5 ms·

What are they hiding? That is what I would think. It isn't about him being a libertarian, but rather the township doesn't want oversight.

seventytwo 5y ago
Was just about to post this. It’s suspicious. I wonder who this CPA is that they hire… someone who can cook books?
- EvRev 5y ago
  Now I am interested in who the CPA is. Wonder if he is taking new clients? What other interests does he represent? If I was in this situation I would want to talk directly to the CPA to try and understand the situation a lot more.
  - the_lonely_road 5y ago
    No CPA is going to discuss anything at all about a client with any 3rd party unless legally compelled.
    - arcticfox 5y ago
      In this case, I'm pretty sure the elected auditor would count as part of the "client" unless there was some seriously shady business going on.
- monkeydreams 5y ago
  Probably more that they can control the scope of any audit the CPA firm manages. The power to scope inquiry is often underestimated.
throwaway0a5e 5y ago
Probably massive amounts of wasteful spending that's dolled out in ways that are borderline graft. Cool toys for the PD, boondoggle projects assigned to politically connected contractors, etc, etc. Basically all the typical mismanagement you get somewhere that is either rich enough to afford it or dysfunctional enough nobody expects anything else.
irrational 5y ago
Graft. Skimming off the top. Stealing government funds. Expensing personal things on the government dime. Bribery. Etc.
- TideAd 5y ago
  Even if there's just a 10% chance of this, the OP should get ready for a genuine fight from these people (i.e. he needs a lawyer). They could be trying to protect themselves from jail time.
  - PedroBatista 5y ago
    I think he’s getting all he wants which is attention. The others probably are just your regular incompetent low effort skimmers from the top, but this guy is a douche with an axe to grind and completely unprepared for the job he’s signed up for.
reactspa 5y ago
Nepotism out the wazoo in much of America. In NYC, the police officer's son gets the police officer job, and the fireman's son gets the fireman job. They're considered plum jobs because they have good healthcare and early retirement. Personal anecdote: old professor married a young student. Got her to do a PhD. Got her a non-tenure track position with his department. Refused to retire until she was given his tenure track job. Said it openly. (Can you guess his subject? You guessed it: Philosophy.)
- AtlasBarfed 5y ago
  I keep reading that social mobility is far lower (and geographical is as well). A lot of that is probably the war/disenfranchisement on/of the Millenials. Nepotism is one way of protecting your children then. Why would Philo be particularly bad as nonrevenue humanities go? I'm shocked they grant tenure in humanities anymore, colleges are so morally bankrupt. I assume that is going to change very soon.
  - reactspa 5y ago
    I meant it more in the line of they teach ethics and morality, etc., and then do this.
  - reactspa 5y ago
    In defense of tenure: its function is to allow faculty to speak their mind. I believe in tenure. If you want to know what would happen without tenure, look at places such as Pakistan (technically a democracy, but basically nobody speaks their mind, including Supreme Court Justices).
    - AtlasBarfed 5y ago
      I too am not necessarily opposed to tenure, I was more remarking since the vampire management MBA class has inculcated themselves into "higher education" administration, they've gradually hollowed out the professorship class with adjuncts and the like. Humanities aren't generally "revenue" departments in terms of grants, so I'd assume they'd go after those with the usual union busting techniques (since tenure is kind of a distributed union). One trick corps did for unions was to have the established union workers "sell out" the incoming workers. So the old guard gets to keep sweet benefits, pay, seniority, while new hires did not. The people in charge of the unions and the existing base would drop that negotiation, but the management knew that attrition and age would phase out the union. I'm pretty sure institutions are doing this by increasing adjunct percentages and the like. Meanwhile, the professors with tenure turn a blind eye and as long as they keep their position, who cares about anyone else. Of course most of these people were... baby boomers.
orangepurple 5y ago
Kickbacks are the name of the game. Local officials in the Tampa area might have a tendency to get kickbacks from construction grantees.
throwawaygh 5y ago
I would love a coherent explanation for why the mid-sized accounting firm retained by the township for annual audits would risk their reputation and jail time to abet petty corruption in a teeny tiny township.
- amscanne 5y ago
  Do the CPAs actually have any fiduciary responsibilities, i.e. that the spending is prudent? My understanding is that they will attest that the books are an accurate and true accounting and they make no broader claims. The elected auditor may serve as a watchdog against actions that are against the taxpayers’ financial interests — even if CPAs and essentially policing accounting errors.
  - throwawaygh 5y ago
    CPAs conduct audits. The role of an elected auditor is to audit. If OP wants to weigh in on budgetary judgement -- aside from finding actual fraud -- he should run for supervisor. He'll need a bit more than a couple hundred votes.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]

seventytwo 5y ago

Was just about to post this. It’s suspicious. I wonder who this CPA is that they hire… someone who can cook books?

