Eight months after Tallahassee Reports published a story stating that Tallahassee city employees received free skybox football tickets from City Manager Rick Fernandez, the City of Tallahassee confirmed TR’s reporting.
In August 2017, TR reported:
In addition, city employees were given tickets by Fernandez to attend the games. One employee whose name was verified by sources as a frequent guest in the sky box was Ellen Blair. Ms. Blair is the current Director, Human Resources & Workforce Development at the City of Tallahassee.
After an investigation prompted by an ethics complaint, City Manager Reese Goad reported that Ellen Blair, Human Resources director, and Mike Tadros, general manager of Underground Utilities both received tickets for FSU Old School sky box seats at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Goad determined there was no rule violation because the investigation revealed the tickets were valued at less than $100. This value is inconsistent with previous reports that labeled the tickets worth $400-$500 a piece.
In an email to the city’s Independent Ethics Officer, Goad said, “there was no rule violation by the two employees; however, having fully considered the issue and the importance of this matter I intend to schedule a workshop for the directors and members of the leadership team to improve awareness of these issues.”
City Confirms Tallahassee Reports Story About Employees Receiving Football Tickets From Fernandez added by Staff on
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City of Tallahassee Ethics Officer and Committee,
Per the previous comment of Reese Goad pictured with Ellen Blair in the Skybox, this is a formal request to accurately research and report to the Citizen’s ALL COT personnel and contractors associated with obtaining of football tickets as ‘gifts’ and/or spending any time in the Corey Paid-For Skybox and/or any other ‘gifted’ Skybox comparables for the last 10 years. Please specifically list all football games attended by Reese Goad and any/all of the COT ‘leadership team’ and their seating and/or visits to these skyboxes. If this is in-fact true; please present why Mr. Goad did not recuse himself from issuing findings in direct conflict with his self-interest. Thank you; this will be of use to the FBI. Or the FBI can do this for the Citizen’s of Tallahassee?
Look back at pictures posted when the ticket scandal erupted. there was a skybox picture of Ellen Blair and REESE GOAD with drinks in hands. And this was an honest investigation?
Reese was Rick’s mini me for years. He was picked for interim for the same reason they picked Rick, both had been around long enough to know about all the shenanigans that go on and they did the same type of stuff. Reese had all his floors redone by city employees. In addition to pool work by Tim Potter a pressure washer was purchased on a COT credit card to do Rick’s house. The powers will never hire someone from the outside and give up all their illegal perks.
I worked for a large FL state agency for the last 8 years. We had VERY strict rules on not accepting ANY kind of “gifts” – or anything that could be CONSTRUED as a gift, from any business, entity, person, or anything else that our state agency was interacting with, in any manner. That included any business, social, or even off-duty personal interactions. The max value placed on a permissible “gift” as our state agency defined it, was $10. So I could accept a glass of tea or a small snack served at a business function. However, if someone doing business with the state offered to pay for my lunch, dinner or buy me a drink that night, I could not accept that without violating agency rules for employees – and I could be fired on the spot for that, with little or no chance for appeal.
It stuns me that the COT doesn’t have a similarly clear and narrow definition of “gifts”. But I can guess the lack of clear definition is to allow a great deal of COT latitude in defining a “gift”. You ever notice how someone who uses excessive words and florid language to describe their conduct or job description is trying to hide the simple truth?
Mr. Fernandez is who got the tickets and is no longer with the COT because of HIS ethics violation. This Mr. Tadros and Elaine person got the tickets from their boss Fernandez? Right? I’m sure that when their boss offered them tickets they didn’t ask him where he got them or if and how much he paid for them! Why would they? That doesn’t seem unusual.
Ally or is that Allie?
Your misguided allegiance to the City is noted; not much of a legal dodge so to to speak; By the way who did this ‘Ms. Elaine person’ – AKA – Ellen Blaire (YOUR Human Resource manager) also take to the game? It was a City employee; you perhaps? Yes, she knew who the tickets came from; and ALSO the source of the tickets. And the value; and did this happen on more than one occasion? Fernandez’s Assistant helped arrange this – and also Corey’s former employee – Eddie (who is now a City employee) helped deliver.
I hope that answers your questions.
Yes, it is unusual.
It is the basic aspect of infiltrated corruption, your presentation demonstrates a fundamental breach of ethics.
Tallahassee deserves better than this.
We need a good old fashion “tar & feather ” party at city hall, however, I am afraid we would run out of ingredients before we got the job half done !
Apparently, one of the attributes of being the City Manager is to lie and, of course, believe it. Is there no ethics anymore?
That sounds like the job description for the current Leon county school superintendent Rocky Hanna
Unfortunately, it’s true that most of the time what you pay for something it is not the true value! Furniture, cars, clothes and yes football or concert tickets! I paid $400 for a concert ticket but when tried to sell it got $100. Sad but true!
Meanwhile back at the Ranch; Ellen Blair (Human Resource Director), Mike Tadros (Public Works, etc.) and other City ‘Sleaders’ are again cueing up for the $99.99 AYCE, drink Sky-Box special; regular value of $500. Oh wait; the City employees get these tickets free of charge – with absolutely no strings attached!
Clarification please: Is this amount per game, per season or per what Goad says, FBI?
City Manager Reese Goad is a liar and he better pray a usual suspect gets elected mayor…if not he’s fired for sure.
People like City Manager Reese Goad are so stupid…why would you put your job and family (if you have one) on the line to lie for these losers Reese? The people that begged and manipulated you to do this Reese will still have their jobs under the new honest mayor. And you just watch Reese they will distance themselves from you and not even feel sorry as you take your box of personal stuff out the door.
City Manager Reese Goad you’ve been played my boy.
In closing City Manager Reese Goad has offered himself up as the “fall guy” for some miss-placed loyalty reasons to insiders that do not even like him.
Idiot.
I agree..FSU has been terrible the last few years..had friends giving box tickets away..
Goad valued the tickets at the threshold of a violation… to the penny.
What are the odds of that being truthful?
There is no shame in their game!
The local rag’s story seems to infer that Goad & Company calculated the value of these tickets at $99.99. A PENNY short of being a violation. There is incomplete corroboration as to how this figure was derived.
Seriously, Reese, do you really think we are that gullible?
Oh, I see. $100 is OK, $100.01 would have been a violation.
Ellen Blair “accepted” 2 tickets. That would be $200.
The operative word here is:
WHITEWASH.
Great work! Steve, next up please investigate and report out on the texts from Woody Hilderbrandt to Rocky Hanna.
Where can I get skybox tickets with an open bar and full spread of food for $100? Gotta love a City “investigation” into themselves!
Blair is rumored to have attended as many as five games in the Old Skrewel skybox.
That’s $500, using Goad’s tortured math.
Of course, Goad never asked in his sham investigation if that was the only game she saw from the skybox.