Friday, May 24, 2013

Subscriber Services |

Friday, May 24, 2013

Heard in the Hall

PHA staff told to return $800 Tumi bags

Philadelphia City Hall and political coverage from the Philadelphia Inquirer City Hall bureau.

54 comments

PHA staff told to return $800 Tumi bags

POSTED: Wednesday, January 12, 2011, 12:40 PM

Marcia Gelbart

The Philadelphia Housing Authority's interim director has ordered PHA managers to return expensive name-brand carry-on luggage purchased from Nordstrom and given to them as gifts in 2009 by then-executive director Carl R. Greene.

"Please understand that I am not criticizing you for accepting this item, but I do want to make a statement that the gift was not an appropriate expenditure of PHA funds," Michael P. Kelly wrote staff in an email Tuesday night. "Whatever money we may get for the bags will go back into the agency’s general fund."

It's unclear just what the agency will do with the Tumi carry-on duffels, which cost PHA $796 apiece, once - and if - they are returned. Now more than a year old, about 20 bags had been distributed during an annual strategic planning conference, as the Daily News reported last week.

Kelly asked that the bags be returned by noon tomorrow. Any managers wanting to keep them will be given an opportunity to purchase them, for a "depreciated" price.

Kelly is also seeking to prevent any such situation from occurring again. "Effective immediately, PHA employees may not accept gifts of any value connected to their job," he said.

1:54 p.m. update: PHA spokeswoman Nichole Tillman said the agency plans to return the bags to Nordstrom, which will then evaluate whether they can accept them.

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.

54 comments

Previous Story: Mandel: Is the City budget really stable?

Next Story: New poll in mayor's race, but whose?

Comments (54)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:53 PM, 01/12/2011

PHA Spokeswoman Tillman is full of it. No shot in hell that Nordstroms is even considering taking these bags back after a year. What is Nordstroms going to do with 20 used $800 carry on bags? Does the PHA realize that people actually read and listen to what they are saying and doing now that the cover's been blown?

— marley66

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:59 PM, 01/12/2011

20 bags!!!!!!!!!! At $800 a picece! $16,000 OMG Who was in charged of watching this department? BUT we have BROWNOUT"S of city firehouse's there is something worng with this picture.
I still have one question if the bags were givento these indivduals WHY do they have to return them? GO AFTER GREENE take the money out of his monthly pension check. . . don't blame the little guy again.

— Foxchase

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:05 PM, 01/12/2011

Wow this is stupid. Year old bags.. a staff member is actually going to spend a week or so to collect and try to return these bags? A further waste of time and taxpayer money. The guy hired to replace Green is not exactly inspiring much confidence.

— bobcitydoc

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:06 PM, 01/12/2011

There is no way the merchant should have to take back the merchandise after this period of time, new OR used!

These people should have the amounts docked from their pay PERIOD!

— Hosermike

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:37 PM, 01/12/2011

On the update - Nordstrom wants these bags back like a dog wants a pound of fleas. If Mr Kelly really wanted to make good on this matter, he would have demanded full payment for the bags. I see a poorly done smokescreen here. You bet the "depreciated price" will be a couple bucks.

— DonQ

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:44 PM, 01/12/2011

Is there a market for used Tumi bags? I bid $50.00. When and where can I purchase one?

— chickletonian

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:56 PM, 01/12/2011

Here is the thing if someone is given a given a legal gift do they actually have any leverage, besides moral pressure, to force them to give it back? I doubt it say I got a gift from a boss and didn't need it then gave it to my kid and a year later my new boss says to give it back despite it being beet up and virtually valueless. Worry about the future, fix the rules, the system, and stop wasting time and creating moral issues when you have a lot of work to do.

— KINGOFZED

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:08 PM, 01/12/2011

I feel so much better now that the bags are to returned.
At first, I thought "old bag" referred to Councilwoman Blackwell....or Miller.

My mistake.

— veritasvinum

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:09 PM, 01/12/2011

It refers to City Council President Anna Verna one of the prime beneficiaries of DROP. Not only will Anna Verna not do anything about DROP she has publicly stated that she won't even discuss it.
Old bag? How old? Send her a birthday card. She was born April 15, 1931.

— He Visto Todo

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:20 PM, 01/12/2011

Why should Nordstroms take back the used luggage? Pretty unethical request. Get real!! Bunch of dopes!!

— The Philly Shadow

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:25 PM, 01/12/2011

Is Nordstrom really willing to take back a product that someone has had for over a year? I know that there service legendary, but please. Of course, I heard that Nordstrom's accepts returns of worn underwear.

— Anne Arkey

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 6:40 PM, 01/12/2011

Returning the bags is stupid, but it's better than nothing. Mr. Kelly has a really long hard job ahead of him and I'm hoping there is a good reason (indictments perhaps) that his top 3 plus the top HR and "cop" are still employed. Time to clean house for real. There is real talent hidden in the depths at PHA that needs to rise and replace the bobbleheads.

— Loves To Comment

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:09 PM, 01/12/2011

Make them give back year old used bags? The horse is already out of the barn Mr. Kelly. What happened to the policy about not accepting any gifts? A salesperson wants to buy a cup of coffee or a sandwich for a PHA person and the ethical PHA employee knows that he can't accept either because it was against the rules. No gifts, no gratuities, yet Carl Greene thought he was above it all. On second thought, I'll bid $75 for Carl's bag in the hopes that he has money sewed into the lining. And for the other bags, if they get them back, how about loading up all junk in the offices of Carl's inner circle who covered up for him, put a big pink slip in it and a bill for services rendered and give them parting gifts from PHA.

— Philly PHAilure

1 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:49 PM, 01/12/2011

Don't you all remember the first words out of Mr. Kelly's mouth when he was hired to replace Greene? He praised him and the work he did for the past twelve years. Right then and there I knew nothing would be changing at PHA.

— bford823