Under former city manager Harry Walker’s watch COATESVILLE BURNED.

Below is a portion of the resignation letter of former Coatesville Assistant City Manager Tarron Richardson. He refers to the Walker Administration:

“Continued association with the cesspool of corruption and misconduct created by the majority of council and its political appointments may subsequently jeopardize my future professional, personal, and political endeavors. Such inappropriate behavior has caused a mass exodus of city personnel, many who carried with them substantial institutional knowledge of the organization."

I believe Coatesville City Council thought the FBI would discover evidence linking Harry Walker to at least some embezzlement and bribery at city hall. But Harry Walker worked partly from home. The FBI failed to get a warrant for Walker’s apartment.

After whistleblower former Director of Finance Stacy Bjorhus was fired she allegedly left boxes of files at city hall that had allegedly had incriminating evidence concerning several workers at city hall but not necessarily evidence that linked Walker directly with a crime. The boxes of files were allegedly destroyed.  Incidentally Ms. Bjorhus never signed a non-disclosure document.

I believe that embezzlement and bribery were rampant during Harry Gordon Walker IIIs stay in Coatesville. But I believe the City of Coatesville should not bring up any charges of alleged bribery and embezzlement at the City of Coatesville finance office in defending itself in Harry Gordon Walker III's lawsuit.  

I think is a non-starter anyway because it might incriminate others still employed at Coatesville City Hall.

Maybe Walker bribed and embezzled money as Coatesville City Manager and maybe he didn't but that's not why everyone but Chester County's drug dealers wanted to get rid of him.

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Richard Legree had a dream of being the Chief of Police of the City of Coatesville. Everyone that knew him well knew his dream.

I believe Harry Walker helped Richard Legree realize his dream, in part. I believe that under Harry Gordon Walker III’s leadership of the city, Richard Legree could have virtual control of Coatesville's police department.

I believe the result was the "drug business was good again" in Coatesville.

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As a new Coatesville City Manager Paul Janssen first plan was to make the streets of Coatesville safe. To do that he hired Dominick Bellizzie as the Coatesville Chief of Police and doubled he staff of the Coatesville PD.

When Chief Bellizzie first saw the City of Coatesville he described the streets as "an open-air drug bazaar". Some streets were impassable because of drug sales.

I believe that elements in and around the City of Coatesville set plans to get rid of Paul Janssen and Chief Bellizzie as soon as the crackdown on drug sales here began.

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Former Coatesville City Manager Jean Krack would not fire Chief Bellizzie, Jean Krack had to go.

One of the "Bloc of Four" and Harry Walker's first acts was to make it impossible for Chief Bellizzie to stay in Coatesville.

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The choice of the selection committee for a new chief to replace Chief Bellizzie was Police Lt. Joel Fitzgerald, from the Philadelphia Police Force Narcotics Strike Force. 

"City Manager Harry G. Walker III instead chose William H. Matthews, 59, a deputy director of the Police Foundation, a nonprofit headquartered in Washington, D.C...."

Although he denied his plans to lay off police in public "Chief" Matthews sent a letter to District Attorney Joe Carroll saying he intended to lay off police officers:

I believe that to the extent that it was possible Harry Walker allowed Richard Legree to control the Coatesville Police Department.

"The candidate who believed he would be named chief at the City Council meeting on Feb. 12, Philadelphia Police Lt. Joel Fitzgerald, 36, said he was "flabbergasted" when he got a call earlier that day saying the job was going to somebody else...." 

"Fitzgerald, who works in the city's narcotics strike force, was the top choice of the selection committee. 

"Fitzgerald said Walker told him that he was "the number one candidate." Now he thinks that his refusal to hire a longtime political figure was the reason Walker changed his mind. 

Walker went to an interview with ( Philadelphia Police Lt. Joel)  Fitzgerald earlier this year accompanied by Richard Legree, a city constable, Republican party leader, and a man whose run-ins with the law go back three decades. 

'Walker told me he wanted me to bring this guy [Legree] on board,' said Fitzgerald during an interview yesterday. "No way am I going to hire somebody like that guy." Legree's involvement was first reported Sunday in the Daily Local News of Chester County."... 

"Carroll said Fitzgerald's selection was derailed by the meeting with Legree."

FROM:
 D.A. calls hiring of Coatesville's chief 'deceptive'  

By Nancy Petersen INQUIRER STAFF WRITER 

POSTED: March 27, 2007 

Chester County District Attorney Joe Carroll yesterday called the process for selecting a new police chief in Coatesville "deceptive."

Under former Coatesville City Manager Harry Walker's watch: 

• The Narcotics Division was disbanded and its officers transferred to patrol. 

• The bike unit was disbanded. 

• The community relations officer was put on regular duty. 

• Non-uniformed office staff was laid off. This added to the regular officers duties. 

In all 15 Coatesville Police Officers left the 32 person Coatesville Police Force.

 Lt. Matt Gordon was described by Joe Carroll as the most knowledgeable narcotics investigator in Chester County. 

Lt. Gordon was removed from the Coatesville PD and put on “administrative leave” by Chief William Matthews in October of 2007 and has not been on the force since then.

District Attorney Joe Carroll said, "I need Matt Gordon back!" while Harry Gordon Walker III pretended to listen.

Below is a live recording from the Coatesville City Council February 22, 2007 Two hundred police officers and police officials attended that meeting.

Joe was responding to Coatesville City Councilperson Kurt Schenk. Joe Carroll is a very easygoing person. 

Joe’s hands were shaking as he said this. I have never before or since seen Chester County District Attorney Joe Carroll as angry as he was that evening:

https://app.box.com/s/7nfrdxcven5m3ci8nv8d

With Walker and Legree in control we had ONE police officer on duty on Friday and Saturday nights in Coatesville.

The results of all the tampering with the Coatesville PD were predictable; armed robbery, muggings, and shootings all increased dramatically. The news spread that the drug business was good again in Coatesville.

There were regular traffic jams on Lincoln Highway because of drug deals in the street.

Gunshots were heard several times daily. People dug bullets from their walls and sat far away from outside walls and windows.

The Crips, Bloods and SUR-13 were recruiting Coatesville's youth.

THE GENERAL LAWLESSNESS PRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ARSON

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UNDER WALKER'S WATCH CRIME FLOURISHED IN COATESVILLE BUT THAT WAS NOT THE BIG REASON EVERYONE BUT DRUG DEALERS WANTED HARRY WALKER GONE.

The BIG reason EVERYONE but drug dealers wanted Walker gone was that UNDER HIS WATCH COATESVILLE BURNED!

The City of Coatesville possibly joined by the citizens of Coatesville should mount a lawsuit against Harry Gordon Walker III because UNDER HIS WATCH COATESVILLE BURNED.

ULTIMATE CHUTZPAH - From Harry Walker’s Linkedin:

Senior Associate

Emerging Africa 

January 2011 – Present (3 years 2 months)Greater New York City Area
Responsible for deal flow and structure of creative financing solutions for publicly traded companies in Africa and foreign investment capital
  

City Manager 

City of Coatesville PA 

May 2006 – February 2010 (3 years 10 months)
Spurred economic development; balanced budget after years of deficit; upgraded Police Department
  

Director Economic Development 

City of Wilmington, DE 

October 1997 – March 2001 (3 years 6 months)
Created $300MM in funded projects including waterfront development, mixed use hotel/office/retail parking complex

Interested in Richard Legree of Coatesville's Legree/Trowery family? You can find part of it here:
http://articles.philly.com/keyword/legree