Letter to the Editor: Martindale - Audit Petition - 02/13/2012

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Published on Monday, 13 February 2012 15:07

To the citizens of Elk City: 

As many of you have heard, there is a committee of concerned citizens from Elk City who are gathering petition signatures for a State Audit of the City of Elk City.  For clarification:

• We have a formed committee of 25 volunteers consisting of some of the most respected names in Elk City & the surrounding area & from all walks of life. 
• A member of our group as well as others outside of our group have met several times over a period of time with members of the State Auditor’s office in order to bring all of this together. We wish to follow state law and be completely transparent in our part of this endeavor.
• What we seek is an objective 3rd person opinion to ensure the city of Elk city has operated within the boundaries of the city charter, state & federal law & to ensure tax payer money has been spent legally & that no other irregularities in day to day transactions exist. This audit will differ from “local” audits performed by Elk City CPA firms in that it will be a forensic or thorough audit not only of purchase orders issued by the city, but also a review of the methods in which the city does business on a day to day basis. It is not a question of “trusting previous local audits,” as Mr. Schuelein wrote in his article in a local newspaper. We have nothing but respect for the CPA firms in our city. A state audit is completely different from a “local” audit.
• Our goal:  We seek transparency in our Elk City government & a starting point for positive future movement. Elk City has had 5 city managers in 3 years. This will make #6.  The City of Elk City has income of millions of dollars per year. We want past issues settled so that our new city manager, whoever that may be can come in with a clean slate & do the job for which he or she will be hired which is handling the daily business of our city so we can move forward with a positive attitude & continue to build our wonderful city. Our city leaders with the exception of Mr. Davis refuse to ask for a state audit. If they have nothing to hide, they should not be afraid of a state audit.
• • The cost of this audit will be approximately what the city of Elk City makes from the tax collections from sales in our city in 1-2 days. It’s a small price to pay for clarification & transparency.
• Signatures’ on this petition are protected from release to any entity or individual by law 74 O.S.§ 212 (L)(8) except by an order from a court of competent jurisdiction & will be hand delivered directly to the State Auditor & Inspectors’ office. The signatures will be verified by law through the State Election board by the sealed petition process meaning that they will not be public information. No citizen or business should have any reason to fear retribution or termination by signing this petition.

As has been stated to me by many citizens in Elk City during this petition drive, including pastors, citizens & business owners, everyone must answer to someone. Transparency in City government is not a novel idea. Our city leaders should conduct all business in the spirit of transparency; they do, after all, serve you the citizens. 

While we will be going door to door, voters we miss who wish to sign the petition may call 580-225-4233 or 580-225-4848 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . You can also sign the petition in 4 locations throughout Elk City.  To date, we have over 400 signatures on the petition & expect to surpass our goal in the days ahead. We appreciate all of those dedicated citizens willing to sign and also appreciate those who have asked us if they can pass petitions to their friends for additional signatures. 

Sincerely,
Dora Martindale