Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Bad to Worse?

I'm hearing that HUD may be looking into misappropriated D-CDBG monies. Which means they may be asking for money back that we've already spent. That's not good....not good at all when combined with the revolver fund issues.

I'm actually getting a little scared of how bad this financial situation may be. I guess I'm more scared that no one seems to know just how bad it really is, and I've asked a lot of people.

22 comments:

Ricardo said...

HUD needs to be more consistant in its pronouncements. First they acuse the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority of misusing $ 12 M and then they award them a $ 30 M grant the month after.
I suspect that this has more to do with the city than NORA itself.

Leigh C. said...

All of this shit is indeed scary...and if and/or when the sandbags and the stone wall are removed from 'round the Mayor's office, we're gonna be right smack in the middle of a financial nightmare on Perdido Street.

Superdeformed said...

Bring it, let the heads roll.

Anonymous said...

No one has commented on this yet, I think because everyone is numb.

In the spirit of avoidance and denial, I'll ask if anyone else wondered if Number 55 picked Cleveland not only for the retirement money, but because he might eventually want to run for office, and he likes the idea of being mentored by Kucinich?

Civitch said...

Let's say that the feds decide that massive fraud *was* committed here. Would the city be on the hook for that, or could some of the blame be shared by the corporations who also should have known better? And if the latter, can the feds go after them to recoup some of the misspent money?

Jason Brad Berry said...

Civitch,

Here's the thing...in the case of the revolver fund, I don't think he's broken any laws so I don't really know where the avenue for recourse would lie.

He MAY have broken the law with the D-CDBG funding but that's no readily apparent if he did.

Unfortunately, as mayor, it's up to his discretion to bankrupt the city and spend down all monies as he sees fit.

Anonymous said...

I have a theory on this following up on your prior few posts on this issue of the last minute spending down:

This is in no way a defense of Nagin, you won't get that from me.

But when he supposedly went to doing all the contract reviews by himself (as opposed to the former committee approach) to avoid Fielkow's transparency ordinance, did he really *do* that?

I mean, is Nagin REALLY making every contract determination HIMSELF, by HIMSELF, involving only HIMSELF?

Because that's what he SAID he was going to do when the Sunshine laws were applied to him.

If THAT'S the case, maybe this jerkwad (to use a technical term) just signs whatever comes in fornt of him. He could not possibly accurately or reasonably review all this stuff.

Now maybe this is like Morial Jr. on his way out the door throwing big ol' contracts out at uncles and friends and pals and the connected, but even that seems to pale in comparison to this throwing money out the window.

I mean, not ALL (a lot, yes, but not all?) this money can be tied to corruption, right?

Or is this just spite; he knows he's going down and he's just flushing everybody's cash down the toilet, that's the other possible motive, right?

Anonymous said...

Now you know where some more of the Revolver Money is going...

Mayor Ray Nagin seeking developer for $30 million riverfront park
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/03/mayor_ray_nagin_seeking_develo.html

Jason Brad Berry said...

No I don't think he's using revolver funds for Reinventing the Crescent. That project was already approved under the D-CDBG funding.

Unknown said...

Am in shock. Hard to believe but know it is true.

Anonymous said...

WHERE are the whistleblowers?

People work at City Hall.

Secretaries type things, cleaning staff sees stuff thrown into waste paper baskets, there are meetings and weekly reports same as any other big workplace.

Why are people still asking basic questions about what the fuck is going on?

Why haven't more people at City Hall done more to just get that information out, by any means neccesary?

The residents of New Orleans care.

The blogs, the willingness to attend meetings...shit, people in New Orleans are willing to pour over the minutae of all this, ferreting shit out and basically learning on the (unpaid) job how to do investigative journalism!

Some people have been doing this without ceasing for almost five years under horrifically difficult personal and communal circumstances.

It isn't the ordinary people.

What the Sam Hell is wrong with the people who work at City Hall?

Why are they not releasing this information?

Why do they give a flying monkey about following petty rules that keep people from information about their own government, money, and city when bigger, much bigger rules are being broken by their bosses and collegues?

Anonymous said...

Re: "whistleblowers"

-- Wouldn't, or shouldn't, that be Mr. Chrisman?

lil'oya said...

Julie Schwam-Harris
Kenya Smith
Jbarri Butler
Brenda Breaux
Wyneckta Fisher
Jeff Thomas
Alberta Pate & the revolving cast at "economic development"

These are the people who know where the bodies are, because they helped bury them. They are ego-maniacs like the mayor, who think they are better then everyone and we deserve what we get, their leftovers.

One day, they will answer to God.

Anonymous said...

I know you read this blog.

You could be the whistleblower.

I wish I could say said...

Take a look at the contracts in the Finance Dept. You will find a lot of the dirt that covers the dead bodies. And, don't just look at the last years since Katrina. Look back at least 6 -12 years. Nagin and Morial's klans gave away a lot of resources. I suspect that if Mitch would scrub the budget and reallocate assets, taxpayers would get a break on tax increases.

Anonymous said...

The revolver was funded by the state. Does the state have public records concerning the account? Is anyone from the state charged with approving payments? If the city is stonewalling public records requests, you or your readers should direct records requests to the state and may have better luck (that means you, T-P reporters).

Also contact your state officials. Call your state rep, your senator, your liutenant governor (who is coincidentally the mayor-elect) and tell them about your concerns. Maybe someone in state government can stop the train.

Anonymous said...

Add to the list of people who know where the bodies are buried: Mary Pettingill, Evelyn Pugh.

Leigh C. said...

You saw Mitch's plea to Nagin to put down the money and step away from the contracts in today's T-P, right? Like closing the barn door after the horses have escaped, sadly.

Really, folks. The Walking Id can do a hell of a lot of damage in 50-plus days. Someone needs to speak up about either the dirt OR the bodies. If you know anything, well, guess what: you live here, too, most likely. This will be on your head for as long as it takes to get the debts incurred by the Vainglorious C. Ray off all our backs...so please 'fess up.

Civitch said...

More kool-aid drinkers:

Brenda Hatfield
Ceeon Quiett
Cynthia Sylvain-Lear (who used to be a decent human being)
Harrison Boyd
Tony Faciane
Norris Butler

Unlike Chrisman, they have chosen to willfully and purposefully misuse (that is, allow to be stolen) our money. And shame on every last one of them for not speaking up.

If you are one of their underlings, and you have information that could help stop or even reverse this outrage, please email Dambala.

Anonymous said...

Evelyn Pugh is now the City Counsel's Interim Chief of Staff.

Maxine said...

Who decided that the best use of community block development grants was a park on the far side of the levee?

Anonymous said...

the reinventing the crescent article is incorrect - they are seeking a contractor for the project, and it's the second or third contract that's the NOBC agency has procured. I'm sure they are required to accept the lowest (responsible) bid....