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IS ANYBODY LISTENING? READ MORE ABOUT OUR CONTINUING OUTRAGE du jour - THE GREAT P-CARD CAPER!!
LET ME TELL YOU A STORY. IT’S ABOUT A SMALL-TOWN MAYOR WITH BIG-TOWN ASPIRATIONS. THIS AMBITIOUS YOUNG MAN WORKED HIS WAY UP IN THE COUNTY BY SERVING ON BOARDS AND BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACES WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE. SOME SAY HE HAD TALENT, BUT NO PROOF WAS EVIDENT. ANYHOW, HE SOMEHOW WAS ELECTED MAYOR.
UPON ELECTION, THIS MAYOR IMMEDIATELY INITIATED HIS REAL PROGRAM: HIS CANDIDACY FOR GOVERNOR OF THE GREAT STATE OF TENNESSEE. THE MAYORSHIP SUFFERED GREATLY FOR HIS IGNORANCE AND INATTENTION. EXPENSES REGULARLY EXCEEDED BOTH EXPECTATIONS AND REVENUES, AND COUNTY DEBT GREW AT AN ALARMING PACE. (BUT HE WAS NOT ALARMED!)
THIS OBLIVIOUS, MOVELESS SHAKER DISCOVERED EARLY ON THAT NOBODY WAS WATCHING HIM, SO HE PROCEEDED TO HAVE A BALL. HE WORKED THE MAYORSHIP FOR ALL IT WAS WORTH, AND THEN SOME. HE FOUND A WONDERFUL TOOL, CALLED THE P-CARD, TO PLY HIS TRADE. THE P-CARD ALLOWED HIM TO ENTERTAIN HIS EVERY DESIRE (PERHAPS LITERALLY), USING OTHER PEOPLES’ MONEY. IT WAS LIKE A MIDAS TOUCH.
HOW ABOUT A DINNER AT LECONTE? REPUTEDLY, HIZZONNER P-CARDED IT! WANT A WEEKEND AT DANCING BEAR? P-CARD THAT, MAYOR? HOW ABOUT TAKING SOME COMPANY ALONG ON SOME OF HIS “BONDING” TRIPS? RIGHT! P-CARD THAT, TOO? THIS MAYOR WAS INNOVATIVE, REPORTEDLY RECRUITING OTHERS TO USE THEIR P-CARDS TO COVER SOME OF HIS OWN IMAGINATIVE CHARGES.
WE DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT SOMEHOW A SLEEPING DOG WAS AROUSED. THE COUNTY COMMISSION (CC), FRESH FROM A TRIUMPHAL RESTRUCTURING OF THE COUNTY ONE COLD JANUARY (31) NIGHT, STARTED BARKING QUESTIONS. THEY MAY HAVE THOUGHT THE MAYOR WAS GETTING A BETTER DEAL THAN THEY WERE. UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, AND ALMOST UNBELIEVABLY, THE CC REQUESTED AN AUDIT OF CERTAIN MAYORAL CHARGING PRACTICES, DUBBED BY SOME AS “THE AMAZING P-CARD CAPER”.
THE AUDIT WAS DUTIFULLY (sic) CONDUCTED, AND (MIRABILE!) IT UNCOVERED SOME TWO-DOZEN (SHALL WE SAY) “DISCREPANCIES”. A RESPONSE WAS REQUIRED FROM THE MAYOR, BUT HE APPARENTLY MISUNDERSTOOD THE QUESTION.
THE CAGEY MAYOR PROCEEDED TO FILE AN 81-PAGE NON-RESPONSE, WHICH RESPONDED (PERHAPS) TO A DOZEN OF THE CHARGES, AND NEGATED ANOTHER DOZEN OR SO BY SIMPLY STAMPING “CLEARED” ALONGSIDE THE LEDGERED AUDIT FINDING. THIS WAS A NEW TOOL TO THE COMMON AUDITEE – CONCLUDE THE ISSUE BY PERSONALLY “CLEARING” IT, BY MEANS UNKNOWN.
