King panel splits on accountability
Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Martin Luther King Jr. Commission members clashed Tuesday over whether there was sufficient accountability in the commission office’s operations in the past.
The Arkansas State Police continues to investigate whether there has been theft of commission property and a Division of Legislative Audit examination of the commission’s internal controls is under way. An internal controls report is to be released May 8, deputy legislative auditor Ron Burch said.
DuShun Scarbrough, who started nearly two months ago as the commission’s new director, requested the state police investigation, and the commission’s finance committee has recommended an audit covering as much as 10 years. The committee in February questioned about $ 26, 000 paid to Sound Services, almost $ 18, 000 to Design Group Marketing LLC and a $ 56, 700 bill for Peabody Catering, according to the committee’s minutes.
The discussion took place as the commission was unable to muster a quorum of 14 members to hold a meeting Tuesday.
“We do indeed have to move forward, but we also need to clean up and clear up some questions from the past,” said Commissioner Rose Bryant-Jones of Lonoke.
Co-chairman John Walker of Little Rock said it’s been difficult for commissioners to know what was wrong with the operations, so commissioners “are not much help to anybody conducting an investigation.” Most of the members were not told about the commission’s inner workings, he said.
He mentioned being informed that former Executive Director Tracy Steele of North Little Rock, a state senator, returned eight boxes to the commission’s office and former interim Executive Director Jerelyn Duncan was denied unemployment benefits. Walker said he also learned that “computers here were seized.”
Walker lost to Steele in a race for the state Senate. Steele was a legislator and the commission’s executive director at the same time.
“We had no clue of the operation of the commission,” said Commissioner Diane Charles of Little Rock. “People were simply being reported to four times a year [during commission meetings ].”
But Commissioner Odies Wilson of Little Rock said it’s ludicrous to suggest commissioners didn’t have access to the inner workings.
“I think time will verify the records of the past [through the audit ],” he said.
Any statements about money being misappropriated are premature, Wilson said.
The commission, which is supposed to have 26 members, needs to be more hands-on to provide financial oversight, Walker said.
“We don’t have a bidding procedure, for instance, in place with respect to [contracts ],” he said.
The commission should give all businesses a shot at bidding for business and conferences in accordance with state law, he said.
“We should not be allowed conferences to feather our own personal nests,” Walker said. “I’m not saying that happened.”
Hotels and others give gifts for conferences that could be taken back to people’s rooms, he said.
“We shouldn’t be a perk organization,” Walker said.
The absence of some commission regulation allows rumor, hearsay and innuendo to detract from the commission’s leadership, he said.
Wilson said each program implemented by the commission’s staff has been approved by the commission, which sets policy for the staff.
Charles said she learned recently that the commission had a minivan, three bank accounts that she knew nothing about, an annual grant from the Department of Human Services, and might even have a foundation or nonprofit organization.
She was surprised to learn that several former staff members had commission credit cards, she said.
“This has got to stop,” Charles said.
The commission has been a staff-driven agency for 14 years with the majority of the commissioners “out of touch,” Charles said.
Wilson said many of the items referred to by Charles are noted in the audits of the commission.
Duncan could not be reached for comment Tuesday about the commission’s discussion.
The commission will receive about $ 212, 000 in state general revenue this fiscal year and $ 216, 000 in the next, said Mike Stormes, the state’s budget administrator.
Commissioner Jimmy Morris Jr. of Little Rock said late Tuesday that he would ask a judge to dismiss his lawsuit, which was aimed at determining whether Wilson is legally serving on the commission. He declined to say why.
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