Jankowski Cites BOE, Paddyfote and Diamond "Improper Budgeting Technique"

I have known Town CFO and Treasurer Ray Jankowski for more than 15 years and know him to be a quiet, gentle man who avoids the limelight and the fray. No one's dupe, he does his job expertly and efficiently with a small, excellent staff and pays close attention to and abides by all applicable laws and accounting procedures.

Thus the tone of the letter that he wrote today to the BOE and JeanAnn Paddyfote came as a surprise. In a scathing rebuke of what he describes as the use of "an improper budgeting technique," Ray makes accusations of what in my opinion clearly amount to malfeasance.

Insisting that this "budgeting technique end immediately," he wrote, "this is not the result of poor guesswork but [was] deliberate and with purpose that could never be attained under the rules imposed by my office using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles on the funding of an Internal Service Fund."

Let's put this in context. This is only one account. One portion of a bloated budget for which no one is held accountable and which I would guess that no one except Bill Wellman understands. Can you imagine what Ray would find if all of the books were open to him?

Mr. Jankowski has the power and the authority to take over the BOE Finance Department or to hire someone for it who reports to him. Such dire changes are long overdue.

This is very, very serious. The person or persons who are responsible for this ought to retain an attorney forthwith.