THE NON-RESPONSE WAS FILED, AND THE WORLD WAITED FOR THE INEVITABLE OUTCRY. IT DID NOT COME. THERE WAS NO PUBLIC OUTRAGE, NO STORMING OF THE GATES. INSTEAD, A SOMEWHAT MUTED REPORT WAS PUBLISHED BY THE KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL. ON APRI 2, 2008, THE NS QUIETLY REPORTED THAT SOMEHOW, THE MAYOR MAY HAVE “MISTAKENLY” USED CAMPAIGN FUNDS “TO REPAY DEBT”. IMPORTANTLY, THE CITED ARTICLE ALSO ADVISED THAT EVEN ORDINARY CITIZENS COULD FILE COMPLAINTS WITH THE TENNESSEE REGISTRY OF ELECTION FINANCE (REALLY, THAT’S ITS NAME!) ABOUT THIS LITTLE ITEM, AND EXPLAINED JUST HOW.
Just when we think it is as bad as it gets, it gets worse! As per specific directions from Mr. Drew Rawlins, Executive Director, your humble webmaster personally filed a complaint with the Tennessee Registry Of Election Finance. The complaint focused on Mayor Mike Ragsdale's probable misuse of campaign funds. That complaint was duly notarized, as directed by Mr. Rawlins. The complaint was sent via certified mail (7006 2760 003 2716 7662) on April 1 2008.
IT MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN WAFTED UP THE CHIMNEY LIKE YOUR GRANDPARENTS TAUGHT THEIR KIDS TO CORRESPOND WITH SANTA. THERE HAS BEEN NO (ZERO, NADA, NONE) RESPONSE, DESPITE SEVERAL ATTMPTS AT FOLLOWUP BY THE COMPLAINANT (YOURS TRULY).
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED NEXT, IN ORDER:
1. A SECOND, FOLLOWUP LETTER WAS SENT TO MR. RAWLINS, IN CASE THE FIRST WAS MISPLACED.
2. A CALL WAS PLACED TO THE OFFICE OF KNOX COUNTY'S DISTRICT ATTORNEY GENERAL, MR. RANDY NICHOLS. HIS RECEPTIONIST, QUITE EVIDENTLY MIFFED AT THE IMPOSITION, REFERRED THE CALL TO THE COUNTY LAW DIRECTOR, MR. JOHN OWINGS.
3. MR. OWINGS WAS MYSTIFIED AND OFFENDED THAT THE HOT POTATO HAD BEEN ROUTED TO HIM, AND RESPONDED ACCORDINGLY: NOTHING!
4. WITH NO PHONE SUCCESS, WE SENT A LETTER TO THE DA, (CC TO JOHN OWINGS), REQUESTING INFO ON THE STATUS AND PLANS. AGAIN, NOTHING!
5. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, WE SUBMITTED A RELATED LETTER TO THE EDITOR. IT WAS REJECTED. AGAIN, NOTHING!!
KEY EXAMPLES OF THE PAPER AND ELECTRONIC TRAIL FOLLOW:
(Basic Complaint)
1 April 2008
Tennessee Registry of Election Finance
404 James Robertson Parkway, Suite 1614
Nashville, Tennessee 37243
ATTN: Mr. Drew Rawlins
Dear Mr. Rawlins:
RE: Campaign Funds Used to Repay Debt (of Mayor Mike Ragsdale)
Ref 1: “Review of Purchasing Card Charges and Expense Reimbursement (2/26/2008)
As a followup to our conversation on March 31 2008, this is intended as a formal complaint against Knoxville Mayor Mike Ragsdale,
as provided in various statutes and campaign finance laws as monitored by your organization. Specifically, I protest the documented
misapplication of at least $197.10 in campaign funds. The misuse allegedly occurred in the instance of a charge for Claudia Ragsdale’s
expenses during a business trip to New York, as documented in the recent Mayor’s Response to the PC Card Audit (Ref 1), and as
cited in the Knoxville News Sentinel of March 29, 2008. There are other general and specific charges emanating from the referenced
audit response, which I will be happy to discuss.
I request that, if guilty, Mr. Ragsdale be required to repay all questioned amounts, and to be subject to penalties as provided by law.
Your early attention and consideration are respectfully requested.
Sincerely
Charles E. Bowers
7920 Blueberry Road
Powell Tennessee 37849
(NEXT STEP)
Hearing nothing from Mr. Rawlins for two weeks, we called the local District Attorney on April 16, 2007, inquiring on the status. The DA's receptionst tersely referred us to the County Law Director. Mr. John Owings. We repeated the inquiry, and were directed even more tersely back to the DA. Sensing a compounded runaround, we wrote a letter to Mr. Nichols, Knox County DA, asking for information to which we are entitled via open records statutes.
