Today's Feature
Chamber Audit Approved
Former Employees
Regroup
The Carthage Chamber of
Commerce Board of Directors voted unanimously to
accept the audit report from Chris Churchwell of
Mense, Churchwell and Mense yesterday morning.
The report was presented to Mayor Kenneth Johnson
and City Administrator Tom Short at approximately
9:30 A.M. The audit was stipulated by the Council
as a condition of the Chambers contract for
promoting tourism for the City.
The report included a letter of
recommendations to rectify shortcomings in the
record keeping on the part of the Chamber.
"To ensure that all
transactions are recorded on a timely
basis," stated the letter,
"reconciliations should be made on a monthly
schedule and that financial statements should be
prepared for board review and approval:
"The Chamber needs
standard procedures for preparing and reviewing
the financial statements that include:
"- a closing schedule with
assigned responsibilities on a monthly basis,
"- general ledger control
accounts reconciled monthly with the subsidiary
ledgers or records,
"- a comparison of the
account balances with the budget and the prior
comparable period (unusual variances are
investigated);
"- top management and the
board of directors review and approve internal
and external financial statements, reports to
outside agencies, and other financial information
appearing outside the financial statements."
The Chamber Board went into
closed session immediately following the regular
meeting to discuss personnel matters.
A media release was promised to
this paper yesterday afternoon concerning the
closed session, but after the publication of the
evening paper, which gave a detailed account of
interviews with what had by that time became five
former employees, the release was delayed.
As reported in yesterday’s
Mornin’ Mail, four former and one
current employee waited on the Square Tuesday
evening in hopes of discussing what they felt
were management problems with members of the
Chamber Board. The members met at another
location for a scheduled meeting but the media
was on the square. On Wednesday morning the one
current employee, Marilyn Cleary, was fired as
she appeared for work.
According to Cleary yesterday
afternoon, she intends to contact the Labor Board
and a lawyer to "make sure I don’t do
anything illegally."
Cleary’s name appeared on
a letter delivered around the first of the month
to Board members requesting a meeting to voice
grievances.
Cleary contends that early last
Friday morning Chamber Board President Dexter
Friesen came to the Chamber office, spoke briefly
with Executive Director Kelly, then locked the
front door and stood and coached Cleary as she
composed a letter asking that her name be removed
from the original request, suggesting that she
sign it if she wanted to continue to work for the
Chamber. Former Board member Dan Corp, who
resigned later in the day last Friday, confirmed
that he had spoke with Freisen about the incident
just prior to Corp’s resignation.
Former employee Donna Wimp said
she has also contacted a lawyer to protect her
interests and make sure she proceeds in a correct
manner. Wimp resigned her post on the Chamber
staff in August. She says her requested exit
interview was denied.
Cleary and Wimp say they have
spoken to more than one individual Board member
who requested specific written grievances be
submitted. They plan to compile and submit
written statements soon.
The three other former
employees, LeeAnn Keepper, Ruth Putman, and Jasen
Jones said yesterday afternoon they have no legal
battles, just concern for the continued well
being of the Chamber. They originally felt a
meeting with the Board might bring to light some
problems they had seen as employees according to
Keepper.
Lujene Clark was also present
on the Square during the informal gathering
Tuesday evening. She distributed copies of her
letter to the Chamber in which she rescinded her
membership from the organization. Clark in
Chairman of the City Council Finance/Personnel
Committee. The Committee brought the suggestion
of a Chamber audit before the full Council for
approval.
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