Where does the buck stop Mayor Ragsdale?
For some time citizens of Knox County have wondered if County Mayor Mike Ragsdale was the Emperor with no clothes. No matter what kind of mistake was made on the western end of the sixth floor of the City County Building or how serious that mistake is, it is always passed off as some trivial issue such as a bookkeeping mistake or clerical error. The news is always given by an underling and along with a positive quote from the County Mayor.
One Knox County taxpayer has had enough. Lewis Cosby called and talked with the County Mayor on the Hallerin Hill radio program on WNOX and questioned the Mayor Ragsdale for several minutes about the P-Card (purchasing credit card) abuse from the Mayor and his staff as well as the travel expenses for the Mayor, his Chief of Staff Mike Arms, Senior Communications Director Dwight Van de Vate and Chief Financial Officer John Werner. Mayor Ragsdale was very positive and upbeat. When Lewis Cosby asked the Mayor if a person could examine the P-Card statements and receipts Mayor Ragsdale said, “Come on up anytime, I’ve never met you, I like to have a chance to talk to you, swing by someday.”
WBIR reports that Lewis Cosby did exactly that. In a television interview with WBIR Mr. Cosby, a former CPA who at one time audited Knox County government, expressed his shock with what he had found. Lewis Cosby said, “In all my career, these records as to expenditures and lack of documentation is some of the worst I have ever seen. Records are missing, receipts are missing, entire statements for certain people are missing.”
Lewis Cosby compiled a list of 59 questions about the P-Cards plus more about the Hospitality Account. Mr. Cosby says the Hospitality Account is negative and has been negative for two years. He can’t understand why the Mayor kept spending.
You can watch the Lewis Cosby interview on WBIR here.
Spokesman Dwight Van de Vate released this statement on Tuesday evening:
“At this point, the records in the Mayor’s Office are probably the most closely scrutinized records ever maintained by Knox County and everyone recognizes that there are places where improvement is needed. Obviously we don’t shy away from scrutiny.”
Mr. Van de Vate’s statement wears no clothes.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:03 am
Check this out.
Lorna Norwood, Deputy Director of Communications for Ragsdale, said in today’s Sentinel:
Really? So a company gives $5000 to pay for brochures to the Hospitality Fund, that money is used to party and wine and dine Commissioners and reporters, then when it comes time to print the brochures taxpayer money is used. Then AFTER they get caught they transfer money from the
slushHospitality Fund back to Knox County and call it a “BOOKKEEPING ERROR.”The correct term is felony theft. Why have these people not been arrested?
From David Creekmore, the Deputy County Law Director Part I
From David Creekmore, the Deputy County Law Director Part II
Want to see the “Lifestyles of the Elected and Famous?”
KNOX COUNTY DISCRETIONARY HOSPITALITY FUND
Sounds like John Owings is fed up.
Knox County Law Director John Owings says he would like to see the state comptrollers office conduct it’s own independent audit of questionable expenditures in Knox County.