Editor,
I’m writing to urge Lagunans to pay attention and vote locally so special interest groups don’t determine local elections. It’s reported that our city has an almost $100 million budget! The 17-year, unchallenged incumbent city treasurer has grown a bureaucracy of over $134,000 per year for a part-time banking position and has sought to expand the position to full-time year after year.
The council has rejected this request since before 2007. The treasurer continues to pursue pay increases and has continually charged the city for her dues and conferences related to her CPA status. I have recently discovered that there are no tax duties associated with the city treasurer position.
Please take two minutes to view the City Council meeting of Feb. 23 at www.lagunabeachcity.net, item 14 at 1:48:00. A sub-committee of councilpersons Kelly Boyd and Rob Zur Schmeide determined the council needed to act to restrict the treasurer’s hours to part-time. The city manager’s report disputes the need for overtime or full time hours.
In 2007, the Coastline News reported the 17 year incumbent treasurer proposed to the city council that her position be on-par with the police chief, fire chief and other departmental heads; that notion was soundly rejected. The incumbent claims she’s “another set of eyes” to watch over the city’s financial department. But she doesn’t mention that an independent auditing firm must conduct a formal annual audit by law. A request for proposal is sent out every three to five years for a different auditing firm to perform the audit. That seems like a more appropriate “set of eyes” than a 17-year, unchallenged incumbent.
Vote for Anne McGraw.
Tatiana Ferguson, Laguna Beach
