Wouldn’t it be nice to give yourself a huge pay raise, take as many vacation days as you want, and eat at fancy restaurants on someone else’s dime? Well, that is precisely what is happening at the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation (SEDC)–a non-profit city agency that is supposed to be helping redevelop the east part of downtown San Diego.
The agency is charged with transforming the area into a successful and flourishing economy. But instead, taxpayers are paying for a public servant to flourish and flaunt her own success while misusing public funds.
The San Diego Tribune (August 7, 2008) reported, “Staffers at the nonprofit city agency enjoyed fine meals and multilevel bonuses at taxpayer expense, according to documents the city released yesterday. The documents show that [the] SEDC President … used… [her] authority to grant herself tens of thousands of dollars in extra pay [in addition to misusing city funds in other ways.”
The executive “…has been fired by the SEDC board but is at the helm until Oct. 21. She signed off on at least $78,800 of her own bonuses in the past two fiscal years
The president’s, “…signature is at the bottom of several forms approving “incentive pay,” “longevity pay,” “holiday bonus I,” and “holiday bonus II” for herself and others on the 15-member SEDC staff.”
“In one case, [the president] singled herself out for extra pay, around Christmas 2007. In an October draft of staff holiday bonuses, her payout was to be $10,000. In a revised version the next month, [the] bonus became $13,428 – the only increase in the revision.”
Just when you think you have heard it all, “[i]n December 2007,[the SEDC president]… paid the bill for six people, including two agency consultants. The tab: $279, including a $61 tip. The meals ordered: New York strip steak, salmon, striped bass and veal, according to the receipt.”
Then, “[l]ast November, the agency’s finance director took people to the Westgate for breakfast for staff development. The bill was $420, which included one order of filet mignon, two New York strip steaks and 10 coffees at $4 each.”
“Expense reports also show that [the SEDC president] rented a car on two occasions to drive to out-of-town meetings for business, then applied for reimbursement even though she receives a $450-a-month car allowance for company business.”
This public servant has shown through her actions that she really is self-serving and does not respect the taxpayers she is supposed to serve. Furthermore, it’s a sad situation when government cannot immediately remove individuals who have so obviously misused their power. Clearly, this so-called do-gooder did wrong–engaging in unethical activities by using taxpayer dollars for her own benefit. The city council needs to revamp the SEDC. For starters, they need to terminate the public servant immediately and implement more oversight and accountability in order to ensure there is no repeat of this enormous rip-off.
“In one case, [the president] singled herself out for extra pay, around Christmas 2007. In an October draft of staff holiday bonuses, her payout was to be $10,000. In a revised version the next month, [the] bonus became $13,428 – the only increase in the revision.”
Just when you think you have heard it all, “[i]n December 2007,[the SEDC president]… paid the bill for six people, including two agency consultants. The tab: $279, including a $61 tip. The meals ordered: New York strip steak, salmon, striped bass and veal, according to the receipt.”
Then, “[l]ast November, the agency’s finance director took people to the Westgate for breakfast for staff development. The bill was $420, which included one order of filet mignon, two New York strip steaks and 10 coffees at $4 each.”
“Expense reports also show that [the SEDC president] rented a car on two occasions to drive to out-of-town meetings for business, then applied for reimbursement even though she receives a $450-a-month car allowance for company business.”
This public servant has shown through her actions that she really is self-serving and does not respect the taxpayers she is supposed to serve. Furthermore, it’s a sad situation when government cannot immediately remove individuals who have so obviously misused their power. Clearly, this so-called do-gooder did wrong–engaging in unethical activities by using taxpayer dollars for her own benefit. The city council needs to revamp the SEDC. For starters, they need to terminate the public servant immediately and implement more oversight and accountability in order to ensure there is no repeat of this enormous rip-off.
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August 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 am
Hay Jim, great job of shining the light on the roaches of waste once again! Maybe you can take a good hard look at the EMWD expense reimbursement reports for the next episode? Those things lack detail yet usually range in the 1k + a month area. They also seem to constantly increase their stipends (close to 200 per meeting with a 10 meeting a month limit – for a water board?) And don’t even get me started on attendance records of some of the guys down there.