Thank You. The following information has been submitted:
Form submitted on Tue Jan 15 12:28:23 2008
Personal Information: Mr Bradley Littlefield 197 Eaton Corners Road Delanson, NY 12053 Phone: 518-XXX-XXXX Email: XXXXXXXX
Comments: Dear Attorney General Cuomo,
In early December 2007, I penned a letter to the New York State Office of the State Comptroller's office requesting that an independent and comprehensive audit of the operations and the finances of the Schenectady Metroplex Developement Authority (a public authority) be performed by the state. I spoke w/ Mr. Kenneth Madej who informed me that a state audit has never been conducted of the "Metroplex" since it's inception ten years ago, despite the law that stipulates that public authorities must be audited by the state at a minimum of once in every five years.
As the highest law enforcement authority in New York State and an advocate for consumers and residents, I ask that you investigate and determine why the Metroplex has apparently been exempt from the provisions of the law regarding the auditing of public authorities. Many of the taxpaying residents of Schenectady County share my questions and concerns about the application process, the criteria for funding decisions, the awarding of public revenues in the form of grants to private citizens, the distribution of funds to the various municipalities of Schenectady County, and, most importantly, the return on the taxpayers investment of public revenues to finance private businesses.
I thank you in advance for the courtesy of your reply.
Respectfully,
Brad Littlefield
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I submitted, by web post, the correspondence above to New York State Attorney General Cuomo. Confirmation of the receipt of my correspondence was acknowledged by email (below). I believe that it is time to escalate the question/issue as no satisfactory response has been received to date from the New York State Office of the State Comptroller. I will post any response that I receive from the Attorney General's office.
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From: webmaster@smtpgw.oag.state.ny.us To: XXXXXXX Subject: Comments to AG from Web Site Date: Jan 15, 2008 12:28 PM Hi Bradley,
Thank you for sending your comment to the Attorney General.
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We received your message on Tue Jan 15 12:28:23 2008
Metroplex critic doesn’t know what he’s talking about
This is in response to Brad Littlefield’s Jan. 8 letter asking for an audit of Metroplex by the state comptroller’s office. Each year Metroplex conducts an annual audit, which is submitted to the comptroller’s office for review. Copies are also submitted to the state and county legislatures, and they are also posted at our Web site at http://www.schenectadymetroplex.org Metroplex is covered by the Public Authorities Accountability Act. All board meetings are open to the public and are broadcast on Channel 16. All projects that involve a commitment of more than $500,000 in funding require a public hearing. All contracts above $25,000 require approval by the board in public session. While board Chairman Ray Gillen is authorized to approve contracts for less than $25,000, he has made it a practice to submit all contracts to the board for approval. Metroplex also must maintain excellent finances as we are rated by credit agencies. We have a current bond rating of A. For many years, Schenectady operated with a private economic development group that had no audited financials and very little accountability. I know, as I was a member of the board of that group, and resigned my board seat over concerns about the direction of the organization. This private group is no longer the lead agency in economic development. Metroplex is a major partner in a county economic development team that is accountable, results-oriented and successful. BRADLEY G. LEWIS Schenectady The writer is vice chairman of the Metroplex board and is an economics professor at Union College.
I want to first say that I think the Gazette could have chosen other words to title this article.
And with that said, I have a question. Do all Authorities, such as the Thruway Authority have to follow the same guidelines? Such as what Mr. Lewis stated:
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Each year Metroplex conducts an annual audit, which is submitted to the comptroller’s office for review. Copies are also submitted to the state and county legislatures, and they are also posted at our Web site at http://www.schenectadymetroplex.org
If the Thruway Authority has submitted the same annual audits,, they were still subject an external audit. Wouldn't this be true for the Metroplex as well?
An audit by the organization and submitted to the state is the same as having the fox guard the hen house or the PBA investigating the police department.
Mr. Lewis failed to comprehend the statements contained in my Letter to the Editor of the Daily Gazette which included one in which I acknowledged that there are self-directed annual audits of the Metroplex. He doesn't agree that an independent and comprehensive audit conducted by the New York State Comptroller's office, that provides full accountability of the operations and the finances of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority (of which he is vice chairman) is not only in the interests of the tax paying residents of Schenectady County, but is also required by the law that governs state audits of public authorities.
I had expected a letter to be written by Metroplex Chairman Gillen and published by the Daily Gazette. I guess that another insider on the Metroplex board was delegated the task. Mr. Lewis doth protest too much. Is he concerned about what an audit by the New York State Office of the State Comptroller may reveal?
I'm sure that the Thruway Authority does the same thing as the Metroplex in regards to their own internal audit and YET the Thruway Authority was audited. We are just asking, as taxpayers for a state audit. Now is that really too much to ask for in this great overtaxed state we live in? And besides, that is the job of the Comptroller and the Attorney General. That's what we pay them to do!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS Board of Directors SchenectadyMetroplex Development Authority
We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets of Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority(a New York public benefit corporation) as of December 31, 2006and 2005, and the related statements of revenues, expenses, and changes in net assets, and cash flows for the years then ended. These financial statements are the responsibilityof the Authority’s management. Our responsibilityis to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generallyaccepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of SchenectadyMetroplex Development Authorityas of December 31, 2006 and 2005, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis on pages 2 through 7is not a required part of the basic financial statements but is supplementary information required by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. We have applied certain limited procedures, which consisted principally of inquiries of management regarding the methods of measurement and presentation of the supplementary information. However, we did not audit the information and express no opinion on it.
