by Jack
In case you missed the discussion on Item 4.6 of the Council agenda, here’s a brief update, but also it will be available for the public to watch on your computer within a few days. Just go to the City website and look for the link “watch council meeting”. The latest video available is dated 5-7-13, but 5-21-13 should be out any time. Watch the last 41 minutes, if nothing else!
Okay, now for the update. It looks like Chico’s former finance officer, Jennifer Hennessy made a real mess of things. She was hiding deficits by shifting them into areas other than the general fund in order to give the appearance of solvency. Words like “unbelievable”, “mismanagement” and even “forgery” were being kicked around while looking at her method of bookkeeping. Hennessy is long gone, she bailed before things got totally out of control.
Remember Toby Schindelbeck, candidate for city council? One of his gripes was Hennessy was’nt giving Council a written financial report every month as required by our Charter. He was labeled by the leftists as just making waves to get attention. No, he wasn’t, he was on to Hennessy’s mismanagement…and as it turns out he was right.
Three of the current council were long time council members and they were part of the leftist group that spent the city broke and blew through over 20 million bucks in recent years. Members of the audience were highly critical of their incompetence and called for their resignation.
If you watch the the last 41 minutes of the council meeting please take note of how some councilors responded to calls for their resignation…it wasn’t pretty, in fact it was downright disrespectful and rude. The often petulant, cathartic responses to their citizen critics was completely true to their past practice and I think we’re all getting just a little tired of it. Gruendl, Golof and Schwab, you better be more respectful to your citizens. Given what you did to us you’re lucky to still be on the council.
You would think that these Council members (that were part of this outrageous scandal) would have decency to step down at this point. But, no…. they’re blasting back at the citizens, can you believe that? They’re refusing to accept any responsibility, what gall! What an insult to the people.
If there are hero’s to be found amid this stinking mess then it must be people like Councilman Mark Sorensen and former Councilman Larry Wahl. They warned us. They were the first to loudly point out the irregularities, but nobody wanted to hear it. Then there is our City Adminstrator Brian Nakamura and his finance officer Chris Constantin. Both of these new hires took over knowing the City faced severe financial problems. They later discovered that some of those who contributed to this scandal are also on the City Council…. and of course they serve at the pleasure of the Council. That had to come as a shock, what a tough spot to be in. But, they’re making the best of it and they’ve been very forthcoming about everything they’ve discovered.
FAIR WARNING: Voters are pretty darn mad and if those council people who helped get us in this mess don’t behave themselves there could be a recall coming soon. So they better play nice - because we’re watching their every move.
Gross mismanagement deserves to be removed – at ALL levels!
Please post where concerned Chico voters can sign recall petitions as soon as that info is available.
You don’t … I know … want to consider the possibility that your rabid rabbitity (irrational denial and ignorance) might possibly drive away competent city management and actually bring on the fiscal demise you … apparently … seek?
I can only hope that the more even tempered citizenry rouse themselves to put you down.
You want the citizenry to put me down Libs? Are you hitting the sauce tonight or what? That’s the second weird thing you’ve said. I’m just the bearer of the news, I didn’t spend any of the money that broke the city…what are you mad at me for?
Why do you even bother with these types, This Libby person appears to be dumber than a stump, and if brains were leather, she couldn’t saddle a flea!
Southern Comfort you should get a load of the lady when a conservative is in the oval office. Whooo doggies!
Libby has been with us at PS for a long time. She’s actually saying a lot less lately and with a lot less style. It may be that pure embarrassment for the failure to create Nirvana under the guidance of “the one” has her flummoxed.
“You would think that these Council members (that were part of this outrageous scandal) would have decency to step down at this point.”
Somebody else wrote this?
And it’s true I don’t hang out like I did. There is no reasoning with the unreasonable. I mean, have any of you refuted the $91? No. You just skate round it, thinking no one will notice.
We notice. And you know, it’s getting to be a bore.
Libs, I replied to your $91 comment, it was you who refused to respond to me…but, that’s nothing new.
Re Libby – Typical of the Left to attack the messenger when things don’t go their way or when their hand gets caught in the cookie jar.
Gotta consider the source . . . . .
You said: “And then there will be those future costs as government keeps growing and demanding more of our taxes, $90 won’t be enough and you know it.”
Admitting, as I read it, that the $90 is it, correct?
And demonstrating, further, that you don’t function on any sort of rational grounding where taxation is concerned. 90$ for a year’s worth of local public services is quite reasonable. But all you can do is ignore that … and rant about what might come to pass in the future.
And you are still further irrational. Because, if the $190 got you expanded public services, i.e., county-wide wi-fi, universal after-school care, universal health care … well, that would be a deal too.