Highway Commissioner Slush fund uncovered by State Board of Accounts

A few months ago the County Highway Superintendent was allowed to retire while the department was said to be under investigation.  On December 5th the Indiana State Board of Accounts announced its findings.

Here are some the overview:

RECEIPTS NOT RECORDED OR DEPOSITED 

Ronald N. Quakenbush, County Highway Superintendent, was responsible for the operations of the Highway Department.  Among the duties of the Highway Superintendent is the removal and disposal of old culverts, guard rails, and other items of salvageable materials. 

The normal process for disposal of these items was to haul them to various recycling companies.  The truck drivers, at the time of delivery of the scrap, would receive either cash or vouchers.  If they received vouchers, they would immediately turn them into cash at the machines provided at the recycling company, and then, the receipts along with the cash, were given to the Highway Superintendent.  

The Highway Superintendent was to turn the monies received into the County Auditor to be deposited into the County's bank account and recorded in the County Highway Fund. There were allegations made by some of the employees of the Highway Department that not all monies received from the sale of this scrap metal were being turned into the County Auditor.  

They stated they would bring the receipts from the recycling companies and the cash to the Highway Superintendent and he would put some of the money into a locked drawer in a filing cabinet in the Highway office.  According to these employees, there was a significant amount of cash in the drawer at all times.  These employees also stated on numerous occasions they would be given cash from that drawer to purchase items for the Highway Department and bring the receipts to the Superintendent.  

In some instances, the Highway Superintendent would then submit a claim, along with these receipts to the County Auditor for reimbursement, as if he had paid for these items personally.  In addition to the above allegations, they also  stated he would use money from the drawer to purchase candy, water, soft drinks, and ice cream and then sell them to the employees 

EXAMINATION REPORT OF FLOYD COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT


Mr. Quakenbush has been asked to repay the County $17,000

When Black Friday Comes

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I take a look at what has been referred to as "Black Friday":

WHEN BLACK FRIDAY COMES

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons have all been deflated and put into storage until next year.  The turkey has been consumed and the effects of the Tryptophan have worn off.  The dishes should all be cleaned and put away by now and the football games are all over with.  .Thanksgiving Day is officially over and the Christmas season has officially begun.  

Many Americans celebrate the start of the holiday season by waking up early and hitting the malls and the “big box” stores.  The stores have begun opening earlier and earlier while their door buster sales have gotten bigger.  News helicopters will hover over the stores to show those at home what they are missing including traffic jams, overflowing parking lots,  and lines that rap all the way around many of the stores.

Most of the big retailers use to wait until early morning to unlock the doors that had been closed while their employees and families enjoyed Thanksgiving with their loved ones.  This year they decided to get a jump on things by opening earlier than they ever have before.  Several retailers thought that instead of opening early Friday morning they could get a jump on things by opening their doors at midnight.  Not to be outdone, the leaders of Walmart made plans to open at 10 pm Thursday evening with staggered start times for various deals that they were promoting.

When the retailer Target announced that they would be opening at midnight it set off a backlash from some of their employees.   One Target employee decided to make a stand when he realized he would have to go to bed in the middle of the afternoon in order to wake up and go to work.  With a little help from FACEBOOK he gathered over 190,000 signatures on a petition and hand delivered them to executives in Minneapolis.  

Some people wonder why the stores continue to open earlier and earlier each year?  The reason is fairly simple, if customers continue to shop earlier, they will continue to open.  If there was no demand, they would just open at normal hours with normal sales for normal people.

I work for a retailer that is open every day of the year.  Many of the locations, including the one where I work for have no different hours on any Holiday.  We stay open 24 hours 365 days a year and we never close.  I wouldn’t even know where to find a key if I had to try to lock the door.  When people have asked why we stay open, the powers that be always have the same answer, because of the customers.  Some people have said that it is wrong to be open on Christmas, for many stores in our chain, that is by far, the busiest day of their year.

Many people that I have talked to have said they would never get out in that mess.  If “Black Friday” is not your cup of tea, the next day is “Small businees Saturday”. Conceived last year by the American Express credit card company, to spur gift buying at neighborhood stores.  This year Fed-Ex donated $25 American Express Gift Cards to the first 30,000 people who “liked” their FACEBOOK page on November 1st.    So American Express, Fed-Ex and FACEBOOK have joined forces to get more people to shop at small business.

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY: FACEBOOK

Studies have shown that when you shop at locally owned independent businesses significantly more money is returned to the community in which they are based.  Local independent business owners are  people with ties to the community, and a vested interested on what goes on here.  Local business owners generally hire employees with better knowledge of the products they are peddling and usually have more time to get to know their customers. 

