[imc-st.louis] Greens successfully petition for State audit of City

[Fitzdon at aol.com]

http://stlamerican.com/articles/2007/10/05/business/local_business/business02.txt

Local Business

Greens successfully petition for State audit of City

Thursday, October 4, 2007 8:05 AM CDT

Questions about lead program widen to include other concerns

Don Fitz For the St. Louis American

The call for an audit of the City of St. Louis instigated by the Green Party 
of St. Louis will be going forward, as Missouri Auditor Susan Montee has 
certified 7,715 of the 10,842 signatures turned in as valid. Missouri law requires 
that a citizens’ petition for a municipal audit have enough valid signatures 
to equal 5 percent of those who voted for governor in the most recent election, 
which in this case was 7,192 signatures.

Efforts to provoke an audit began in late 2006, when members of the Green 
Party became concerned that the City had not given full disclosure of where 
childhood lead poisoning prevention money was being spent.

“The City of St. Louis has one of the best lead programs in the country,” 
City spokesman Ed Rhode said of the audit. “We welcome the scrutiny of a State 
audit.”

However, chief petitioner Daniel Romano said, “The issue has now gone far 
beyond lead poisoning dollars.”

During the petitioning drive, the Greens were joined by a variety of groups, 
each with its own reason for wanting an audit. The teachers’ union Local 420 
wanted to know how much money was being used to clean up lead from schools. 
Elected school board members asked about tax dollars the City of St. Louis may 
owe the school system.

The Citizens Coalition to Fight Eminent Domain Abuse wanted to know the 
whereabouts of HUD grant money that should have been used to repair homes that were 
later blighted and taken from owners by eminent domain. The Coalition Against 
Police Crimes and Repression asked why money has not been available to fund a 
Civilian Oversight Board for the Police Department.

“My top priority is to protect the taxpayers’ dollars and to make sure 
taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. Therefore, I welcome State Auditor Susan Montee 
and her staff,” Comptroller Darlene Green said.

“I believe the State audit can be positive for our city, and my staff is 
ready to assist the State in any way possible.”

The proposed audit has brought out the grassroots with their many questions 
about the City and its business.

“Since people have heard that there is going to be an audit, we have been 
getting calls and emails every day making suggestions for what needs to be looked 
at,” said Susie Parker, outreach coordinator for the Green Party.

“People heard that the auditors might be checking on the police department 
and told us to ask the total amount of evidence that has been stolen from police 
vaults, how much the City spends on legal costs for police-abuse cases and 
the total costs of court settlements for police-abuse cases.”

Block grants, she said, are another concern.

“We need to know how much money was spent in each ward so we can find out if 
as many jobs are being created in North St. Louis as in the Central West End,” 
Parker said.

The Greens said the audit should begin with a specification of sources and 
expenditures of all Departments, Divisions and Commissions of the City of St. 
Louis, all “County” offices in the City, the police and fire departments and 
the airport.

In late October, Romano, Parker and several other petitioners will meet with 
Thomas Kremer, CPA, director of Local Government Audits for the State Auditor’
s office. They will indicate their interests for issues to be addressed by the 
audit.

Residents with suggestions for what the audit should examine can e-mail 
fitzdon at aol.com or call 314-727-8554. Tips may be given anonymously.

Don Fitz is co-coordinator of the Gateway Greens.








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