1/08/03

Mountaineer says it dropped Acme because its prices weren't competitive.

By STEPHEN SIFF

and PEGGY SINKOVICH

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN -- County employees say Trumbull County Commissioner James Tsagaris had a hand in seeing that county checks were delivered to personnel from Acme Steak Co. -- a food company that got more than $100,000 in county business last year.

Tsagaris denies he personally delivered the checks, worth thousands of dollars each.

"Someone from Acme would always be coming to my office and looking for the checks, and I would send them to the auditor's office," Tsagaris said.

He declined to say why an Acme official would go to his office for the checks.

Employees in the county auditor's office said Tsagaris asked them to leave checks for Acme Steak on a back counter, where he or someone else from his office would pick them up to be delivered.

Usually mails checks: The auditor's office usually mails checks to vendors.

The county spent $145,385 for jail food from Acme from January through August, according to records.

Stellie Zadroski, an employee of the sheriff's department, said Tsagaris called her a few times inquiring about the status of the Acme checks.

"He'd ask about how long it would take before I would have the stuff ready," Zadroski said.

She said Tsagaris did not ask about any other vendor and she does not recall other commissioners ever calling her asking about the status of other accounts.

Employees at the auditor's office said they were not sure how many of the checks were picked up and how many were mailed.

The Vindicator pulled the purchase orders for the last five Acme checks and found that two were marked to hold for pickup.

Even though the checks were for thousands of dollars, Auditor David Hines said his department does not have people sign when they are picking up checks.

"The check is made out to the vendor, so only the vendor can cash it," Hines said.

The reason: "It got too hectic," Hines said. "If people can't wait for one day for the U.S. mail, then don't do business with the county."

In September 2001, Tsagaris and Tony Carson, county purchasing director, told officials at the county jail and the juvenile justice center to begin buying from Acme.

Juvenile justice center employees, however, found mistakes on a list circulated by Tsagaris and Carson comparing Acme's prices to other suppliers and did not switch to Acme.

County jail officials said they began ordering from Acme about a month later because they thought they didn't have a choice.

The county prosecutor's office, the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, the state auditor's office and the FBI have been investigating county purchasing practices for several months.

The probes were prompted by a series of articles The Vindicator began in early August, calling into question the county's purchasing records.

Food costs dropped by about a quarter after the county left Acme Steak.

The company has since filed for bankruptcy.

This was among a series of stories that won first place for government reporting at the 2003 Ohio SPJ Awards and first place for investigative reporting at the 2002 Ohio AP Awards in The Vindicator's circulation class.

Other stories in the series include:

Runaway cleaning supply costs, The Vindicator, 8/4/02

Footing a higher bill for supplies, The Vindicator, 9/22/02

Maintenance department inventory ordered, The Vindicator, 9/24/02

Report urged vendor switch, The Vindicator, 9/29/02

Probe confirms purchasing mess, The Vindicator, 10/29/02

Trumbull supply expenses drop, The Vindicator, 12/8/02

Officials guided contracts to Acme, The Vindicator, 8/7/02

Commissioners weigh putting jail food up for bid, The Vindicator, 8/9/02