What if fewer people woke up early and rushed out to local malls and “big box” retailers on Friday?  What if you just slept in and waited until normal people shop and find a local independent business to spend a portion of your Christmas dollars.  If   a significant number of people could make a simple lifestyle choice it would have a huge impact on the community that we live.  Maybe someday the big businesses can open at a reasonable hour and their employees can enjoy the holidays with their families.

Facing some Critiques

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I take a look at the comments that people have posted concerning some recent columns that I have written:

FACING SOME SOME CRITIQUES

As a writer of a weekly opinions column I appreciate any feedback that I receive.  I believe by letting me know how you feel about a particular column will help me become a more talented writer.  The best way to communicate your admiration  or disdain for a particular article I write is to email me your response.  I read every email and try to respond to each.  It is the best way to communicate if you would like to discuss a particular topic.

Another way to express yourself is to write a comment on the online version of each of my columns.  While the tab you click “Add a comment on this story” is listed under a heading of “Discussion” it is not a very good vehicle for a constructive dialogue.  The comments are not posted in real time because they are scrutinized by a moderator for appropriateness.  It can be hours or even full days before your comment is seen so a discussion of the topic can be difficult.  

I try to read each of the comments that are posted online but I generally do not comment.  Today I would like to take some time to reply to some of the feedback that I have received.

A few weeks ago I wrote a column about the funding of our local parks department.

EVERYONE SHOULD PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE

  I was pointing out that the inequitable funding between the city and county governments and it was somehow turned around and I was being labeled a communist.  I was asking that county government at least live up to their agreement and pay an even share that the city pays.  I never said ‘from each according to his need’ as I was accused.

Another commenter “BOB” wrote “if you live in the county and pay more to the county coffers we should pay more to support city expenses.”  One of the problems with this statement is that city residents pay county tax at the same rate as those who live outside of city limits.  City residents also pay city taxes for the services that we receive.   That means that people who live within the boundaries of New Albany are paying twice.   I was only pointing out that the county leaders should pay a fair share, I wasn’t stating that people outside the city should pay any more.

The next column that received some attention was pertaining to the New Albany’s police chief and his decision to change the take home car policy to help shore up his budget.

POLICE UNION SHOULD WORK WITH CHIEF

 I was labeled  “a  part of the good ole boy network downtown.”  I just pointed out that Todd Bailey at least deserves a consideration in the new mayor’s administration because of his willingness to take steps to fix our budget needs.

Another commenter posted “What did he do before being chief…I bet that pretty boy has never been in a fight.”  I do not know much about what Todd Bailey did before becoming chief.  I was only making judgments based on his job performance as chief.  I also do not know if he has ever been in a fight and do not think that it has any relevance.  Maybe if he has never been in a fight it shows something of his character or skills in navigating a difficult decision.  The fact that he may or may not be a “pretty boy” has no bearing on his ability to lead the New Albany Police Department.

This brings me to last week’s “Cheer and Jeers” section in the November 12-13 News and Tribune.

CHEERS AND JEERS NOVEMBER 12-13

In her jeer, reader and perennial letter writer, Shirley Ann Larner stated that “when you commit to writing a column, you should write a real column.”  I take my commitment seriously and will continue  to strive to write columns that readers enjoy.  Everyone will not appreciate each column on the same level and I am sorry you didn’t like that particular column.  I appreciate the comment “I believe Nash is a talented writer” , Thank you.

I would like to thank everyone who reads my columns each week, even the ones who do not agree with me.  If everyone agreed with my opinions, what would be the point of writing them down.  If you would like to discuss a particular topic feel free to send an email, that is posted at the end of each column.  You can also go to my blog site MyFridayColumn.blogspot.com.  I plan to be more diligent in posting and updating there.

I look forward to continue to writing my weekly column as long as there is an audience to read.

The Future seems Brighter in New Albany

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN (which appears in the weekend edition of the News and Tribune due to the Veterans Day Holiday)  I take a look at the future of our city after the Municipal elections this week.

THE FUTURE SEEMS BRIGHTER IN NEW ALBANY

Jeff Gahan earlier this year as
as he kicked off his campaign 

The votes have all been counted and the winners have all been declared (pending a challenge from Floyd County Republicans).  Hopefully all of the signs have been packed away and will not return until late next spring. The election is over and we finally know who the new mayor of New Albany will be.  We also know who he will need to work with on the city council when the new year begins.  Now it is time to start planning for the future of our city.

Beginning on January 1st, 2012. Mayor-Elect Jeff Gahan had better be prepared to hit the ground running because the citizens of New Albany have a track record of turning on our leaders pretty quickly.  The President of the United States usually has an unofficial deadline of 100 days to make his mark on the American people, the mayor of New Albany usually gets called out by the time of the first snow storm.

