Allegations Of Corruption: The ANC Edition
Not again. :(
Few things are more disappointing than reading about elected officials violating the trust of those who supported them. Including some information regarding the current corruption scandal surrounding the finances of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5B. This story first broke a few months back, including video from a news report. The Chairperson of 5B (who has since resigned) is accused of misappropriating over $30,000 from the ANC's bank account. The treasurer at the time admits she was asleep at the wheel. Go HERE to read Frozen Tropics account of what happened at last night's ANC 5B meeting and how this issue first came to light. The good news is that it appears that the ANC is taking steps to become more transparent, they will now be making their executive meetings open to the public. That's a good first step but as always, I am left to ask, "How was this able to happen - again?"
Before I go on another one of my famous rants let me first say that most Advisory Neighborhood Commissions are helmed by honest, capable, and financially responsible people who give selflessly for the better of the community. They deserve much appreciation and support and it is shameful when these things allegations of fraud happen to besmirch their many good deeds. I applaud most ANC Commissioners, they work long hours for little thanks and for no pay. They do it because they believe in their community but I would be remiss if I did not say the way the current system is set up leaves few options when ANC funds are misappropriated or mismanaged. The Office of the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions has no power to stop it, the Office of the DC Auditor is usually too late (and many dollars short) before realizing what happened and the Office of the Inspector General pushes the responsibility to someone else (who in turn pushes it off to someone else). Even if you go to a Council Member and persuade them to act the result is little more than words on a page - no one is held responsible. And in the meantime, money that could have been used to benefit the members of the community is gone.
It's a shame.
It's a waste.
It's been going on far too long.
If you are unfamiliar with the DC Auditors options when it comes to mismanagement let me give you an example purely for illustration purposes:
Commissioner X uses ANC funds to buy Teddy a $10,000 diamond dog collar (Teddy has expensive tastes).
DC Auditor doesn't find out about it until they do an audit (once every two years) or when the ANC financial reports are turned in (whichever comes first and sometimes never).
DC Auditor finally gets hip to the scam and declares the $10,000 purchase invalid, DC Auditor then withholds $10,000 from the ANC's next stipend. DC Auditor may write a stern letter advising Commissioner X not to be a naughty boy anymore and may or may not refere the matter to the Office of Inspector General or the D.C. Attorney General for further review but pretty much their options are exhausted.
Notice anything? The members of the commission are now short changed out of $20,000! The first $10,000 to buy the diamond dog collar and the second $10,000 that was withheld from the future allotment. If you think this wouldn't really happen think again and before you ask, Commissioner X is continuing to serve because no one in DC government has the ability to make him resign. The only course of action if he refuses to resign is for voters to successfully mount a recall or to elect a new commissioner in the next term.
Sounds crazy? It is.
Long time readers of CHotR are familiar with the many questions surrounding ANC 8C and the $900 a month office rent payments -- payments for an empty and unused office that hasn't had a working phone for years. The Advoc8te and members of her neighborhood have been sounding the alarm for years over allegations of mismanagment and misapproprianting of ANC 8C funds and nothing (and I mean nothing has been done). Despite the criminal history of at least two of the commissioners at the time regarding financial malfeasance the DC government didn't really do much other than right a report that went nowhere. In 2009, the DC Auditor uncovered some financial shenanigans in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7A, including a treasurer writing checks for cash - for herself.
The money keeps being wasted and the people responsible in the DC government for it's safekeeping do nothing about it -- at least until it makes the news and by then it is usually too late.
I have said it once and I will say it again. If anyone is looking to do an investigative story on waste of tax payer funds all hey have to do is pull the ANC reports from the DC Auditor's website and they have their story. The truly tragic part of all of this is that the community loses faith in the system and comes to accept (if not expect) these violations of trust. How can you expect people to report waste and fraud when nothing really happens when it is reported? How can you expect an honest commissioner to stand up and speak out when they suspect fraud when nothing happens? Most of the ANC Commissioners around the city are people with integrity but they are fighting a losing battle with DC agencies when it comes to accountablility.
The DC government needs to reform the system to give ANCs the tools and the support to manage their tax payer funded stipends efficiently and effectively and be more proactive in preventing fraud.
We can't afford not to.
I write all of this (again) with the total and complete understanding that nothing significant is going to happen. Some members of the media may link to this post (again), some citizens may express their rage in the comments section (again), and maybe a DC agency or Council Member may weigh in with promises to "look into it" (again) but nothing is really going to happen and the cycle of waste, mismanagement, and theft will continue.
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