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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.

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54 comments

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Comments (54)

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:58 PM, 01/12/2011

Which Republicans running for City office should I vote for?

— Whatjugot

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:34 PM, 01/12/2011

Republican and Democrat. Doesn't make a difference. Once screws you one way and the other gets you another. We're doomed no matter what.

— jnyfive

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

The problem in Philly is that the Republican Party is even more corrupt than the Dems...plus they're so weak, they can't even find a warm body to run against a failed Mayor who raised taxes by huge percentages during THE worst recession of our lives. As trite as it sounds, Philly is indeed, the new Detroit. We're just a few years behind...

— The Monk

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:29 PM, 01/12/2011

Yo, tell them Monk tell them!

— themarshall

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:06 PM, 01/12/2011

Good to hear this is being addressed. Seems to me, anyone working in the public sector should ask some questions if an expensive gift is given to him/her. I would think some criticism would be appropriate.

— EAvila

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:19 PM, 01/12/2011

Most were sold on E-bay for the cash so now what?

— Wilhelm Von Humboldt

2 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:22 PM, 01/12/2011

greene should be fumos celly...

— dexter55

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:45 PM, 01/12/2011

Yes! But, the sad irony is that the taxpayers will still be footing their bill. OPM, baby.

— Jame Gumb

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:24 PM, 01/12/2011

Good question, WVH! I'd say, if they were sold on e-bay or anywhere else for cash, then dock their pay for the FULL PRICE of the bag, not a "depreciated" price.

— nephillygirl

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0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:45 PM, 01/12/2011

Returning the bags will clean up PHA like throwing a glass of water on the wall will clean up the building. Get real! Ether the top echelon of PHA all get fired, including the Board, or things will be set up for the next corrupt director.

— DonQ