BY DAN HORN and WALT SCHAEFER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
For more than a decade, James Harmon ran Columbia Township like a family business.
Prosecutors say the former township administrator spent public money on a $75,000 raise for himself, improper contracts for his friends and a personalized license plate for the car he bought with township funds.
The result, prosecutors say, is one of the largest thefts of public money in Hamilton County in years.
"This was contemptible conduct," County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said Tuesday. "It's a textbook case of what can happen when you don't have checks and balances in place."
Mr. Deters outlined the improprieties Tuesday after Mr. Harmon pleaded guilty to felony charges of theft in office and tampering with records. Mr. Harmon's daughter, Debra Huff, and his son-in-law, Jeffrey Huff, entered guilty pleas to the same charges.
The pleas ended a nearly two-year sheriff's department investigation into claims that Mr. Harmon, who retired in 1995, oversaw an administration marred by nepotism and favoritism.
Mr. Deters said the improprieties date to 1984, when Mr. Harmon was a township trustee. He estimated the total loss to taxpayers at more than $210,000.
"It is the most blatant example of theft in office that I've seen in my six years in the prosecutor's office," Mr. Deters said.
He said many of the problems revolved around the relationship between Mr. Harmon and family members who also held public office. His daughter, Mrs. Huff, is a former township clerk, and his son-in-law is a former maintenance superintendent.
The allegations surfaced two years ago when some township officials raised concerns about Mr. Harmon's salary, which rose from $32,500 in 1990 to $107,000 in 1995. At the time, Mr. Harmon defended the pay.
"I assumed these people knew what I was making and were rewarding me for doing a good job," he said in 1996. "They gave me raises . . . I do not feel guilty."
But Mr. Deters said the investigation found evidence he and his relatives were guilty of several violations. He said they include:
Mr. Harmon's decision in 1992 to lease a car for his personal use at township expense. Mr. Harmon later assumed ownership and leased the car back to the township for another $350 a month. He also used public money to buy a license plate bearing his initials.
Mr. Harmon paid an employee at a company he once owned with township funds. He authorized his daughter to falsify time sheets so it appeared as if the employee worked for the township.
The former administrator arranged to pay himself more than $28,000 in unused sick time and vacation time, even though he regularly took off two to three months every year.
Mr. Harmon also arranged for his daughter to submit false information to the state retirement system so he could collect a lump sum of nearly $10,000. The move increased his monthly benefits to $2,600.
Mr. Huff personally contracted with residents of two subdivisions to perform work while he was employed by the township. He used township equipment and township employees to do jobs ranging from patching potholes to installing drainage systems.
Mrs. Huff hired another relative under a false name, a move that cost the township more than $8,000.
Township officials reacted with shock Tuesday after learning the improprieties involved so much money.
"This is a perfect example of how absolute power can corrupt," said Mike Tighe, a trustee. "And Jim (Harmon) thought he had absolute power."
Although Mr. Harmon denied wrongdoing for two years, his plea means he could face up to 3 1/2 years in prison. Mr. and Mrs. Huff each face up to 3 years. Prosecutors also are demanding that the defendants pay back the $210,000.
They will be sentenced Dec. 15 by Judge Melba Marsh of Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
Mrs. Huff's attorney, Jack Rubenstein, said his client has cooperated with investigators and will ask to remain free on probation.
"We are hopeful this will all work out favorably for our clients," Mr. Rubenstein said.
Mr. Deters, however, said the crimes call for jail time. "These pleas give the judge leeway to sentence them to the penitentiary," he said. "And I think they do deserve to serve some time."
