5/16/03

The county paid $90 for 12 cans of cleanser the catalog lists for $33.53.

By PEGGY SINKOVICH

and STEPHEN SIFF

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

LYNDHURST -- The man who sold $8 cans of glass cleaner to Trumbull County says he cuts better deals for the city he runs.

In this Cleveland suburb near Euclid, where Envirochemical Inc. co-owner Barry Jacobson is mayor, a case of his company's toilet bowl cleaner costs $25.

"This is my town," said Jacobson, mayor since 2001. "I gave it to them at cost."

The exact make and label of those $8 cans of glass cleaner bought by Trumbull County in 2002 do not appear to be listed in Envirochemical's printed catalog for that year.

In the catalog, however, no can of glass cleaner, regardless of make, sells for more than $3.

The same brand glass cleaner is available directly from the manufacturer, Gleme, for $2.26 a can.

Other examples: Envirochemical charged Trumbull County higher amounts for other products as well:

$90 for cases of 12 cans of Bravo foaming cleanser that Envirochemical lists in its printed catalog for $33.53.

$120 a case of Dry Breeze spray deodorizer, which is listed in the catalog for $59.24 for a case of 12 cans.

On every item that could be cross-referenced by product number, Trumbull County appears to have paid more than retail.

The county cut off Envirochemical in September at the recommendation of Prosecutor Dennis Watkins.

Jacobson, company co-president, would not say why his company did not fight to keep the Trumbull County account, which was worth $923,000 over the previous six years.

The business was never made available for competitive bidding, and officials in the county maintenance department made no bones about the fact they could have bought many supplies cheaper had they shopped around.

Jacobson, who owns Envirochemical with partner Brian A. Fox, equated selling janitorial supplies to selling cars: Every customer drives his or her own bargain, and they have no idea what anyone else is getting.

Dramatic price drop: The county's expenses for toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning supplies dropped more than 85 percent after investigations of the maintenance department began amid a series of stories in The Vindicator last year.

Officials attribute the drop to several factors, from layoffs among custodians to a change in vendors.

Envirochemical wasn't consistent in the amount it charged Trumbull County, either.

In 2001, on different occasions Trumbull County bought Envirobowl toilet bowl cleaner for $93, $119, $126, $129 and $169 a case.

Jacobson declined to furnish a copy of the company's catalog or price lists, but The Vindicator obtained a copy elsewhere.

He said he cooperated with record requests from the Trumbull County prosecutor, but would not say what records those were.

In the letter to county commissioners asking for Envirochemical to be cut off from additional business, Watkins noted "huge increases in county expenditures have occurred, some of which are incredible."

State auditors, the state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the FBI are also probing the matter.

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Jacobson stepped down as mayor within a few weeks.

In September, he pleaded guilty to bribery and complicity to theft in office. He has not yet been sentenced.

In an affidavit presented by prosecutors a few weeks after the guilty plea,  he said he was given "carte blanche" to write out supply  orders for the county, regardless of need.

This story is part of series  named finalist for investigative reporting in the Ohio AP's 2003 competition.

Other stories in the series include:

Accident sidelines maintenance chief, The Vindicator, 3/8/03

Grand jury indicts Delmont, The Vindicator, 9/26/03

Wife of maintenance chief pleads innocent, The Vindicator, 9/27/03

Workers: Official arranged payment, The Vindicator, 1/8/03

Bottles shipped empty, The Vindicator,  6/12/03

Lyndhurst Mayor Jacobson pleads guilty, The Vindicator, 9/18/03