publicized at the Munroe Foundation were more like raindrops dripping from a roof than the monsoon conditions at CWAH. There is absolutely no comparison in the degree of negative community impact of the CWAH investigation results with what occurred at the Munroe Foundation.
3. I give credit to the Banner for conducting a thorough investigation of CWAH before putting pen to paper. Something that was not done in reporting on the situation at the Munroe Foundation. As I have said many times, you can not write the concluding chapter of a book until you have completed each of the supporting chapters. The Munroe Foundation reporting was a case of publishing the final chapter and then “creating” the supporting chapters.
4. Bloggers on “Politically Homeless” early on identified some of the same issues covered in the Banner’s article. One example, the promise of CWAH financial assistance (which never occurred) to a needy person in return for permission to print her hard-luck story in the Banner.
5. Board oversight of non-profit organizations by volunteer boards is a thankless and difficult task.
6. The Banner seems on the right course in the steps it is taking to address the findings of the CWAH investigation.
Overall, I’m reassured by the way the Banner investigated and publicized the CWAH situation. I will support/contribute to CWAH in the future based on what I now know. My only continuing criticism is the “inequitable” reporting approach taken by the Banner in it’s coverage of CWAH versus the Munroe Foundation.
Yo, Stan...Looks like the Star Banner has found itself in the predicament of what goes around comes around concerning Community With A Heart.
Maybe the newspaper should have been checking its own closets and looking under its own beds before they started messing about in others housecleaning (the hospital’s Munroe Foundation).
Anon:
Are you saying there wasn't anything wrong with the Munroe Foundation? Then why did they have to pay off the director to leave?
At least Community with a Heart is being honest about their problems and trying to fix them.
We still don't know what all went on behind the scenes with that Munroe situation. We may never really know what went on between the hospital board and the foundation board and director.
Say what you want, but you have to give credit to the SB for doing the investigation and to the CWAH folks for letting it all hang out. That couldn't have been easy. If Munroe had been as open as CWAH, then maybe there wouldn't have been so many stories on the issues there. Better to get it over in one big one like this.
I'm with you Stan. CWAH is staying on my list for now. We'll see how it all turns out, but it seems like they're trying to do the right thing.
ANON,
Do you work at the SB? It sure sounds like it.
Maybe the Star-Banner should hire the former Munroe Foundation director to oversee all of its various charity activities. The editorial board and newsroom brain trust loved and supported her so much, and were very upset about her “leaving” the Foundation.
LOL!!!!!
I think Stan wimped out in his comments above about the Star Banner CWAH article. The article was nothing but shameful self promotion on the part of the newspaper!
Stan must have been in the sun too long over the weekend when he wrote his comments.
shameful,self serving, timed all words used to describe the star blunders cwh article. nah, these don't apply or do they.
YOU BET YOUR BIPPY THEY DO!!
Been There says . . .
"Maybe the Star-Banner should hire the former Munroe Foundation director to oversee all of its various charity activities. The editorial board and newsroom brain trust loved and supported her so much, and were very upset about her “leaving” the Foundation."
You got this one right. This was a "sisterhood" story from the word go. If the director has been a man, there wouldn't have been a story.
--pwf
You nailed it!
River Rat,
Don't be too tough on "Stan the Man". I thought he was pretty reasonable about the Star Banner.
I think the Blogmaster can pretty much close the loop on this section of the blog. I'm satisfied that the CWAH situation is just about at an end, from a reporting standpoint. The PR effort required to restore confidence in CWAH will be huge! I know that from my experience with the Munroe Foundation.
I'm ready to move on to another issue--and we have plenty of them.
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