What's the big deal about Linda Thompson's unemployment, you ask?

Linda Thompson, Harrisburg City Council member and mayoral candidate, was recently asked a series of questions by the Harrisburg Patriot News. I'd like to highlight two specific questions, and her responses:

Question: When were you unemployed, and from what organization did you lose your job?
Thompson: “I didn’t lose my job. I voluntarily resigned from my employment with the Urban League of Metropolitan Harrisburg.” (She did not answer when.)

Q: How long did you collect unemployment? How long were you unemployed?
Thompson: “Approximately six months to 1 year.” 

The article also notes that Linda Thompson was quoted in a recent debate as saying "I've taken all of my unemployment checks that I had before I started Loveship and put every dime of it into Loveship." 

 

Section 402(b) of the PA Unemployment Compensation law states that "a claimant shall be ineligible for benefits for any week in which his/her unemployment is due to voluntarily leaving work without cause of a necessitous and compelling nature. A claimant who voluntarily quits continuing work has the burden of proof in establishing good cause for quitting; and, that such cause was real and substantial, leaving the claimant no other alternative. The burden is on the claimant to show that, prior to quitting continuing employment, he/she made every reasonable effort to maintain the employer/employee relationship."

On the application itself it specifically asks the applicant the reason for their separation from their employer.  Now the reason why all of this is important is that if Ms. Thompson did in fact resign from her employment then she may have perpetrated a fraud if she reported otherwise on the application.  Furthermore, the Urban League of Metropolitan Harrisburg would have been complicit in this fraud if they did not contest Ms. Thompson's reason for separation and subsequently her claim for unemployment compensation benefits.  

Ms. Thompson also stated that she collected benefits for "approximately six months to 1 year."  Typically unemployment benefits are exhausted after 26 weeks unless certain economic conditions are met, at which point state and federal extended benefits may be available.  Potentially Ms. Thompson may have defrauded both the state of Pennsylvania and the Federal Government of additional funds if she did in fact voluntarily resign from her employment yet still collect unemployment compensation benefits. 

Do I think that this matter will be investigated further or that Ms. Thompson will be prosecuted?  No, I do not.  However, I do think that it's important for the citizens of Harrisburg to look past the campaign slogans and sound bytes and take a long hard look at the candidates' records and character when deciding who they want to be the next mayor of Harrisburg.