October 26, 2006

ValleyViewpoints

Do other cities audit elected officials?

Editor,
The letter to the editor from city auditor Gerald Silva peaked our interest. We find it unconscionable that a member of a city government can ask for the reimbursement of expenses and not be subjected to the checks and balances of an audit.

We do not believe that this is a common practice in the private sector. Would you please investigate the following items?

How and when did the phrase “with exception of the office an any elected official” become part of the city charter?
How do other cities, counties and the state handle this situation?

We believe this information would be of interest to residents of San Jose.

Rudy Johnson
Casual Court

Editor’s note: According to City Auditor Gerald Silva, the city charter had that exception written in decades ago, and those conditions have been in the charter since he took the job of San Jose City Auditor 22 years ago. This was put into the charter to avoid having an employee audit his or her own boss, the employer.

Silva says that the way other cities handle auditing is a mixed bag. “Some cities do it the way we do it as an independent office, others have the city auditor in the finance department and others elect their city auditors. But I would strongly recommend against electing a city auditor. Would you really want your city auditor to be out raising money on a campaign trail? Also, it would concern me from the perspective of finding someone with the experience and expertise to handle the job.”

Silva suggests that rather than changing the existing city charter he feels that an outside auditor should be hired by someone other than elected officials when it is necessary to audit elected officials.

In regards to city councilmember’s expenditure reimbursements elected officials do not currently have clear procedures and guidelines on what they and their staff can write off. “Councilmembers and their staff should have very clear procedures on reimbursements and if those were in place an outside auditor would be able to come in and quickly follow strict criteria to determine if those procedures are being followed.”

Foolishness at City Hall

Editor,
Let me get this right, the San Jose Repertory Theater “Rep,” which puts on shows that no one wants to see, over runs their budget by over $1 million dollars. It is further discovered that no oversight of this grant money is in place. The city cannot afford to maintain its streets and landscaping and yet the city council gives the Rep an additional $2 million dollars by a 10-0 vote. Are there any sane people in city government?

We need more than just a new mayor. We need a new mayor, city manager and entire city council. I further recommend substance abuse testing for all of the above.

Keith C. De Filippis
Miriam Court

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