LOUISVILLE AUDIT IS IN: BAD NEWS JERRY

The audit by Crit Luallen is done and it does not bode well for our Mayor Abramson. All I can say is good job Crit! This audit is just the beginning of the end of the Abramson lining his pocket political career. Or one can hope anyway.

Due to a full schedule I will have limited time today to actually crunch the whole report so you can read the CJ article on the audit here: Audit of city raises questions about disaster aid courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal or visit Jake Payne, who always has the time to do a page by page, here www.thevillevoice.com

From the CJ.

Luallen’s letter pointed out several questionable practices, including:

* Agreeing to let the Cordish Co. of Baltimore, operator of 4th Street Live, to use a $950,000 loan assigned for one project to another — the cost of converting an old bowling alley on Fourth Street into a sports club — without requiring a right-to-audit clause in the agreement.

* Allowing two top administration officials — Jane Driskell, then the city’s chief financial officer, and then-Deputy Mayor Rick Johnstone, to receive accrued vacation payouts when they retired for 20 days more than the maximum allowed by city policy.

* Noting that required daily animal inventories at Metro Animal Services were not taken. It also found that 134 animals were unaccounted for in May 2009 and that the shelter on Manslick Road was often overcrowded with stray animals. The city currently has under construction a new animal-adoption center.

* The city created a “vendor pool” of companies to perform specialized work for the city, instead of bidding individual jobs and awarding the work to the lowest or best bid, as required by state purchasing regulations.

Do these issues look familiar?

You will note that I have been involved with these issues forever. I have researched, written, and brought these questions to the public. Because of this I have been labeled many things including troublemaker, malcontent, well you get the drift. And no I am not whining about it it is expected when you do the work I do.

The point is that this audit reinforces everything I have been stating and researching for years in some cases. The sad part is that no one would take the initiative to force this idiot into accountability BEFORE he decided not to run for reelection as Metro Mayor.

Abramson has been coddled and protected his whole career and now that he decides to end this stage of it everyone finally gets involved. How much has he cost each of us during his regime? And yes it is his regime. How many millions have been lost or pocketed for Abramson and his cronies?

We may never know the full scope of that but at least we now know part of what he has been up to. And don't forget his Metro Council machine Democrats many of which have benefited from his strong arm as well. All of which also have approved every budget put before them blindly without any oversight whatsoever or even so much as reading the details.

These Council members were elected to represent us and they did not even hold Abramson accountable. That is what happens when you blindly follow others for personal power but that is another story on another day at this point.

It is time to get rid of the incumbents on the Council and begin anew. For myself Abramson gone and a new Council will be the way to begin fulfilling the "Possibility City" slogan we are labeled with.

Eventually the truth will out in all things. Personally? I feel somewhat vindicated by these results but I also understand this is just the beginning.

There is plenty more to come from this train wreck of Abramson's.

Your thoughts?