Riddle me this, Bat-readers . . . when is a job done? Is it when the person performing the task says so, or when the person(s) paying the bill say so?
On the bequest of Orion Township taxpayers I have to ask questions. Before I get to that, I ask you to forgive me, cuz it’s gonna’s sound like I am a Johnny-come-lately, kicking salt in an already open, festering sore. But, as a lifelong watcher of Detroit Lions football, I have become quite adept at Monday morning quarterbacking, and sometimes festering wounds need a little salt to clean ’em so the healing can begin.
I read last week Orion Township hired/paid the Whall Group $26,000 for a forensic audit of a certain investment debacle from 2005.
For those who don’t know, the Whall Group, was ‘founded to combat white-collar fraud,? and ‘has over 130 years of cumulative professional experience in conducting forensic examinations and investigations, providing turnaround management consulting services, providing merger and acquisition support, conducting corporate and labor compliance reviews, and in carrying out Court mandates as a Federal Monitor.?
Wow. Big guns.
The audit was completed this past March and … well . . . that was that. There were no conclusions, no public presentations, no nothing except lots of pages of interviews with township employees, officials and anybody else who wished to talk.
For those not living in Orion (like me) here is some background. The investing which caused the audit was done by a hired person, who happened to be the daughter-in-law of the township treasurer. The township had an extra eight million taxpayer dollars to risk and actually made almost a half million with the investment.
The problem, at the time of the investment, it was not a type of investment allowed under township doctrine. But, that was taken care of by the township board by amending, after the fact, township rules. Some day when I grow up, I hope to change rules to make whatever I do not wrong.
First question: Where’s the rub? The township’s gamble paid off, they made $447,000. And, since they amended the rules, the money is already in the bank collecting even more interest. That’s a sweet deal!
Question 2: When and how is the $447,000 going to be given back to taxpayers? Maybe this coming year there can be no raise in property values/taxes. See, I come baring not only gripes, but also with helpful suggestions.
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In further researching the issue, I found some on the township board were none too happy the treasurer’s daughter-in-law received $60,000 in commissions from making the township $447,000. I was also told, to her credit, the treasurer told the board what had happened, before the Big Guns where hired for $26,000 to tell the board what they already knew.
Question 3: Why was Whall hired?
Question 4: Hey, the next time the township needs to hire somebody to ‘investigate? and interview folks, can they hire me? I am, after all, a highly trained and skilled member of the 4th Estate (elite, journalistic media). I promise not to charge more than $15,000. And, I will type up a verbatim of interviews, just like Whall did, and offer common sense recommendations, just like Whall did.
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Well, like I said, the report by Whall was completed this past March and that was that. No report, no conclusions, no public presentation to taxpayers. It just ended, and were it not for Lake Orion Review editor Colin Baumgartner the 2005 ‘debacle? of earning $447,000 from investing would be left untouched. Were it not for Colin daring to ask the question, ‘Was the audit worth it?? the 2006 debacle of hiring an investigator for $26,000 to report nothing new would have quietly been hushed, too.
So, since the township obviously doesn’t want to make a presentation or conclusion, my open letter to the Whall Group follows:
Dear Whall Group fellows and fellowettes,
What would it take for you to write a conclusion, and executive summary of events from the Orion Township investigation. And, what would it take to make a presentation of facts, findings, conclusions, recommendations to the folks who paid you, the taxpayers of Orion?
Do conclusions like I requested cost more, if so, what? And, since we’re asking questions — what was your understanding of the intended purpose of your investigation?
And lastly, what wasn’t made public and why?
Sincerely, Don Rush