From the KNS:
Cynthia Finch, Knox County’s senior director of Community Services, will give up control of the county’s grants programs so she can continue serving on the boards of nonprofits that receive grant funding, the mayor’s office announced today.
The remarkable thing about this story is that she actually had to be told by her superiors that it was inappropriate to represent entities seeking funds while having control or influence over the funds they were seeking!
A memo sent Friday notified Finch and her subordinates in the Community Development Department they would no longer be allowed to serve on the boards of nonprofits that seek federal or locally funded grants issued by the county.
The new policy comes in the aftermath of a U.S. Housing and Urban Development report that found the county distributed $840,000 in “questionable” federal grants to nonprofits with connections to Finch and other county grants officials.
Only in Louisiana Knoxville. What would happen at your job if you did that? Hell, my company canned a guy (rightfully so) a couple of years ago for taking a $125 Best Buy gift card from a supplier. I guess they could have just given him less work and let him keep his salary along with the gift card as punishment, but what kind of message would that have sent?
Hopefully some of that investigative reporting I posted about earlier today is in the works.
You owe it to yourself to watch this video of Wednesday’s agenda meeting…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SK3vPgawsfU
Much obliged mbradley.
I posted the video embedded in a new post.