Bollam, Sheedy, Torani & Co. LLP Albany, New York June25, 2007
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Metroplex critic doesn’t know what he’s talking about
This is in response to Brad Littlefield’s Jan. 8 letter asking for an audit of Metroplex by the state comptroller’s office. Each year Metroplex conducts an annual audit, which is submitted to the comptroller’s office for review. Copies are also submitted to the state and county legislatures, and they are also posted at our Web site at http://www.schenectadymetroplex.org Metroplex is covered by the Public Authorities Accountability Act. All board meetings are open to the public and are broadcast on Channel 16. All projects that involve a commitment of more than $500,000 in funding require a public hearing. All contracts above $25,000 require approval by the board in public session. While board Chairman Ray Gillen is authorized to approve contracts for less than $25,000, he has made it a practice to submit all contracts to the board for approval. Metroplex also must maintain excellent finances as we are rated by credit agencies. We have a current bond rating of A. For many years, Schenectady operated with a private economic development group that had no audited financials and very little accountability. I know, as I was a member of the board of that group, and resigned my board seat over concerns about the direction of the organization. This private group is no longer the lead agency in economic development. Metroplex is a major partner in a county economic development team that is accountable, results-oriented and successful. BRADLEY G. LEWIS Schenectady The writer is vice chairman of the Metroplex board and is an economics professor at Union College.
Ladies and Gentlemen.......Please...... Do not pay any attention to the man behind the curtain.
No...Mr. Lewis is hiding behind his titles...vice chairman of the Metroplex board and is an economics professor at Union College. Bollam, Sheedy, Torani & Co. LLP do not actually 'audit' the Metroplex. They just put the information given to them BY the Metroplex into an audit format and submit it to the proper authorities. As taxpayers and as Brad has stated, the taxpayers are just requesting an independent audit by the state. Just like they did for the Thruway authority.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
May I also say that there are incentives for 'new' businesses to open up shop in certain areas of Schenectady County. They are called 'Empire Zones'. This was put into place to give new business a tax break if they located in those areas. Well we all know that the Rotterdam Industrial Park is one which did benefit the town with the Railex and the Price Chopper Freezer and Fedex.
But what about the downtown area of Schenectady? I believe that is also considered an Empire Zone. Now Villa Italia moved out of Rotterdam and 're-located' their already lucrative business to Broadway in Schenectady. Villa Italia is considered to be in this Empire Zone now which allows them the tax breaks. The Golub Office complex will be doing the same thing when they move to their new location in Schenectady.
So what is going on, is that successful, long standing businesses that have been contributing 100% to the tax base are now being lured to the downtown area specifically for the tax break. Hence, actually losing tax money. So can someone explain the rational to me? Aren't we really just robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to day? I may be seeing this in the wrong light and need some correction.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
So what is going on, is that successful, long standing businesses that have been contributing 100% to the tax base are now being lured to the downtown area specifically for the tax break. Hence, actually losing tax money. So can someone explain the rational to me? Aren't we really just robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to day? I may be seeing this in the wrong light and need some correction.
They don't care about Peter if they can show that Paul is doing so much better. And guess what...Peter's broke. (30,000 people with Peter's broke.) Oh well, at least Paul's doing good.
I would welcome any of you who disagree with Mr. Lewis's assertions and who support my call for the New York State Comptroller's Office to perform an independent and comprehensive audit of the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority to write a Letter to the Editor of the Daily Gazette. The point that several of you have made regarding the NYS Thruway audit by the Comptroller's office as being similar is valid. Why is the Metroplex exempt from the state law that requires public authorities to be audited at a minimum of once every five years? (I was told of this law by someone in government, I will have to find the exact legislation). Self-directed audits are, as Shadow contends, "the same as having the fox guard the hen house".
It is interesting that the louder the outcry by the public becomes in support of the Metroplex audit and the more pressure that is brought upon the government to conduct the audit, the more defensive those on the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority become. Is there a reason for concern on their parts? If not, would they not welcome the audit as a chance to show the public that the organization is being run efficiently and in accordance with the law?
It is unfortunate that the two daily newspapers in the Capital District do not have any legitimate investigative journalists. Those who cover Schenectady County simply present the views, statements, and opinions of the Democratic majority in local government. They act as cheerleaders for the current government rather than public advocates.
Is there a reason for concern on their part? If not, would they not welcome the audit as a chance to show the public that the organization is being run efficiently and in accordance with the law?
Because you are treading on sacred ground where no one has gone before. In part it boils down to a "how dare you question THE AUTHORITY".
This scene reminds me of "The Wizard" Ray Gillen, and Schenectady is his Oz. Dorothy, Tin Man, and Scarecrow represent the Schenectady(Oz) county residents. The Cowardly Lion represents our newspapers.
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