Monday, February 26, 2007
Lobbyists and the Delaware State Auditor
The News Journal has been running articles on how lobbyists influence Delaware State elected officials. Click here Lobbyists Let me say that I was pleased neither Representative from the Delmar District was written up too bad. Representative Clifford Lee received about $655 in lunches etc from Lobbyists and Senator Robert Venables received nothing. The Northern Delaware elected Representatives and Senators however must stood on a street corner begging Lobbyists for a handout.
Of greater concern to myself, as a retired accountant, is the amount the Delaware state Auditor R. Thomas Wagner accepted. The News Journal says he accepted $5,340 in gifts. Those gifts were listed as:
$250 for Chamber of Commerce Dinner
$250 for NCCC of Commerce Dinner w/spouse
$416 for Motorsports
$416 for Motorsports
$208 for NASCAR
$208 for NASCAR
$456 for nascar
$150 for Chamber Annual Dinner Ticket
$1,152 for Nascar tickets
$150 for Chamber Annual Dinner Ticket
$672 for NASCAR TICKETS
$852 for Nascar Tickets
$160 for Chamber Annual Dinner
Now an auditor should be independent and I just don't see one being independent if they are accepting gifts. Which state audit will be slanted or not performed because of these gifts? He is a disgrace to the profession because he accepted these items. I have contacted his office over the years to look into some the going ons of Delmar government but his office has always refused or ignored my requests. I will probably have another request to the state audit department coming up shortly, so maybe I should include $50 cash attached to my request to see if it handled this time.
In Delmar, over the years, I have had issues with the Town's auditing firms because of shit like this. When the Town was looking for it's first computer system we contracted with the then current town audit firm to assist us in finding the correct one for the town. It turned out the audit firm, besides being paid by the town, told the computer vendors they expected a 2% fee of whatever the town purchased as a finder fee. How independent was that firm?
Just as bad is the non elected State employees accepting gifts. Click here Non Elected Gifts Among those listed were;
Superior Court Judge Calvin L. Scott Jr
Chief Justice Myron T. Steele
Justice Henry duPont Ridgely
Deputy State Treasurer Ann Visalli
Deborah J. Messina
Joy C. Bower, assistant secretary of the state Senate
Thomas M. Jarrett, state Department of Technology and Information
Of greater concern to myself, as a retired accountant, is the amount the Delaware state Auditor R. Thomas Wagner accepted. The News Journal says he accepted $5,340 in gifts. Those gifts were listed as:
$250 for Chamber of Commerce Dinner
$250 for NCCC of Commerce Dinner w/spouse
$416 for Motorsports
$416 for Motorsports
$208 for NASCAR
$208 for NASCAR
$456 for nascar
$150 for Chamber Annual Dinner Ticket
$1,152 for Nascar tickets
$150 for Chamber Annual Dinner Ticket
$672 for NASCAR TICKETS
$852 for Nascar Tickets
$160 for Chamber Annual Dinner
Now an auditor should be independent and I just don't see one being independent if they are accepting gifts. Which state audit will be slanted or not performed because of these gifts? He is a disgrace to the profession because he accepted these items. I have contacted his office over the years to look into some the going ons of Delmar government but his office has always refused or ignored my requests. I will probably have another request to the state audit department coming up shortly, so maybe I should include $50 cash attached to my request to see if it handled this time.
In Delmar, over the years, I have had issues with the Town's auditing firms because of shit like this. When the Town was looking for it's first computer system we contracted with the then current town audit firm to assist us in finding the correct one for the town. It turned out the audit firm, besides being paid by the town, told the computer vendors they expected a 2% fee of whatever the town purchased as a finder fee. How independent was that firm?
Just as bad is the non elected State employees accepting gifts. Click here Non Elected Gifts Among those listed were;
Superior Court Judge Calvin L. Scott Jr
Chief Justice Myron T. Steele
Justice Henry duPont Ridgely
Deputy State Treasurer Ann Visalli
Deborah J. Messina
Joy C. Bower, assistant secretary of the state Senate
Thomas M. Jarrett, state Department of Technology and Information
# posted by Howard @ 8:49 AM 
