Meghan McCorkell with the controversy.
O’Malley officials say the purchases were above board and the governor followed standard operating procedure from the Department of General Services.
As Martin O’Malley moved out of the governor’s mansion, a new Baltimore Sun investigation unveils a lot of furniture went with him.
A chair bought in 2004 for $1,500 sold to O’Malley for $15. The governor spent $12 on a mirror bought in 1995 for $1,200. For $8, he got a table that retailed for nearly $900 in 2003.
In all, the O’Malleys purchased 54 pieces of furniture that taxpayers paid $62,000 for–all for $9,600.
All of it was declared “junk” that would be thrown away.
But on his Facebook page, Governor Larry Hogan says: “If they call that expensive, beautiful barely used furniture ‘junk,’ I’d hate to hear what they call the 20 year old stuff I brought with me from my house to replace it all.”
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20 comments:
Junk? Hardly. At the very minimum, these items should have appeared at the State's resale facility or at auction. At auction, given their provenance, these would have fetched a pretty penny, nothing close to the ten cents on the dollar that O'Malley paid.
This was deeply preferential treatment at the taxpayers' expense. To push the issue, it was really theft.
Not even ten cents on the dollar, more like a penny on the dollar.
Thank you Larry Hogan! It sounds like the same syndrome that effected the Clinton's when they left the White House with more than they came with!
I hope this makes national news. His run for the presidency is a joke. Maryland needs to disown him.
Throw him in jail with Virginia's last Governor!
Arrest the person who approved this transaction. It is clearly taxpayer fraud.
Taxpayer fraud is the taxpayer committing fraud, like in falsifying a tax return. This is a crime against the taxpayers and the State of Maryland, who are the legal owners of the furniture.
Who declared this as junk? Was there a licensed appraiser? Or was it some low end government functionary on a mission from O'Malley? And why did O'Malley have the first/only shot at purchasing it, and why at that price?
It stinks more every breath we take.
I hope that Governor Hogan presses the issue, because it's a blatant example of theft of government property, concealed behind a false statement.
If it really was "junk" after 11 years, they had to have abused the hell out if it, in which case they should be billed for a reasonable percentage of the replacement cost. And if it was indeed "junk" why would they want to buy it for thenselves, to put in their own mansion?
It should have gone to public auction if it truly were at the end of its useful life. And next time, don't shaft the taxpayers for crappy quality schlock costing 10 times the price, that only lasts 11 years.
If it was junk, ready for the dumpster, why pay anything at all for it? Something's not right here. We want to know what it is. We deserve to know what it is.
Wait until the current president leaves the white house! If it isn't bolted down, it will probably disappear
For real 2:54. We all know how these ghetto trash people operate.
Looting is their middle name and in their blood. While it can be more described as organized looting, looting all the same.
They should have left it all in place and let the new Governor make the decision as to whether or not he wanted to keep it in the mansion.
This sounds like it occurred during the great end-of-term paper shredding party.
If it was in need of repair or refinishing, the state has some very capable furniture restoration people working at the prisons. Some of the work they do is top notch.
What would be interesting to know is what else had been declared junk and who within that sewing circle was able to purchase items for pennies on the dollar. This is just a few items that were paid for an in a house owned by the tax payers. What about vehicles and other big ticket items.
Joe,
Can you FOIA the inventory of the Mansion, or get someone to do it?
What should be done is all the furniture be brought back and refund the ex governor his 9000 back. Then what Gov. Hogan does not want to use should be auctioned to the highest bidder. I guarantee it will get a whole lot more than what O'Malley paid for it. If it was "junk" then why did he want to put it in his new house? There is a fox in the wood pile here!!!
Seems to me O'Malley & his spouse, a judge, had at least two purposes in putting this scheme together:
First, they got high quality furniture pieces they had become accustomed to and liked for garage sale/flea market prices, and used this 'junk' to furnish their new mansion.
Second, having in essence stripped the governor's house on their way out the door, they put the new governor in the position of perhaps needing to replace the missing 'junk' which could be used to attack his spending.
"What should be done is all the furniture be brought back and refund the ex governor his 9000 back."
This is exactly what should have already happened but it hasn't and it won't. O'Malley's may as well have Mr and Mrs Sponge tattooed across their foreheads. Neither of them have done nor know how to do anything other that suck off the system. It's in their blood. There is not one thing positive anyone can name that either of them has ever done. The absolute worst is that they multiplied and a new generation of sponges are up and coming.
Right. The O'Malley's are part of the welfare class. They know how to make babies but when it comes to paying for them, they can't do it all and have to sponge off the tax payers to furnish their home.
So typical of these low class types.
1:34 hit the nail on the head. I'm in the used furniture business. Any of this stuff would fetch a premium at any auction I go to.
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