That letter was as follows:
(COMPLAINT FOLLOWUP)
Mr. Randy Nichols
District Attorney General
City County Building
Knoxville TN 37902
Dear General Nichols:
Re: Complaint: “Campaign Funds Used to Repay Debt “
(Filed w/Tennessee Registry of Election Finance on 3/31/08)
As a follow-on action to the referenced complaint, your assistance in providing certain information is respectfully requested.
Accordingly, please supply the following:
1. Status of the referenced complaint (copy attached)
2. Listing of any and all current complaints, investigations, or other actions ongoing by your office regarding
Mayor Mike Ragsdale
3. Instructional details for the process of filing a formal complaint and/or swearing out warrants against public
officials by ordinary citizens
In pursuing the cited complaint, I was advised by Executive Director Mr. Drew Rawlins that any action would proceed through your office. Contrarywise, when I contacted your office on 7 April 2008, I was informed by your office representative that such actions would proceed only through the County Law Director. Upon contacting Mr. John Owings on 7 April, I was tersely advised that I had apparently been misinformed by your office; Mr. Owings was “curious as to why a county attorney would be involved with …a campaign finance complaint lodged with the State.” I, too, am curious. Apparently, I was unintentionally misled by someone. Your early response is solicited. It may be worthy of note that I have received no response to date from the Registry of Election Finance.
Sincerely
Charles E. Bowers
cc: Sandra Lea (email)
John Owings (email)
(A Related Unpublished Letter)
Oh, there's more. This next item is presented to show the sometimes-selective News Sentinel policy on letters to the editor.
This letter, submiited on 3/30/08, WAS NOT PUBLISHED. One wonders why, given the timeliness of the subject and the decreasingly small number of reader letters being printed in the NS nowadays. Read this, if you will, and form your own opinion.
Editor, Knoxville News Sentinel
It has been over a week since the mayor submitted his "response" to the feared "P Card Audit". I have awaited the inevitable outraged response, to this blatant mayoral nose-thumbing, from an outraged citizenry. It has not come.
Why, I ask, hasn't there been an explosion of protest against such an obvious non-answer? Why haven't the taxpayers stormed the gates of City/County, armed with tar and feathers? Is it because folks haven't read the audit and Ragsdale's reply to it? After all, the auditor found 23 separate instances of mismanagement (or no-management), many of which would have landed lesser perps in jail. And, after more all, Ragsdale only ANSWERED AN INCOMPLETE FRACTION OF THOSE, totally ignoring some and gliding over several more.. Didn't anyone notice?
Well, I noticed. I noticed that the response was fundamentally flawed, in that (1) it is cornerstoned on a Mastercard commercial (not a government report, as insinuated) for justification; (2) it presents the very flimsiest of documentation in support for questionable charges; (3) it is written in a whining, in-your-face tone; (4) it details only the silliest of disciplinary actions for identified cookie-takers and wool-pullers (instead of rolling heads). There are many other items of blatant defiance in the response, including rubber-stamped "clearances" with the mayor's own stamp.
If you, Joe Sixpack, are interested in a detailed and accusatory "Citizen's Response to the Mayor", visit the webpage
http://www.knoxvillesilentmajority.com/gpage1.html
You can read the audit, the report, and our analysis of the situation. Mebbe you will want to do a little protesting of your own, Joe.
/S/ CHUCK BOWERS
(WHERE WE ARE ONAPRIL 15 2008)
As of today, there has been no reply whatsover from Rawlins, Nichols, or Owings. AND THERE HAS BEEN NO FOLLOWUP FROM THE NEWS SENTINEL. It does not speak well for citizens's rights, does it? In fact, it looks like we are still getting the royal runaround!
One might ask just who does the District Attorney work for? And the County Law Director? They apparently do not work for good old John Q. Citizen!! And who does the News Sentinel serve?
If anyone out there is listening, we would appreciate hearing from you. Perhaps there is still something we can do, as taxpaying citizens, to force our worthy law enforcers to enforce the law!!
Feel free to call us at 938 3191!! Better yet, feel free to send a copy of the letter "DA Letter" to General Nichols, demanding a response!!
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