We decided to ask this guy, city clerk, Tom Greco.
The latest financial report was due on Thursday at 5 PM. Since then, only one candidate, Ritch Noble, report has been filed online. I was looking forward to analyzing the reports over the weekend and getting them to my readers, won’t happen now until Monday night.
Bruce decided to track down the city clerk today at the auditor’s office before they closed at noon to ask him why the reports have not been filed. While Tom answered Bruce’s questions, outgoing city clerk Lorie Hogstad (who is training Tom and really should have been answering the question) was hiding 20 feet away and pretending it was not her concern.
Tom told Bruce that he hasn’t posted them yet because he had to ‘audit’ them first and make the candidates aware of any amendments. While that is mighty nice of Tom to do, they should have been posted in the original submitted condition and amendments posted later. Apparently the city clerk feels he must protect candidates from any embarrassment they may incur by not being able to use a calculator and pen properly. I wonder if he supplied a complimentary bottle of white out also?
This financial report is one of the most important before an election, it gives voters an opportunity to see what special interests butter the bread of the candidates, and the city clerk’s office has failed horribly getting the information out there. I don’t blame Tom that much as I do the person training him. Lorie Hogstad should have known better.
Doesn’t anyone find it a bit ironic that one of the competitors (Ritch Noble) of Mayor Huether’s favorite candidate (Paulson) has his financials posted early? How is this fair to Noble?
Are games being played? Wouldn’t surprise me one bit.
It gets better, Greco tried to kick Bruce out of the auditor’s office at noon today while other media remained. Bruce said he was staying as long as the other media stayed. Greco did let him stay and apologized.