Conflicted on Conflict of Interest In GT..

Is Larry Ronnow, Finance Director, in conflict with his job because the city hired his business, Contract Accounting Services, to the tune of $2,720.00 this month.

Larry Ronnow is not an employee. He has been called in to aid the duties of the Finance Department while the Current Acting City Manager is burdened with City Manager Functions and not doing his job as Finance Director. It is interesting that this is at a time when there is a question about payments to the Red Light Service.

Or how about all the times Gary Kontz's is paid by the City Part Time and then the company he works for gets City Contracts.

This practice of having a part time employee work for a company that also does business with the city should be investigated in particular when that employee is party to the negotiations of the contract terms and conditions and specifications.

Or how about the City Lawyer advising the staff on debt spending and then is used to place the debt bonds and he is rewarded a placement fee for the debt bonds being placed. He is motivated for the city and redevelopment agency to go in to debt... more fees for him.

What is up with the financial responsibility exercised to plant 62 trees at a cost of 60,000 .00 and if the cedar trees will block the view of the valley or traffic when they grown. When the trees grow out you won't have a clear view up or down the curve to see if there is a speeding car coming down the road... as you pull out into traffic.

Reader asks. Who will get the oranges... and Couldn't the Orange tree area have been a Dog park? The Seniors living at the housing can have pets... too..

60,000.00 for orange trees, 57,000 for electric signs, and 30,000 gone missing... who is watching the piggy bank? Oh the Acting City Manager and the City Council... and I Larry Ronnow, Finance Director, and Contracted Accounting Services. A bunch of double dipping going on with sprinkles.

Reader Adds:

Do you remember the hill slide in Chowchilla. It is a little unincorporated town right outside of Carpinteria. I was selling houses then. The houses built next to the hill had been there for many years. On the hill above was an avocado orchard. When that hill came down, the people who lived there didn’t have a chance.

I am fuming over the excessive spending. That sign is ridiculous. $56,000 – bright lights – just because they don’t want to get off the a—and go change the signs. We don’t have anything to advertise anyway. They will eventually find a way to charge anyone who wants to use it.

Just like the houses put in on DeBerry. Remember we said there wasn’t enough parking for the existing Apartments. They said there was plenty in back. Signs would be put on DeBerry excluding parking on that side. Now only those who pay a $50 parking fee can park there.