Alex Thomas, the Hartford city council’s minority leader, is under fire after a city auditor’s report concluded he misused a municipal credit card during a conference last spring in Washington, D.C., but he said Wednesday that he’d done nothing wrong.
Earlier in the week, Councilman Josh Michtom — Thomas’ colleague from the Working Families Party — called for Thomas to step down. But on Wednesday Thomas said that’s not going to happen.
“I respect Councilman Mitchtom and the passion he brings to public service, even when we disagree,” Thomas said in a statement to The Courant. “I understand his concerns, but I do not have plans to step down at this time.”
Thomas, who is still facing criminal charges in connection with alleged embezzlement from a church last year, used a city credit card to charge personal and family expenses while he was attending the annual conference of the Young Elected Officials Network, according to an audit.
But the auditor also concluded that the city suffered no financial loss because Thomas’ reimbursement after the conference was reduced by about $520, the total of the questionable charges. Those included Uber trips, meals for other people and a pre-conference hotel bill that was far above city limits.
The audit said the city clerk gave Thomas a charge card before the trip, and that he used it on expenses that aren’t allowed under city policy. It said he did that for personal gain, but he disagreed Wednesday.
“I acted in good faith based on the instructions I understood. Any differences identified were resolved through the established reimbursement process,” he said in a statement. “How can there be ‘personal gain’ when the city has confirmed that all funds were recovered and Hartford has incurred no loss?
“Regarding the audit, this was a review of the town clerk’s office, not my office, and it resulted in retraining that department on travel and reimbursement procedures. I attended the D.C. conference with prior approval of the council president, submitted every receipt, and the city’s own review confirms there was no financial loss,” Thomas said.
But Michtom this week said his colleague should step down.
“On more than one occasion his judgment has given people a reason not to trust his honesty,” Michtom said Wednesday. “This is about his role as a leader and an elected official: We owe a higher degree of integrity to our constiuents.”
Michtom said he had called Thomas with the request.
“At first he said he’d think about it, then he said he wasn’t going to leave,” Michtom said.
Councilman John Gale, the only Hartford Party representative on the council, said Thomas should be able to stay in office.
“I believe in the proposition that one is innocent until proven guilty, and I don’t believe there has been a guilty finding,” Gale said. “It’s very clear his actions didn’t cost the city a penny.”
Council President Shirley Surgeon, one of six Democrats on the council, said her caucus isn’t taking a stance either way.
“He is not a Democrat and we respect the other parties; we won’t get involved in this,” she said. “We’re going to be respectful of the minority party and let the process work through.”
Michtom and the state Working Families Party leadership called for Thomas’ resignation last fall when he was arrested on larceny and money laundering charges in connection with the disappearance of more than $14,000 from South Church, where he had worked.
Thomas confirmed he is seeking accelerated rehabilitation in that case, and is scheduled for a court appearance Sept. 29.
In Connecticut, courts may award accelerated rehabilitation to some first-time criminal defendants who agree to conditions such as restitution and community service, provided they incur no new arrest. The cases are dismissed if the defendant meets all conditions and doesn’t get arrested again in the meantime.