My dear friends, if you read the Modesto BEE story published on Wednesday, May 26th, you would find on the front page of Section B, a story about a very clever city council. You may have read my previous messages regarding the looting of the Water Enterprise Fund to buy software for the Internet Technology Fund. Well, the BEE story is enchanting and properly fantastic, and I commend it to your amusement.
It seems that the council DID decide to buy the 75% discounted Oracle software, obviously the very best and most current version of their showcase software. This is to replace what the mayor calls “...the city’s computer technology out of the ‘dark ages’.” I wonder, why did they wait till the financial software totally fell apart to the extent that they have, by their own admission, no capacity to plan or report financial data. I guess they waited until the patient was dead so what ever they did could be seen as an upgrade......
In any case, the REAL problem was how to pay for a $7,400,000 dollar system. To her credit, Kristin Olsen, re-elected last November but currently running for Assembly, voted against the expenditure, because she wanted assurances that no money would be looted from the Water Fund. She received no such assurance. In fact, the Finance Director pretty much told her that the Water Fund would eventually be looted, but not today. (Read the article.)
Here’s the deal. The city is broke, and so is the ITF. So, they will “borrow” $3 Million from the “employee benefits fund”. In addition, “...money will be taken from other city funds that can be used to help pay for the system.” Gee, I wonder WHICH OTHER FUND does the finance director mean? Does Mrs. Olsen FORGET that she voted 2 weeks ago to take money from the Water Fund? (See attached) Does she not connect the dots? Who is she kidding? Who is the Finance Director kidding? Who is the City Manager kidding? Who is the council kidding??????????????????????????
My friends, the STA has been telling you for 15 years that Modesto is VERY badly mismanaged. Moreover, the council and the appointed city bureaucrats are playing us for fools. The looting of the Water Fund was already approved. Olsen and the council approved it. Do we think the bureaucrats who depend on the “employee benefits fund”, will stiff THEIR OWN BENEFIT FUND???? Of course not! They already know that they WILL steal, oh, I mean “transfer” Water Fund money to repay the “loan”. That is already a done deal.
Do you see why it is so important to recruit council candidates from your district who will represent YOU, not the Downtown Crowd? Do you see why we must replace the sock puppets with real neighbors, who will be responsive to you, not cow tow to the bureaucrats? We must take back our city. It is up to you.
Thank you, Dave
