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H1ghCh4r1ty
Advanced Member
967 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2007 : 10:08:36 PM
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P.S.
Who audits the auditing company? From the news release it seems that they are throwing themselves under the bus.
If Melanson Heath conducted audits on previous projects and found no improprieties at that time, how can they now say there are negative issues on the same projects?
This doesn't make sense
Emile Schoeffhausen |
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Masterful1
Senior Member
421 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2007 : 10:22:13 PM
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| Emile, didn't the Eagle say that he got a rough draft that needed tweaking? I think someone tweaked it the wrong way.. |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2007 : 11:57:32 PM
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Emile, not only was the document not signed, it wasn't dated, either. There was no indication as to when M&H were conducting this audit. When did they begin and when did they end? No one seems to know, and no one asked that question tonight. I believe the question was asked about the signatured, and Mr. Sullivan said they use a stanp with the firm's name, and that this is legal. It may be legal, but when you're putting forward a document that implies wrongdoing, negligence, and possibly violations of law, is it ethical not to have the person who conducted the audit -- in this case, Mr. Sullivan -- sign the document himself?
You're right, Emile, this thing smells as bad as my son's old gym socks. And yes, Masterful1, Mayor Pinnochio did say that the rought draft needed "tweaking." I seem to remember him saying at one time that the only thing they were changing was one typo. Now, it seems, whole paragraphs were rewritten.
Ridiculous. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 11:35:03 AM
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| As the hours pass since last nights meeting, and the abundance of misrepresentations sinks in, I am getting angrier and angrier. Words that come to mind about this entire fiasco are, appalling, disgusting, vindictive, vengeful, deceitful, disgraceful, unconscionable, dishonest and I'm sure many more. I just don't know what to say. What a sad, sad, day for our City. |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 11:40:11 AM
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It truly is sad. I cannot imagine having to put up with this administration until November.
Sally |
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Bobby
Senior Member
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 11:41:43 AM
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| My gosh. I go out of town for a few days and on my god. I didn't get to see this fine meeting as of yet but a friend of mine taped it for me to see. Going to make myself something to snack on and than get comfy and watch this fine video. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 12:00:43 PM
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| Bobby, you can't even imagine what you are in for, watching that meeting. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 2:32:43 PM
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This is well written and I found it on The Mirror.
This is what I heard:
Documents were placed in a locked room, which Melanson and Heath were allowed to review. This is called "setting the stage," rather than "opening the kimono" which is what a true audit is.
Rather than engage in a city-wide fraud audit that was promised, the Budget Director, Janice Vetrano,identifies 16 vendors for Melanson and Heath to audit. This is known as "narrowing the scope."
The audit firm "audits" based on Janice's recommendations. They do not look at the seized computers, they do not talk to vendors; they do not look at alternative means of proofing the process. M&H only review records that have been in the custody of Administration. officials. This is called building an audit around a desired outcome.
The draft report is released to the administration, which, far from having a "typo" fixed - has passages "expanded." One can call this "painting in the colors."
The report is released to much fanfare. The mayor and his gang hold up a cardboard cutout of a $5M check, and TV stations across the Commonwealth suddenly find their way to Everett. Long-time, respected city employees are escorted out by police, and vendors are implicated in this report. Call this trumpeting "the findings."
A joint convention is convened a week later. Questions are raised about the methodology used by the auditing firm, and the heavy-handed direction by the Budget Director. The BOA and CC don't seem impressed by the report, or the behavior of administration officials. Lawyers for two of the vendors provide the documents that were allegedly missing, raising questions about credibility. Mayor Hanlon doesn't appear to know much about what just happened. He disagrees with statements made by the auditing firm. He denies alerting the press, or that his administration had suggested any wrong doing. Mayor Hanlon wilts under a post-mortem review of his audit and takes to wagging his finger at the audience for suggesting he had a hand in bringing all the press into Everett while he gave the city a $45,000 black-eye over his re-election bid.
Take a guess what we call this?
You had to see it to believe i | 05.01.07 - 2:17 pm | # |
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short timer
Member
42 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 2:53:37 PM
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| One thing really bothers me about last night, OK a lot of things, but in particular the lawyers for the contractors got to speak but the employees involved did not. Hanlon mentioned that the employees were spoken to a year ago, which was a lie, and none of them has anything in the personnel files, he admitted that Bev Dorman was spoken to and warned not to do it again, he then said she did not do it again, why was she suspended a year later. He atated deptartments were what the audit focused on but the auditors said they were given a list of sixteen vendors to audit and not departments. Mayor Pinnachio (I like that Citizen) said he never called the press, obviously someone did Mr. Mayor, are you concerned that your people do things behind your back, lots of things like confiscating computers and not telling you, yes Mr. Hanlon we know that too. Why don't you show some intestinal fortitude and get rid of the sources of your problem, you know who they are but in case you don't they would be your budget director (AKA The Mini Mayor) and your City Services non Director Jerry Sheehan. |
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 5:11:19 PM
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I thought Bev Dorman was back at work? Didn't i read that here somewhere? Maybe on the Mirror.
Sally |
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short timer
Member
42 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2007 : 6:34:01 PM
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| Yes she is back, but it was still one year for the suspension to come around. |
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Bobby
Senior Member
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2007 : 11:33:03 AM
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| massdee. OH MY GOD! I finally finished viewing the tape of the meeting, you should have warned me that it was so long. LOL. Now I have to read the paper. What a mess this City is in. My buddy in Revere asked me about what was going on. I didn't realize that this City was the talk of the STATE what a disgrace. Imagine if this was not such a small city. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2007 : 10:50:57 PM
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| Bobby, wasn't that meeting something else? Don't bother reading the Independent, they didn't watch the same meeting as the rest of us. At least from their reporting, it doesn't sound like the same meeting. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2007 : 11:02:11 PM
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| There are some pretty pi$$ed off people on the other blog. |
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2007 : 11:08:53 PM
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| Hi All! |
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Topic |
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Audit released people escorted out of city halll