Since 1970 only two people have ever been re-elected in New Albany.  We have a current streak of three straight single term mayors that were all first elected with a considerable margin.  Why have the citizens of New Albany been so quick to turn on the mayor that they elect while continuing to send the same people back to the city council?

Many of the candidates that ran in this year’s election talked of  more cooperation between the new mayor’s administration and the city council.  Over the last several year’s the animosity between the administration and the council had gotten so bad the mayor just quit going to council meetings at all.  With six of Mayor-elect Gahan’s colleagues on the city council surviving reelection he should have a good working relationship with the new council that will take the oath of office on New Year’s Day.

I look forward to a city council and an administration with a plan for cooperation instead of  the animosity that has been evident over the last several years.  As long as the campaign promises were not just rhetoric, the future of our city is looking better after this week’s election.  

What would a New Albany that is run with cooperation look like? 

I hope that it gets cleaner.  Stricter code enforcement with enforceable laws with teeth to get the job done.  If we could get the city to look a little nicer it would go a long way attracting people that would like to invest their money here.  Attracting new businesses and filling some of our vacant housing will help in expanding our tax base which will ease the burden of the citizens who already call New Albany their home. 

With the mayor and city council working together maybe the roads would get paved before pot holes that are capable of consuming small cars are visible.  The vote to approve this years plan to pave streets was taken at the last city council meeting.  Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense to approve the plan at the beginning of the year then wait to argue about it in fall and try to squeeze it in before the weather turns bad?  

If the new Mayor and city council members are willing to work together maybe the leaders in Floyd County will be willing to sit down and discuss more equitable funding of joint ventures like the NA-FC Parks Department and a combined 911 center.  Some people believe that the parks are less important than other things.  I argue that a thriving system of parks and recreation would go a long way in revitalizing the pride in the citizens of New Albany.  Maybe 2012 is the year that we can finally break ground on a new outdoor swimming facility.

Jeff Gahan probably hasn’t had enough time to relax since his election on Tuesday night.  He has a lot of work to do between now and the first of the year to assemble his team who will lead New Albany into the future.  I look forward to seeing what the Gahan administration has in store for us and wish him the best of luck.

In his acceptance speech Tuesday night after his landslide victory Mr. Gahan said“ when we all work together our minds become stronger and our future becomes much brighter.”   After every election there is always the idea of a brighter future ahead.  I look forward to that future and am proud to be a part of it.  

Police union should work with chief

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I discuss New Albany's chief of police and his decision to adjust the take home car policy and the Police unions challenge:

POLICE UNION SHOULD WORK WITH CHIEF


In early 2009 the fate of the economy was still in question and many companies were making adjustments or risk going out of business.  The company that I work for made the tough decision to eliminate overtime for all employees.  At the time everyone in my position was working at least four hours a week and some were working from seven to ten hours of overtime.  Many people had come to count on this extra money and believed that it was guaranteed to them.

Losing this overtime meant that many people at the company would lose from 10-20% of their annual salary virtually overnight.  Upper management justified their decision by saying that without this reduction in payroll would cause the loss of thousands of jobs in the future.  We don’t have a contract with our employer or a union to protect our interest.

Earlier this year New Albany’s Chief of Police Todd Bailey made the tough decision to change the department’s long standing policy concerning take home police cars.  Chief Bailey amended the policy so that members of the New Albany police department that lived outside of Floyd County would no longer be able to drive their patrol cars home.

When Chief Bailey announced his decision to change the policy he cited cost of fuel as his concern.  By the end of June of this year $114,000 of the $150,000 that was in the budget for fuel cost had already been spent.  I commend the Chief for his attempt to try to save his department and our city money by limiting the use of take home patrol cars.

As soon as the decision was made to change the take home car policy the union that represents the police officers filed a grievance.  Last week an arbitrator ruled for the union and forced the New Albany Police Department to reinstate the former policy and even pay damages to ten officers.  Now the Police Chief must find a way to make up the money in the Police Department budget another way.

The arbitrator in ruling in favor of the union cited a contractual obligation that all officers had to be treated equal in respect to their employment.  This means that they cannot take away the cars of some officers, without taking them away from everyone.  While I support the union and their right to collective bargaining, I believe that they are wrong on this issue.  I believe that they should be willing to concede some of their benefits so that the department can operate within its budget.  What if their hard-line stance on the take home car policy ultimately cost jobs?  Would it not be better to make some small sacrifices then to have some staff reductions in the future?

The Police and Fire departments have been under attack over the last few years because of New Albany’s budget problems.  Now when the chief of police tries to take action that will save the taxpayers of New Albany some money, the Union stands in his way.   What has the union done to help the police department to live within the constraints of its budget?

If the chief of police is unable to keep the city’s patrol cars within the boundaries of our county, then I think then maybe police officers that reside outside of Floyd County should pay a surcharge for the extra mileage that they put on the cars.   I think this would be a compromise that is fair to everyone.

