Wiseman on Bonusgate: What’s Up Doc?
KPRC has posted to their website that council member Addie Wiseman has issued a press statement asking, in effect, What’s Up, Doc? (Adobe pdf file, reader available here.) She’s not pulling any punches.
. . .I have great concern over the manner in which City Council has been left virtually in the dark on the matter of the previously disclosed payroll irregularities. . . It is unacceptable to dismiss the inquiries made by members of Council and to expect that media reports are sufficient sources of information on this matter.
Actually, I’ve got greater concern over how the citizens are being left in the dark; this is one case where I can definately say the public should know everything the council does. Which is not to say, almost nothing, the current state of affairs.
She then goes on to pose some difficult questions, that I wager we’re going to see a lot of fumbling around, and inconclusive answers to.
Specifically, I pose the following questions: What prompted this investigation? What is the current status of this investigation? What timeline may be expected for its completion? Why has the District Attorney not been asked to take part in this investigation? . . . In what manner are you proposing for City council to make up the difference in the proposed and actual state of the budget?
(Emphasis added.)
The bolded question is the important one. The DA is the one charged with prosecuting any crimes against the public interest. So why is he sitting back on his fundament, wating on the OIG to hand to him whatever it chooses to? Without DA investigators looking into the matter on their own, Chuck Rosenthal will have no idea if the report has any, er, omissions in it. Could it be that, when it comes to the public interest, the DA has no interest? He’s responsible for the prosecution of crime, not “all crime except that involving the City of Houston.”
But now, the knives come out!
I do not wish to appear insensitive to the plight of my colleague, but we, as office holders of the City of Houston have the responsibility to ensure proper accountability of the taxpayers’ funds.
Whamo!!! “Now that I’ve reminded everyone you suck, Ms. Alvarado; ‘Thank you, please drive through.’”
Thank you in advance for your prompt reply.
Here’s hoping it’s more prompt than the ones the public have been getting.