According to the Ventura County Star, Juanita Guzman has resigned from her position as city treasurer for the City of Port Hueneme. Guzman now joins the ever-growing list of individuals who have resigned in the past year.....City Manager Cynthia Haas, Finance Director Robert Bravo. All of the resignations come following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the subsequent findings of improprieties.
While the resignations are a good start, my question would be what is the degree of culpability that the individuals mentioned above have in the financial mess faced by the City......was there some degree of cronyism? Was there something inappropriate going on? I am certain as time marches on, the truths in the matter will manifest themselves......if a criminal investigation takes place, it is amazing the powers that a Grand Jury has in fact-finding.
More importantly, how did we get here in the first place? While I have not researched the pedigree of the individuals involved, it begs the question of their respective background in budget and finance......have they ever had the same degree of accountability that is held to those of us who work in the private sector, or are they career bureaucrats who have the same sense of entitlement to spend our tax dollars as the politicians in Washington?
As we see a rising tide of change in the forthcoming Presidential election, the wave must also continue to the state and local levels.....the status quo have gotten us into this mess, and it is time for the people to take the reigns of government back into their own hands..... Considering how much tax revenue is taken in by the City, hard choices need to be made by bold individuals who are willing to make sacrifices.
I seriously think I should run for public office here......
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