By JOHN HOWELL
While news that tens of thousands of dollars of school department equipment and material were misappropriated has prompted calls for forensic audits of both city and school …
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By JOHN HOWELL
While news that tens of thousands of dollars of school department equipment and material were misappropriated has prompted calls for forensic audits of both city and school operations, the mayor and Ward 4 Councilman Joseph Solomon advise additional investigation before moving ahead with a city audit.
On Tuesday, the School Committee approved expenditures up to $33,000 to retain Clifton Larson Allen to conduct a review of the facilities and grounds payment approvals, payments, invoices and purchase orders from 2011 through 2014, plus a review of transactions from 2008 to 2010.
As for a forensic audit, which has been the subject of two council resolutions and is being advocated by Rob Cote, Solomon said in an interview last week, “People have to understand what’s involved with an overall forensic audit.” He said such an examination would be “cost prohibitive.” Furthermore, he added, such an audit casts a pall on all municipal employees.
“This doesn’t mean that every public employee is doing something improper. There’s a lot more good than bad,” he said.
Mayor Scott Avedisian urged police be given the time to complete their investigation of the school department. He said he would not be surprised if there would be an additional arrest, and it would be premature to commence an audit.
“We have already undertaken a review of city purchasing procedures,” Avedisian said in an email when asked what measures the city has taken following the arrest of David LaPlante, former director of school buildings and grounds.
LaPlante, who was fired on Dec. 10, has been accused of misappropriating more than $70,000 of school property. He is also charged with using school funds for personal purchases, including such items as chainsaws, fencing and a dishwasher.
“I am sure that the superintendent is doing the same,” the mayor said of a review. “I expect that we will have an announcement of changes and/or legislation that will be filed.”
“At this point, a full review of the city budget would be costly and, unless there is a specific allegation, could be difficult. So in that respect, I agree with Councilman Solomon,” Avedisian said.
Even before LaPlante’s arrest, Superintendent Philip Thornton initiated a review of school purchasing procedures. He has said that he not only wants another set of eyes looking at purchasing practices but for the school’s internal investigation be widened so that it is inclusive of the full department.
According to the scope of work to be done at the school department, Clifton Larson Allen will also review internal controls and approval processes for contracts, purchase orders and payments to vendors. The company is also expected to perform a risk assessment regarding the circumstances and help in the evaluation of procedures and protocols.
Solomon recommended the police investigation proceed and, depending on the outcome, a particular area could merit a forensic audit.
“Let’s identify those areas that warrant it,” he said.
But he said the cost of a blanket forensic audit would “far outweigh the benefits.”
Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladoceur, who attended the School Committee meeting, thought Thornton has handled the LaPlante situation well. Ladouceur favors a review of city purchasing procedures and accounting of equipment and materials, although, like Solomon, he doesn’t think a forensic audit is required.
“I have a problem with the broad brush of a forensic audit,” he said. “There’s no proof of criminal activity.” He would favor a “comprehensive, in-depth audit” as well as review of city procedures.
Rob Cote, who spearheaded the Car Tax Revolt several years ago and continues to push for more realistic motor vehicle valuations used for tax purposes, is lobbying for forensic audits of the schools and the city. It was at Cote’s urging that Ward 7 Councilwoman Kathleen Usler docketed a resolution for a city audit last month. Ward 3 Councilwoman Camille Vella-Wilkinson also has a resolution calling for an audit.
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Thecaptain
Mayor Avedisian will never approve a city wide audit as he knows that the results will rock the city. The results indicating vast amounts of theft activity will ruin him and several others. Suddenly he has fiscal concerns about the cost of an audit but he had no problem weeks before the election to attempt to dip into the rainy day fund for $850,000 in non contractual bonuses. He should be advocating for the audit of all revolving accounts simply to put to rest the though that theft is possible.
Thousands of dollars are wasted every day in this city due to inefficiency in all departments. Its a fact but to repair the problem would cost votes for several officials. This is not the first time that there has been arrests over stolen goods. Just Avedisians comment that he will not be surprised if there is an additional arrest is cause to contemplate what else is going on and how is it going to be squashed. I also believe that the city should begin to look at the activities of recent retirees.
During the prosecution of Mr. Naylor, Mr. Michael R. Cook testified the following (taken from the court settlement documents)
"On April 23, 2013 a hearing was conducted where both parties were afforded an opportunity to be heard on the issue of whether probable cause existed that the defendant committed the offense charged. At this hearing, Michael R. Cook ("Mr. Cook"), a retired former DPW worker, testified for the defendant. Mr. Cook stated that during his 28 years of employment, there existed an unwritten policy whereby employees "could take anything [and] just bring it back" Mr. Cook further explained that NO SYSTEM existed whereby employees made requests to a supervisor, or recorded items being borrowed or returned, Instead, Mr. Cook stated that the common practice that existed within the DPW was based on "the honor system", and employees only needed to return what was borrowed. In fact, Mr. Cook testified that when a consumable item such as GASOLINE was taken, it was necessary for the employee to replace what was taken. Finally, Mr. Cook testified that it was not uncommon for employees to borrow items from the facility after it was closed.
MAYOR, ARE YOU READING THIS? ARE YOU SERIOUS THAT WE DONT NEED A FORENSIC AUDIT? The court documents suggest 28 years of theft, 16 years on your watch.
Then highway chief Mike Webers notes in the case. "Mr Naylor was not arrested at the scene nor was he charged with a crime after the police department completed their investigation in the following days".
"Mr. Webers statements - contained within the information packet-points out that althoughMr. Naylor "had things that he did not have permission to take or use," it then seems to excuse Mr. Naylor's using the cast iron pipe "to prop up a deck while he worked on it" and Mr. Weber expressly states that "THE INCIDENT WOULD BE HANDLED WITHOUT POLICE INVOLVEMENT".
The courts conclusion also points out that the neglect of the city due to the delay of bringing the charges forth weighed heavily on the courts decision to dismiss the case.
Anyone that would like a copy of the court transcript can obtain it by contacting cartaxrevolt@aol.com.
Wake up Mayor
Thursday, January 14, 2016 Report this