The Observation Deck

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Let's be honest, you have never seen a tax raise or a contract for someone else that you did not loathe at the mere mention of. You see no reason to raise any funds from the
public ever.

That's not accurate. I supported the last school levy. I supported the last bond issue for school construction. I also have told the Mayor that I would support a temporary .25% in income tax to fund development in Lakewood.

When Tom George was mayor I spent a lot of time trying to get the truth out about the fire department overtime abuse. It took months of effort to get information that was sitting on someones desk. I found that literally millions of dollars were wasted on unnecessary overtime. I also found that at one point the City had nearly 350 more employees than it does now. How much sense did that make? Where was council? Where was the Mayor? Where were the State auditors? Where was the media? Where were you?

You need people outside the system to watch the system.

By the way, I don't recall anyone telling the public that the board approved nearly $6 million in retirement bonuses. I felt more than a little betrayed. I would not have supported the levy if I new its true purpose was to create more pension millionaires.

We need an independent audit committee that is truly independent. At the minimum Woody Calleri should be on that board.

One of the first things on their agenda should be the current health insurance coverge for employees. $20,000 per year in premiums for a family policy? Really?

Norman Rockwell's Freedom of Speech was published in the February 20, 1943 Issue of The Saturday Evening Post with a matching essay by Booth Tarkington. Since Rockwell liked to depict life as he experienced it or envisioned it, it is not surprising that this image depicts an actual occurrence .... a scene of a local New England town meeting in which one person spoke out in lone dissent--but was accorded the floor as a matter of protocol.

Good god, I LOVE this painting!

Anyone know what the TOTAL annual cost of an Outside Audit Committee would be? And who foots that bill?

Peter Grossetti wrote:Anyone know what the TOTAL annual cost of an Outside Audit Committee would be? And who foots that bill?

Peter,

Why would it cost anything?

Matt

Matt -

When I read OUTSIDE Audit Committee, I think about an accounting firm or a CPA.

Hiring an independent firm to conduct an annual financial review/audit is, in my humble opinion, the best way to ensure that the fox is not guarding the hen house.

And please understand .... my saying that does NOT imply or insinuate that anything fishy (foxy?) is currently going on.