"Brentwood Mayor Bamboozles Residents"

June 29, 2013

To the Editors- Post-Dispatch

"Brentwood Mayor Bamboozles Residents"

     Several weeks ago, the Post-Dispatch reported that Tom Schweich, Missouri State Auditor, published his final report on the State audit of Brentwood's city management  performance for the 2011 calendar year.  This audit was opposed by the administration, but was implemented by a petition drive spearheaded by Maureen Saunders, elected as alderwomen in 2012.  Since her election, she has courageously fought the Mayor and the old guard of the city counsel to effect reforms necessary to change the patterns of incompetence, fraud and arrogance that had been the hallmarks of Brentwood's administration for many years, mostly under the watch of Mayor Pat Kelly.  For her efforts, Ms. Saunders has suffered opposition and abuse from the Mayor and his cronies on the city council.

     The State audit report contained 22 pages of detailed finings of deficiencies in 12 separate areas of city management.  Its conclusion was that : "In the areas audited, the overall performance of this entity was poor".  "Poor" is the lowest possible rating the State auditor uses in grading a city's performance.

     Mayor Kelly, in his recent letter to Brentwood residents, used only 7 1/2 lines to report to the residents that the audit had been completed.  He made no mention of the findings that there were serious deficiencies in 12 areas of management or that the overall rating was "Poor".  In fact, his meager description did not state that the findings were negative in any respect.  Kelly went so far in his final sentence to state that the city would "ensure that we continue to maintain best practices in all aspects of our financial monitoring and reporting".  This statement, I submit, is patently false and is in direct contradiction of the audit findings to the opposite.  The Mayor has turned black into white.

     Brentwood residents have the right to know the truth of the audit findings is spite of the embarrassment to the Mayor and the old guard.  They do not deserve to be bamboozled by the Mayor's attempt to deceive them with a false report which hides the sins of the past.

Thomas B. Martin

Brentwood