Listening to news of criminal charges and a guilty plea related to the American election and the lecher in the White House and writing a post.
I recall Richard Nixon's solemn statement on TV __-"The American People have a right to know their President is not a crook"
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Americans now know Richard Nixon was a crook. He was lying in his teeth while staring intently into the camera.
Years later ,the swindling, lying, lecher currentlyin the White House is doing the same--- only onTwitter instead of TV.
In Washington,Ottawa ,Aurora and Toronto, much is about what people choose to believe.
Honesty can not be taken for granted in any sector of society.
Last week, the talk was about a " salacious dossier" compiled on the Republican candidate____initiated by Republicans____picked up and partly paid for by Democrats.
How payment was made caught my attention.Lawyers working for the campaign paid the retired
British spy who compiled the dossier,then invoiced the Democrats. Does this soundlike political
intrigue and master spy fiction. It even has essential components of sex and a dark secret no-one wants to talk about.
I digress. It's hard not to. Back to the point.
Private resources were use to pay for research engaged for political purpose.
In Aurora, a public relations firm was hired by lawyer John Mascarin to manage the fallout from the Integrity Commissioner's decision in 2007. Mascarinpaid the fee then invoiced the town for the expenditure.
Public funds financed an attempted political cover-up.
As a Councillor,I knew nothing of the contract expenditure until Mascarin's files were subpoenaed
during the litigation.
The cover-up was not authorised by Council. Nor could it have been.
Town Treasurer ,like the Clerk, is a Statutary Office. It carries legal authority and responsibility for ensuring only legitimate payments are made from town treasury.
Annual audits are required by law for the same purpose and intent.
So....the relevant inquiry is, how was that fee paid from town funds. The expenditure was
not authorized by Council.
John Mascarin is a municipal lawyer. He was first introduced to Aurora Council by Bob Panizza ,
Town clerk. The two worked together in the Town of Markham, one on his way up, the other on
his way.
Are public funds still being so carelessly disbursed ?
If the answer is no... and it should be and likely is...what checks and balances. would stop it now
that didn't stop it then? How many hundreds of thousands of dollars flowed from town coffers for
Inappropriate purpose ?
How can we be sure it won't ever happen again?
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2 comments:
One of the reasons these things can be done is because there is plenty of money to go around. If the money is there it only requires imagination to co-mingle receipts, cook a deal, or simply have invoices altered to fit the right category.
The Town recently increased the amount that staff can spend without councils approval. Can't remember what the amount was, but you kind of wonder if these funds are used for shenanigans on occasion.
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