Posted on 08/17/2006 9:31:45 AM PDT by Ebenezer
(English-language translation)
Comptroller Manuel Díaz Saldaña yesterday presented to a legislative committee his principal findings of audits of the Municipality of San Juan when former Governor Sila M. Calderón was mayor, among these “extravagant and unnecessary expenses” towards supporting the Navy’s withdrawal from Vieques and promoting her image.
The official published 18 reports between June 1999 and March 2005 on fiscal operations in City Hall and in the Communications Central Office during Calderón’s incumbency as mayor and governor.
“The principal findings published in the March 14, 2005 audit report (reveal) extravagant and unnecessary expenses and the use of public funds to promote the mayor’s image,” [Díaz] stated during public hearings of the House Public Integrity Committee.
The legislative organization is conducting an investigation of the actions the Department of Justice has taken upon receiving the Comptroller’s adverse findings, among these illegal donations and patronage to the Municipality of San Juan and private entities.
In addition, the investigations found that Calderón’s administration gave contracts for which there were no funds to pay, filed illegally stipulated civil lawsuits, and made purchases and acquired services without the required bids.
Díaz referred to Justice and the Government Ethics Office an audit of the Municipality of San Juan which points out that, as mayor of the capital, Calderón paid $98,614 to municipal lobbyists for their efforts towards the withdrawal of the Navy from Vieques.
In that report, the Comptroller argued that those efforts towards the Navy’s withdrawal “were inappropriate” because they contradicted the public policy established through a January 2000 agreement between then-Governor Pedro Rosselló and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Out of a total of 18 reports, 15 were referred to Justice with recommendations, which represents 83% of the audits conducted by the Comptroller’s Office.
However, many of these referred reports expressed a “favorable” opinion, but with “principal and secondary findings”.
Three of the documents submitted by Díaz were not referred to Justice as they were classified as “favorable with secondary findings”.
ping
No...Way...
Sila Calderon was governor when the Vieques issue came to a head. What I didn't realize was that prior to her governorship, as mayor of San Juan she was already involved in agitating against the Navy.
Clearly, as mayor this goes quite beyond her jurisdiction. And it sounds like fraud to me.
Her political party used to enjoy almost total hegemony up until the 60's but no more. The only way they can hope to win elections is by pandering to the far left and borrowing voters from the pro-Independence Party. Being any-Navy was just an easy and cynical calculation for the Popular DEMOCRATIC Party.
Who are you trying to kid, cll?
Being anti-Navy is what got Sila Calderon elected governor of Puerto Rico, because a majority of the ungrateful residents of the island, that are Americans In Name Only, are anti-Navy!
What happened to the 4 Puerto Rican terrorists that threw fire bombs at a U.S. Navy convoy, on 8/10/01, on the island of Vieques?
What did the anti-Navy, majority of the residents of Puerto Rico do to them?
Were they punished?
No!
So, stop trying to obfuscate the truth about Puerto Rico.
Both these governors were completely HONEST.
She used the Vieques issue to position herself with the island's left, but I think the closing of Roosevelt hurt her politically. She (and they) thought there would be no consequences for forcing a shutdown at Vieques.
My impression is, correct me if I'm wrong, there isn't a lot of employment on Vieques, the Navy pulling out hurt the locals. The hippie types would like to turn it into a tourist destination, but if the developers take over how does that help the little guy?
But they're just a few, so who cares?
But Roosevelt closing killed a lot of jobs on the big island, and that must have had a direct political impact.
The actors and academics who made Vieques a cause don't have to live with the outcome, though. Working people do.
Sila Calderon's party won the governor's mansion again, so what political costs are you talking about?
Christy Todd Whitman ran down to Puerto Rico and threw hundreds of millions of EPA dollars around and there were hundreds of millions spent on assisting businesses and workers adjust to the loss of Navy jobs and purchases.
Bush and our other pandering politicians made sure Puerto Rico didn't lose a dime.
"My impression is, correct me if I'm wrong, there isn't a lot of employment on Vieques, the Navy pulling out hurt the locals"
Not only that, but even the Puerto Rico government has all but abandoned Vieques. The little island's anti-everythings are now taking aim at tourism developers and foreigners (meaning anybody who's not a Viequense, main-islanders included) who are trying to do something positive there. Their main complaint is that locals are selling their properties like hotcakes to the outsiders.
And you may or may not be aware that the main instigator is one who calls himself Roberto Rabín, who's really a Bostonian with the real name is Robert Rabinovich. The sorry commie wants the island for himself.
And btw, Rosey is making a comeback as a Joint Armed Forces Installation. The feds will be turning over to the local government a small beach and some wetlands. The hospital might be privatized, the Ofstie Field might become a mixed civilian/military airport. But the rest of the base will be reactivated, I gather from good sources.
Listen to this. Like this is good news for the U.S. Taxpayers or something? LOL!
The ingrates in Puerto Rico forced the U.S. Taxpayers to spend HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to close the base and relocate all of their operations, pay for local government, local businesses and former local civilian base employees to recover from the loss of income due to the base closure.
Are we going to get any of that money back?
No!
Now, the U.S. Taxpayers are going to have to pay hundreds of millions more to rent a small portion of the total 11,000 acres we used to own and I wouldn't doubt that it will be more per year than we ever paid before and for even less in return!
Plus, we're going to have less security for our servicemen and women! We're going to give Puerto Rican, fire-bomb-throwing, terrorists more access to the base!
I swear it's like Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton are still president.
On second thought, I don't know if they'd be crazy enough to screw the U.S. Taxpayers over this bad this close to an election.
The Bush legacy. This is unreal.
So, if they are now vehemently against any tourism-related development, what do they want to set up in the abandoned lands? Straw huts?
Most of the lands have been turned over the US Fish & Wildlife Service as a wildlife refuge. To me that means a caretaker role.
One must remember that RRNS and Vieques have been closed and reopened five times since WWII. The recent closing has actually been a windfall, imo, since most of the DoD resources are needed over at where the fighting is.
Maybe this is a good time to do a little property hunting...
Ah, so the agitators are going to settle there. How do they feel about this federal oversight?
;^D
Windfall? The U.S. Taxpayers have been forced to close 2 Naval facilities, by fire-bomb-throwing, Puerto Rican terrorists, that it cost the U.S. Taxpayers upwards of $30 billion dollars to acquire, build and maintain and the U.S. Taxpayers are supposed to perceive that as a windfall?
That's nuts. Could it be the water in Puerto Rico or is it the rum talking?
LOL!
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