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"TEXT ALERTS" LINK ON THE TOP
LEFT CORNER OF OUR HOMEPAGE.
ALL NEW AT 5:30 --- CONCERNS ARE
SPILLING OVER ABOUT ERIE
COUNTY'S WATER AUTHORITY. NOW
THE COUNTY'S FISCAL WATCHDOG
WANTS TO GET TO THE BOTTOM IT.
HIRING PRACTICES AND SPENDING
WILL BE UNDER REVIEW DURING A
WIDE-SCALE AUDIT OF THE
EMBATTLED WATER AUTHORITY.
NEWS 4'S ED DRANTCH IS BREAKING
DOWN THE DETAILS OF THE
INVESTIGATION ... ED.
THE WATER AUTHORITY HASN'T BEEN
AUDITED BY THE COUNTY
COMPTROLLER SINCE THE YEAR 2000.
NOW, AS THE COUNTY COMPTROLLER
SEAT IS UP FOR GRABS, A
CONTROVERSIAL OFFICE IS UNDER
REVIEW.
ERIE COUNTY COMPTROLLER DAVID
SHENK IS PUTTING THE ERIE COUNTY
WATER AUTHORITY UNDER THE
MICROSCOPE.
((IT'S BEEN TOO LONG. IT'S OVER
DUE. IT'S NOT A SACRED COW IN MY
OPINION. IT NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED
JUST LIKE ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT.
12 YEARS AFTER THE LAST AUDIT,
SHENK IS SENDING TWO AUDITORS
IN, LOOKING FOR ACTION ON
PREVIOUS RECOMMENDATIONS. OF
NOTE, AUDITORS WILL BE LOOKING
FOR IMPLEMENATION OF RULES
REGARDING THE OPERATION OF
COUNTY CARS... AND PROPER
MANAGEMENT OF CASH FLOW IN AND
OUT OF THE OFFICE.... KEEPING
AN EYE ON BUDGETS AND SPENDING
((YOU DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT
YOU'RE GONNA FIND UNTIL YOU GET
IN THERE AND YOU LOOK AROUND
AUDITORS WILL ALSO BE REVIEWING
THE WATER AUTHORITY'S HIRING
PROCEDURES. THIS COMES WEEKS
AFTER NEWS FOUR LEARNED ERIE
COUNTY EXECUTIVE MARK
POLONCARZ'S BROTHER, ROB, WAS
HIRED AS A CONTRACT MONITOR. THE
FORMER WEGMANS CHEF IS PAID AN
ANNUAL SALARY OF 55- THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
((SHENK INSISTS POLONCARZ'S NEW
JOB WITH THE WATER AUTHORITY HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS LATEST
AUDIT. BUT THIS IS AN ELECTION
YEAR, AND SCEHNK'S OPPONENT
STEFAN MYCHAJLIW IS SKEPTICAL.
MYCHAJLIW NOTES SHENK WAS
APPOINTED LAST YEAR BY MARK
POLONCARZ... EXPLAINING SHENK
HAS A MAJOR BIAS.
((HAD THIS BEEN DONE MONTHS AGO,
THEN MAYBE WE WOULDN'T HAVE HAD
A CHEF FROM WEGMANS IN AN
ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION AT THE
WATER AUTHORITY. THIS SHOULD
HAVE BEEN DONE FROM DAY ONE,
MANY MONTHS AGO. HAD THIS BEEN
DONE BEFORE, THE FRIENDS AND
FAMILY PLAN WOULD NOT BE BACK IN
ERIE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. SHENK
FIRED BACK...
((IT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO HOLD A
PRESS CONFERENCE ON A SUNDAY
MORNING AND SAY YOU'RE GONNA DO
THINGS THAN ACTUALLY FOLLOW THE
RULES, DEVELOP A PLAN AND TRY TO
DO A COMPREHENSIVE AUDIT
THE COUNTY COMPTROLLER'S AUDIT
COULD TAKE UP TO THREE MONTHS TO
COMPLETE. WATER AUTHORITY
REPRESENTATIVES WOULDN'T SPEAK