This article, originally published by Al Zucaro on BocaWatch.org, is preserved for historical purposes by Massive Impressions Online Marketing in Boca Raton.
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Everyone lies on their resume, right? No harm, no foul? Not quite. Claiming a credential on your resume that’s not accurate constitutes a lie. A lie that can come back to haunt you in ways you may not expect.
Resume fraud, which can take the form of intentional inclusion of false information, embellishment of otherwise accurate information, or omission of relevant information in an effort to deceive, is a growing problem.
In May of 2015 I submitted an extensive file to the Florida Bar and asked them to determine if Planning and Zoning Board member Glen E. Gromann had been ‘economical with the truth’ with respect to his professional credentials and to investigate whether or not he may have been guilty of Unlicensed Practice of Law (UPL)
On or around February 12, 2016 the Florida Bar subsequently referred that file to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee “B”. On September 28th 2016 that Committee closed the case based on the acceptance of a cease and desist affidavit and Mr. Gromann agreed not to engage in any activities which would constitute unlicensed practice of law under existing decisions of the Supreme Court of Florida.
The Society for Human Resource Management (https://www.shrm.org/) has conducted research into resume fraud to determine the specific factors that lead some people to lie on a resume. Among their key findings:
- People who had committed deviant acts in the past were more likely to have fraudulent resumes.
- Envy regarding how others are doing was related to increased resume fraud.
- People with lower levels of moral identity were more likely to commit resume fraud.
UPL is only the latest in a number of concerns that voters have raised questioning Mr. Gromann’s fitness to retain his seat on the important and powerful Planning & Zoning Board – a seat he uses to promote his developer friendly agenda while intimidating those who disagree with him.
In the meantime city council members seem incapable or unwilling to address this. What, we should ask, does this say about the ‘values’ that drive decision making within our city government? [Values are the beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is good or bad and about what is desirable or undesirable]. When I go to an organization as part of my work and I want to determine the core values that are guiding that organization, I don’t pay much attention to the rhetoric on their website or the posters on their walls – I pay attention instead to – what is rewarded; what is measured; what is taught; who is hired; who is fired; and who is listened to. In other words I pay attention to what they do. It is my repetitive experience that what people are hearing and what they are seeing are almost never in alignment. The ‘audio’ is rarely connected to the ‘video’.
The City Council has the right to remove any member of the Planning and Zoning Board from office ‘for cause after notice of hearing, upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the city council membership’. Mayor Haynie and council members Singer, Rodgers, Mullaugh and Weinroth should initiate an urgent investigation into this matter to determine if Mr. Gromann should be removed from the Planning and Zoning Board for cause. Thank you.
Mr. McDougal’s frivolous UPL Complaint was based on false information and had nothing to do with a resume. There was no “Order” nor was their any finding or admission of any wrongdoing. The method by which the Florida Bar closes these cases uses a Cease and Desist “Affidavit” which is merely an acknowledgement of what the rules are and an indirect agreement to not violate them–there being no finding of violation in the fist place. I am in fact an attorney, I am admitted to the bars in 7 states and numerous Federal courts and I have NEVER been subjected to any disciplinary proceeding before any of them. Being a member of a bar is not a requirement to be on P&Z and I do in fact have two (2) law degrees from two TOP 50 law schools, one being a Master of Laws in Real Property Development from the University of Miami. it is unfortunate that the Florida Bar was enlisted in an attempt to vent and perpetuate the negative agenda of BocaWatch as pointed out in the correspondence from the Anti-Defamation league but that is what is typically done when people cannot win the argument–they attack the individual, just as the City Manager was called to resign over the non-existent “open space” subterfuge. It won’t work. I will continue to discharge my duties as a PZ member and to do the right thing. 🙂
James
The right question! Glenn is an embarrassment to this City. He is a plant by the Developers. His history is awful. The Florida Bar just slapped him AGAIN.
As I’ve told all of you. Scott is a opportunist that you can’t trust. He has yet to vote a position that supports the preservation of our City. He is out for political gain and my friends and I will do everything we can to expose him. He has to show a spine.. he has to take the honest position.. he hasn’t. Please don’t let Al waltz you guys into giving him a pass.
Great question… he should have demanded Glens resignation long ago!
The Florida Bar determined that there was sufficient merit in the complaint to refer it to the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee “B”. That committee could have reached one of three conclusions:
1. If the local UPL committee determines that the conduct does not involve the unlicensed practice of law, that it is an isolated incident which will not be repeated and will not result in a likelihood of future public harm, that the individual is no longer in Florida or that the complaining party does not wish to cooperate with the investigation, the local UPL committee may close the case.
2. If the local UPL committee determines that the individual did engage in the unlicensed practice of law and that the activity is likely to continue, the committee may request that the individual sign a cease and desist affidavit. Although the nonlawyer does not have to acknowledge that the nonlawyer engaged in the conduct in the affidavit, the nonlawyer will acknowledge that the conduct is the unlicensed practice of law and will agree to refrain from engaging in the conduct in the future.
3. If the conduct involves the unlicensed practice of law and the individual will not sign a cease and desist affidavit, the local UPL committee can recommend prosecution. Prosecution is before the Supreme Court of Florida and seeks a civil injunction which orders the nonlawyer to stop engaging in UPL. The Bar can also bring an action before the Supreme Court of Florida for indirect criminal contempt.
My reading of this is that Mr. Gromann WAS involved in UPL and that he signed the Cease and Desist in order to avoid prosecution.