EvRev 5y ago
Now I am interested in who the CPA is. Wonder if he is taking new clients? What other interests does he represent? If I was in this situation I would want to talk directly to the CPA to try and understand the situation a lot more.
- the_lonely_road 5y ago
  No CPA is going to discuss anything at all about a client with any 3rd party unless legally compelled.
  - arcticfox 5y ago
    In this case, I'm pretty sure the elected auditor would count as part of the "client" unless there was some seriously shady business going on.
monkeydreams 5y ago
Probably more that they can control the scope of any audit the CPA firm manages. The power to scope inquiry is often underestimated.

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

Probably massive amounts of wasteful spending that's dolled out in ways that are borderline graft. Cool toys for the PD, boondoggle projects assigned to politically connected contractors, etc, etc. Basically all the typical mismanagement you get somewhere that is either rich enough to afford it or dysfunctional enough nobody expects anything else.

irrational 5y ago

Graft. Skimming off the top. Stealing government funds. Expensing personal things on the government dime. Bribery. Etc.

TideAd 5y ago
Even if there's just a 10% chance of this, the OP should get ready for a genuine fight from these people (i.e. he needs a lawyer). They could be trying to protect themselves from jail time.
- PedroBatista 5y ago
  I think he’s getting all he wants which is attention. The others probably are just your regular incompetent low effort skimmers from the top, but this guy is a douche with an axe to grind and completely unprepared for the job he’s signed up for.

reactspa 5y ago

Nepotism out the wazoo in much of America. In NYC, the police officer's son gets the police officer job, and the fireman's son gets the fireman job. They're considered plum jobs because they have good healthcare and early retirement. Personal anecdote: old professor married a young student. Got her to do a PhD. Got her a non-tenure track position with his department. Refused to retire until she was given his tenure track job. Said it openly. (Can you guess his subject? You guessed it: Philosophy.)

AtlasBarfed 5y ago
I keep reading that social mobility is far lower (and geographical is as well). A lot of that is probably the war/disenfranchisement on/of the Millenials. Nepotism is one way of protecting your children then. Why would Philo be particularly bad as nonrevenue humanities go? I'm shocked they grant tenure in humanities anymore, colleges are so morally bankrupt. I assume that is going to change very soon.
- reactspa 5y ago
  I meant it more in the line of they teach ethics and morality, etc., and then do this.
- reactspa 5y ago
  In defense of tenure: its function is to allow faculty to speak their mind. I believe in tenure. If you want to know what would happen without tenure, look at places such as Pakistan (technically a democracy, but basically nobody speaks their mind, including Supreme Court Justices).
  - AtlasBarfed 5y ago
    I too am not necessarily opposed to tenure, I was more remarking since the vampire management MBA class has inculcated themselves into "higher education" administration, they've gradually hollowed out the professorship class with adjuncts and the like. Humanities aren't generally "revenue" departments in terms of grants, so I'd assume they'd go after those with the usual union busting techniques (since tenure is kind of a distributed union). One trick corps did for unions was to have the established union workers "sell out" the incoming workers. So the old guard gets to keep sweet benefits, pay, seniority, while new hires did not. The people in charge of the unions and the existing base would drop that negotiation, but the management knew that attrition and age would phase out the union. I'm pretty sure institutions are doing this by increasing adjunct percentages and the like. Meanwhile, the professors with tenure turn a blind eye and as long as they keep their position, who cares about anyone else. Of course most of these people were... baby boomers.

orangepurple 5y ago

Kickbacks are the name of the game. Local officials in the Tampa area might have a tendency to get kickbacks from construction grantees.

throwawaygh 5y ago

I would love a coherent explanation for why the mid-sized accounting firm retained by the township for annual audits would risk their reputation and jail time to abet petty corruption in a teeny tiny township.

amscanne 5y ago
Do the CPAs actually have any fiduciary responsibilities, i.e. that the spending is prudent? My understanding is that they will attest that the books are an accurate and true accounting and they make no broader claims. The elected auditor may serve as a watchdog against actions that are against the taxpayers’ financial interests — even if CPAs and essentially policing accounting errors.
- throwawaygh 5y ago
  CPAs conduct audits. The role of an elected auditor is to audit. If OP wants to weigh in on budgetary judgement -- aside from finding actual fraud -- he should run for supervisor. He'll need a bit more than a couple hundred votes.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]