Chatham Police Chief Peter Volkmann pleaded guilty during a virtual court appearance to fourth-degree grand larceny for stealing $74,000 from state retirement and to official misconduct for filing false claims for $18,000 in mileage reimbursement from Chatham.
Volkmann was celebrated for creating the Chatham Cares 4 U Initiative, a substance addiction program that gained national attention. He was the Democrats' candidate for Columbia County Sheriff in 2017. In January 2020, Mayor Kamal Johnson appointed Volkmann to be the Police Commissioner for Hudson. Volkmann resigned as commissioner in September, after an investigation into his department's financial records was initiated in Chatham.
WHT.Has no body any Shame anymore.Within the last 10 yrs we has 2 ripoffs in Hudson,1 in greenport ,and a retired sheriff deputy/ local judge that stole money from the court he was appointed to. Who is watching the watchers. There was also something in Kinderhook
ReplyDeleteThe smirk speaks for itself...
ReplyDeleteSchmuck.
ReplyDeleteIf this many people are caught, why the hell are they doing it? Don't they realize they will not get away with it? Same as criminals....wishful thinking "it will be ok" It seems the only thieves who get away with it steal in the millions.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a problem with our local politics for some time that we have candidates and public officials to whom virtue signaling (which is really just the mirror image of dog whistle politics) is an end unto itself. Virtue shows itself through action, not words, and Mr. Volkmann's downfall is an excellent example of the trap we fall into when we look no further than rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteLocal 'leaders' who prey on the best intentions of low-information or single-issue voters to prop up unqualified individuals have lowered our public discourse to cheap kabuki. I cannot think of anything more unethical than exploiting the best intentions and highest ideals of the community you're supposed to serve to benefit yourself, and it's become all-too common by people who label themselves 'progressives' in this town.
Well said, thank you.
DeleteSlogans are a poor substitute for the hard work of understanding most actual issues.
truth
DeleteWhenever I read stories of corruption, my first thought is, "Imagine all the stuff we don't find out." We probably aren't seeing 10% of the tip of the iceberg.
ReplyDelete