What Happened to All of That Audit Expertise Louise?
September 10, 2008 by Cato
Filed under Maryland, Media, Salisbury Politics
What happens when you take a reporter who doesn’t care about her job, a Mayor with no regard for the truth, and a City Council President who is both incompetent and untrustworthy? If you were at Monday night’s Salisbury City Council meeting you get an audit that will be on time.
Needless to say, that won’t happen – despite the false claims of Mayor Barrie Tilghman, Councilwoman Louise Smith, Finance Chief Pam Oland AND the Daily Times‘ own Laura D’Alessandro. In another instance of trying to put some lipstick on that pig known as the Tilghman administration, the public is being told that this year’s audit will be on time. True to form, this is not true.
According to the city’s charter, the audit is to be completed no later than November 1. This is also required by state law. Since the state is kind enough to grant extensions, people like Tilghman, Smith and Oland seem to believe that the audit is “on time” as long as the state hasn’t threatened court action.
Another “cause” is that there are new audit standards this year. It doesn’t matter that the city has had years of warning. It’s the tax analogy again. If the city’s taxpayers all decided to pay their taxes as many days late as the city completes and presents its audit, do you think that they could get by without penalties? HELL NO!
True to form, Louise Smith wouldn’t allow any substantive discussion of the audit process. When Councilwoman Debbie Campbell attempted to ask a meaningful question, the “Princess” tried to gavel her down.
We need to remember that until she was coached on issues other than the audit, CANDIDATE Louise Smith could only whine about the audit being late. Now that she has sold her shriveled soul to Tilghman and Councilman Gary Comegys, she won’t allow any meaningful discussion on the matter.
In all fairness, the new auditor appears to be doing an adequate job. The fact that they will be at least 45 days late starting their field work is the fault of the city. IF they are actually able to deliver a signed opinion AND management letter prior to December 31 I will be impressed.
Unfortunately, Smith will not commit to any date for presenting the audit to the public. This is probably because Tilghman will want to browbeat the auditors into toning down any negative language in either the opinion or management letter.
As we fade into Barrieland we do know a few things about the city’s audit:
- We won’t know the true state until AT LEAST two months after the state mandated deadline for the audit’s completion.
- Once again, Trice Geary is having to balance the city’s checkbook for them.
- We have no idea when the public will be allowed access to a public document.
Welcome to Barrieland – the land where all truth is relative and incompetence is rewarded (as long as you say, “Yes Barrie”).
