“The condemnation of Mountain Water Company was a victory not for good government, efficient utilities or the rate-paying public. It was a victory for lawyers, ‘expert’ witnesses, and foreign bankers. Citizens got left holding the bag. Our water is the same and our rates are the same, but now we owe a mountain of debt and have to repay it without the help of what used to be one of our biggest taxpayers. I wonder if the folks in California will make the same mistake.”
Category Archives: Information
Town of Apple Valley accounting update (Lee)
As the red flags keep flying higher on the Town of Apple Valley finances, I thought it was time to put some historical context to how we have arrived where we are today, and feel free to speak up if you spot any errors, omissions, or mischaracterizations.
Opinion, Fact, Fiction, or Comic Strip? (Lee)
I’m not sure which of the above categories the Daily Press/Apple Valley Review falls into. You all saw the articles by Angela Valles and Mayor Art Bishop’s response to her. One has to wonder what these columns are? If they are merely opinion, then, of course, they do not have to validate what they are saying. That would certainly explain why Mr. Bishop took extreme liberties in his writing.
Spurs, Lipstick, and Opinions: A continued look into Town credit transactions (Valles)
Last week we talked about how I believe District Attorney-elect Jason Anderson should investigate the credit card transactions and travel expenses of the Apple Valley Town Council. This is part two in the series.
$216,000 in 2016 (Valles)
You may want to sit down for this one.
What if I told you that you could work for the Town of Apple Valley, retire in December of 2015, work zero hours in 2016, and still “earn” $216,000?
Auditors: VVWRA mislead FEMA on project, jeopardizing $33.1M
Auditors say the regional wastewater authority offered misleading information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency when it performed a major pipeline replacement project completed in the summer of 2016.
‘Boeing’ Barb doesn’t want any cuts to her compensation package
‘Groundhog Day’ in Apple Valley (Valles)
Some Review readers may recall the 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day” featuring legendary comedian Bill Murray. Murray plays a weatherman assigned to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
Can you hear me now? (Valles)
“Boeing” Barb Stanton loves to fly on the taxpayers’ dime. Since the beginning of 2015, it appears she has flown on at least 21 trips at a cost of approximately $7,500 on airfare and related fees.
Another waste of taxpayer money (Valles)
Mayor Art Bishop used a town credit card to pay for his wife’s airline ticket based on credit card statements recently provided to me by town officials. Bishop claims he reimbursed the town (the town had four days to confirm the reimbursement, but so far, all I hear are crickets), but why is it the town’s responsibility to pay upfront for a spouse’s trip. These trainings are supposed to be business trips, right?