Evanston Clerk Offers To Pay Back Taxpayer Money Spent On 'Who's Who'

EVANSTON, IL — City Clerk Rodney Greene has offered to return more than $6,600 in public money his office spent on fees to a promotional "Who's Who" listing service following allegations he misappropriated taxpayer funds.

He said he wants to put this issue behind him and focus on more important matters in the final week before early voting begins for the April 4 election. He expected to return the money, in installments if necessary, before the election.

"I'm very upset and frustrated with the story that's going around," said Greene, who was appointed to the position of clerk by former Mayor Lorraine Morton in 2008. "Because it's [an] election and this young man wants to get the position, he's putting out any and everything to discredit."

That "young man" is Greene's opponent in the upcoming election, Devon Reid. He first discovered the payments after reviewing credit card records from Greene's office he obtained through public records requests and suggested it was an improper use of taxpayer money.

"The clerk should promote elections and open government and not himself," Reid said. "The clerk should repay the wasted funds."

What is 'Who'

Continental Who's Who, operating out of Valley Stream, New York, claims to be "one of the most trusted publishers around the globe" and promises to take "professional networking to the next level," according to its website. "Who's Who" directories are vanity publishers that compile registries of paying customers and offer to claim to promote them for networking purposes. Many, including one fronted by Donald Trump Jr., have been accused of taking advantage of consumers.

"I have no problem in saying I'm wrong if I'm wrong, " Greene said, insisting that his decision to bill his lifetime "Continental" membership to the city was not. "To quiet it down, I'm willing to pay it all off."

Greene said he did research and determined Continental Who's Who was a legitimate and reputable company and that he had sufficient funds in his office's travel and expense account to pay the fees. He said he has done nothing wrong or unethical during his time in office and all payments to the company billed to Evanston taxpayers went through the normal channels for approving business expenses.

Greene said he was able to confirm at least one professional contact had been made through the press releases distributed through Continental Who's Who: a clerk from Huntsville, Alabama.

Apart from that, he said he was not aware of any of the dozens of organizations to which "Continental" sent copies of a press release entitled, "Elder Dr. Rodney Greene is recognized by Continental Who's Who." He said he was able to confirm at least two media organizations (The Atlanta Business Chronicle and WAFF-TV 48, the NBC affiliate in Huntsville, Alabama) confirmed they had received the press release, although he said he did not know if either organization publicized it.

That press release describes Greene as "Elder Doctor," noting his honorary doctorate in divinity and master's degree in Sacred Religious Counseling from Universal Ministries School of Theology. Universal Ministries' website offers various degrees for prices of up to $425.

Rev. Douglas Hickman, founder of Universal Ministries, said all earned degrees offered by his school meet the Department of Education's legal minimum requirements for degree programs. In the case of Greene's 2006 master's degree, those requirements are a 750 word biography and a 4000 word thesis featuring at least 10 relevant footnotes. The honorary doctorates are awarded based on the testimony of their recipients alone, he said.

"To me, it's like an honorary thing," Greene said, nothing he did not complete any academic coursework to obtain either of the degrees. "It was basically my life experiences."

A Continental Who's Who representative called Michael Grady said all members are "pre-screened and pre-qualified" by an "all-star research team," and not "just anyone" was allowed to be included in the company's directory. Most members were found via "referrals," he said. (Greene signed up after a phone call from someone who told him he'd been recommended by one of his college classmates, the clerk told Evanston Now)

Grady said the maximum lifetime membership fees were less than $2,500, appearing to contradict the invoices his company billed to Evanston taxpayers via the credit card of its City Clerk.

Payment Records

The yearly budget of the clerk's office has allocated between $25,000 and $35,000 in non-salary, non-insurance expenses over the past two years, according to the 2017 city budget. Over that period, Greene has spent $6,794 of taxpayer money on payments to Continental Who's Who, according to documents obtained through a public records request.

Dates and memos of all invoices from Continental Who's Who:

• May 4, 2015, $838, "Five year membership."
• Nov. 5, 2015, $989, "Annual membership."
• March 28, 2016, $1,489,"Membership and inclusion dues."
• Aug. 3, 2016, $1,489, "Membership and inclusion dues."
• Nov. 26, 2016, $1,989, Unpaid invoice.*

Greene said he now has a lifetime membership. However, some of the complaints and negative online reviews about the company accuse it of continuing to bill after customers believe they no longer owe further payments.

Greene made a read a statement on the matter at the Feb. 27 meeting of the Evanston City Council:

"Because I participated in this," he said, defending the payments, "The city did not expend funds on other networking activities that I otherwise could have joined."

Greene is also a member in the International Municipal Association of City Clerks, a professional association established in 1947. For a total annual cost of $500 in membership dues and about the same to attend an annual convention, Greene said that membership has "probably" been more valuable than his lifetime membership in "Continental," the cost of which the City of Evanston has been paying as installments over course of the past 22 months.

*E-mails provided by the office of the Evanston City Clerk in response to a Freedom of Information Act request did not provide evidence that this invoice (61151-B) was paid.

Top photo: Evanston City Clerk Rodney Greene, at City Council Feb. 27 2017