A 12 News investigation has revealed that Phoenix Fire Marshal Jack Ballentine personally accepted a $100,000 check while on duty from a philanthropist whose business, the Madison Improvement Club, had failed its fire inspection 11 months earlier.
The money was a donation for the 100 Club of Arizona. Ballentine is a volunteer for the organization, his wife is operations manager and his son is a scholarship recipient.
The City of Phoenix Human Resources Department was assigned to investigate by the Integrity Line Committee, which includes City Manager Ed Zuercher, City Attorney Brad Holm, City Auditor Bill Greene and Toni Maccarone, special assistant to the City Manager. The probe was to determine whether Ballentine abused his position and engaged in conflicts of interest during the fire inspection approval process with local businesses, whether he pressured a business owner to make a donation to the charity and if Ballentine violated any laws, city rules and regulations by accepting the check.
The investigation conducted by Human Resources Supervisor Larry Lockley, Deputy Human Resources Director Fred Verdugo and Micah Ray, Assistant City Attorney, concluded Ballentine violated the city's Ethics Policy in his role as a public servant.