Todd Bailey has made some great strides in his short stint as chief of police.  He has change the way that the department operates and has made the streets of New Albany a safer place.  Next week the citizens of New Albany will go to the polls to elect a new mayor, I hope that the one that is chosen will at least give Chief Bailey a chance to continue some of the programs that he has started.  At least one of the candidates has made the statement that no one that has held the position of Chief would be considered for the job in his administration.  I believe that it is short-sighted to not even consider a qualified candidate who has shown that he is willing to do things differently in order to get the job done.

The job of police officer is a difficult one no matter if you live in New York City of New Albany, Indiana.  I appreciate the job that they do and do not blame them for trying to receive the most out of the benefits that they receive.  I also think that is important for members of the police department and their union to work with the chief of police and the administration to work within the constraints of their budget.

It's that time of year again...

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I take a look at New Albany's premiere event

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

It is starting to get dark earlier in the evening and stays dark longer in the mornings. The morning temperatures are starting to dip to a point to where it is down right cold if you leave your windows open all night. Soon the leaves will begin to change and eventually fall off the trees, and raking them up will be the bane of my existence. Fall has come to Southern Indiana and that means one thing to the citizens of New Albany, it is Harvest Homecoming time.

Now in its forty-fourth year the Harvest Homecoming has grown from a simple pumpkin festival, to one of the largest events held in the State of Indiana. Hundreds of thousands of people converge on downtown New Albany to visit the party that “was conceived as a means of bringing the people of southern Indiana together to share in its wealth of talent, historic background and beauty”, according to their website.

A parade kicks off the festivities held annually on the first Saturday in October followed by four “booth days” the following weekend. The parade has featured such dignitaries as Davy Jones of the Monkees and Tom Wopat of the Dukes of Hazzard. Many people line the parade route and cheer on the floats as the travel from New Albany High School to the heart of downtown. I have participated in the parade as a spectator and as a participant and there is nothing like it in this part of the state.

People travel to New Albany to visit the Harvest Homecoming for a variety of reasons. Many people come down to eat the food that is only available this time of year. Some come down for the chicken and dumplins, others for the fresh made doughnuts. I always enjoy a ear of roasted corn and wash it down with a pork chop sandwich.

Others come downtown to see people that they haven't seen since last year's Harvest Homecoming. For years there are a few people that I always make it a point to see while I am down there. Some of them include people that I went to high school with and others are people that I worked with years ago. Some work at the same booths every year and I always make a point to stop by and say hello.

There are also those that come to see the entertainment. Whether there is a rock and roll show at the riverfront on Friday night or a group of school kids singing or square dancing on the official Harvest Homecoming stage, there is something available for everybody. For years I worked a booth where we could watch the old Pearl Street stage and I remember the belly dancers that seemed to be scheduled every year on Sunday afternoon.

Until the last few years, many people only came to downtown New Albany during the Harvest Homecoming. Lately that trend has changed with many dining and shopping options opening up in recent years. Now local citizens here have more reasons to visit our once floundering downtown area.

There has been some grumbling from people who own businesses downtown for things like trash thrown around and booth operators taking over the sidewalks in front of their business. Some places even close down there business for those days because of the problems. Even the YMCA which has been heralded as the catalyst for some of the Renaissance downtown schedules its annual shut down during the booth days. Downtown merchants contribute to our city for the other 361 days of the year and should be given some consideration.

I talked to a mayor from the early 1970's once and he said in the early days there was a proposal to move the booths to the center of the street back to back so as not to disturb the daily operations of the permanent businesses. This might be a legitimate compromise if the Harvest Homecoming committee would be willing to make some adjustments. Of course change is often hard implement even it would be a huge benefit to our entire city.

Another idea that has been tossed out is moving the whole thing to the riverfront. Putting all of the booths in one long shoot from West 10^th to East Sixth Street would be interesting and would bring citizens back to their river heritage. There would be some logistical problems with parking with many people fear that crossing the flood wall would be too much of an obstacle.

The Harvest Homecoming has a little something for everybody. I have been visiting it for most of my life and have experienced from the position of booth operator, booth volunteer and as a private citizen just enjoying the show. I look forward to it every year and who knows, maybe I will see you downtown this weekend.

New Albany Community Garden

Last Thursday night I attended a meeting of people interested in starting a community garden or multiple gardens around New Albany.  While only a few people were at the meeting several great ideas were discussed.  It was pointed out that if this is going to come to fruition next growing season some important decisions will have to made pretty quickly.

In order to gauge interest and to make sure that we head in the right direction an informal survey has been created and it is important that if you have some interest that your opinion be heard.

NEW ALBANY COMMUNITY GARDEN SURVEY

Please fill out and pass along to anyone that you might think is interested.