The news that
Eric Berry is leaving in 5 days to accept a position elsewhere should surprise
no one. In 4 months there will be, thank
goodness, a new administration, and if the most likely Mayor will be Adrian Mapp the chances of
Berry being reappointed would be little better than that proverbial snowball in
hell. He and Mapp have had clashes in the past.
If one were
to speculate the only Department head that merits retention would be Eric
Jackson of Public Works and Urban Development. Indeed Jackson could be a good
City Administrator. The fly in that ointment is the fact that Jackson has been
mentioned as one of nest year’s potential candidates for Mayor of Trenton.
Unfortunately,
our Mayor will still have three months to exercise her unique brand of
municipal fiscal management. There will be still time for the now puppet
majority on the Council to turn their backs on her manipulations with the
approved budget.
There are members
still on the Council who felt that a costly fuss was being made over a matter
of $20,000.00 and who agreed to pay for her legal expenses when she sued the
Council (and the City). These same individuals will have no problem with her
spending $4,000.00 of funds from the Recreation on an event which she sponsored
that was not in the budget nor received Council approval.
Every year
the Council notes that it has received the Auditors report and recommendations
from the previous fiscal year. Every year it has approved a plan for resolving
the defects found by the Auditor; and every year the same problems continued to
exist uncorrected.
Yesterday I
posted some of the Auditor’s recommendations. Three more uncorrected errors are
noted in this year’s report for 2012:
(1) An internal monthly procedure for
reconciliation of the general ledger was not performed. The City did not comply
with N.J.A.C 5:30-5.7 in that the General Ledger balances did not agree to bank
reconciliations and subsidiary records such as the tax proof; revenue ledger,
budget expenditure ledgers, check registers, etc.”
(2) The City
has not reported the actuarial determined liabilities of its other Post
Employment Benefits (OPEB) as required---.
(3)The financial
records were not updated during SFY 2012 for fixed assets purchases and
retirements.
All the
above could suggest that irregularities in the use of city funds could occur
undetected. There have been unfilled essential post that deal with finances for most of this administration. The Council has not consistently pushed for those positions to be filled.
The Auditor's
annual report is not a forensic document since it is just based on data
supplied by the city. To go into a detail examination would be a costly
procedure but perhaps it will be worthwhile.
Perhaps a forensic audit would be worth it ?? Oh Doc, for the laugh factor alone it will be worth it.
ReplyDeleteI know that the blogosphere is all a-twitter with the prospect of a more perfect government under Mapp, but like Obama, there's just so much one demigod can do. I doubt that more than a half of these recurring issues will be resolved in the next four years. The most important one, however, is facing up to the post-employment liabilities. That's what's sunk Detroit and might just sink us.
ReplyDelete8:20 am This blogger is only a-twitter with the prospect that finally this era of unchallenged by my own rules personal government will be over. But remember a Politician is always a politician. We do not expect a demigod but just someone who could bring organization out of chaos.
ReplyDeleteDoc I know you will eat these words under the next administration no matter who they may be
ReplyDelete10:09AM Which words? The next Mayor unless there is a surprise coalition will be Mapp. He will organize all the functions of administration. However,he is a politician who must have plenty of IOUs in his baggage. It will be an interesting year with a Council that could be unfriendly or be good party members.
ReplyDeleteAdrian will have the City of Plainfield full of people other than the residents of the City of Plainfield. He will also so a lot of wasteful spending I will bet you that
ReplyDelete4:22 PM: Commonsense would dictate that it is better to have top administrative and financial positions filled by the most qualified available people. Certainly a less qualified person should not be employed just because he lives in the city and votes the ticket.
ReplyDelete