Friday, December 21, 2007

Nonprofit to hand over checkbook for inspection

It will be another week before a local, nonprofit mental health support group opens its checkbook for court inspection to see whether the group gave money to an Albany lawyer to pay a department head's legal costs.

County Attorney Frederick Westphal, appearing Thursday in state Supreme Court, asked acting Supreme Court Judge Mark H. Fandrich to look for any checks written in June or July by the National Alliance on Mental Illness to Albany lawyer Joseph Glazer and anything that looks like contributions to what Westphal called a "legal defense fund."

Glazer has acted as lawyer for County Mental Health Director David Blair, but Blair has denied allegations that he has done anything improper.

Auburn attorney Norman Chirco, who represents Alliance President Therese Wasilenko, will turn over the checkbook and checkbook register Thursday.

Two weeks ago, Westphal asked Fandrich to uphold a county ethics committee subpoena issued in September to force Wasilenko to appear before the committee and bring along the group's checkbook and checkbook register.

At the time, Westphal told the judge the ethics board was reviewing improper payments involving a department head, although he did not name the department or its leader. Blair later denied claims by at least two county lawmakers, who identified Blair as the department head and Glazer as his lawyer.

The judicial review was spurred by a subpoena issued in September by the ethics panel and Wasilenko to appear at a board hearing and bring along the checkbook.

The right of the ethics committee to issue a subpoena remains unresolved.