by Edwin Crayton
I’ve been writing how the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation (NCIF) admitted that it can’t account for what happened to $19,500 of the public money it manages. You would think any community group serving the public would want to answer questions to show transparency, right? Think again. At the July 11, 2017 quarterly meeting apparently that was not the case. When I asked for a response to my written requests for information about the missing funds, Board member Brenda Milner discouraged me from asking about the money advising that I focus instead on the positive things NCIF is doing. I responded by asking Ms. Milner how she would respond if she went to the bank and her banker told her he didn’t know what happened to $190 of her money. I asked if she would accept it if the banker advised her to forget the missing money and stop asking about it. Ms. Millner had no response. Her reaction is typical of the rest of the NCIF. Earlier in the meeting I asked if the board would be willing to share what they know about the missing funds. The board said they would not.
Sounds evasive and lacking in transparency? The Questions will continue. The Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation Board Members are: Leo Walker Jr., Sylvia Morrow, Oswald Taylor, Kelvin Porter, Brenda Milner, Ed Ward Jr., Gwen Hardison, Mildred Joseph, Shaniqua Hoover, Billye Sue Johnson, Gwendolyn Williams, Catherine Hoover, Diane Blake Jones, James Below Jr., and Estelle Braxton.
The board meets quarterly, every second Tuesday. The next meeting is in October. Call 1-318-623-2466 for time and location. The fund was created to oversee and distribute 1. 5 million in funds designated by the courts to go to the citizens of Natchitoches to help residents in the areas of education, housing, recreation and economic development.
You spending so much time questioning $19,500, why haven’t you questioned the millions your past Governor cheated the state out of.
You can’t get an answer out of big government on anything,but a local small town community funded foundation! WHERES THE MONEY? This is not going away!
Why are you not concerned where the money went?
Imagine This!
Where there’s smoke there is usually a fire. Perhaps we need the fire department…as a friction fire may occur if the documents are rubbed together too much trying to hide what should be audited.
What happened to the rest of the money?
I was told specifically by one of those members, that the board of LNC had asked about that money, & she said “that money was not going to given to that board or anyone else” How is that?
Mr. Crayton , we encourage you to keep digging!!
Independent audit is a necessity, no matter what anyone on the committee says. In fact, when the response ” Board member Brenda Milner discouraged me from asking about the money advising that I focus instead on the positive things NCIF is doing.” Then later, when the question was asked if the board would be willing to share what they knew about the missing money, the response was, ” The board said they would not.” Sounds like something fishy is going on. These comments are red flags waving so high that they can’t be ignored. Should the entire board be removed because so much money is missing and no one has the guts to step for forward to tell what happened. To me, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. “Malfeasance in office, or official misconduct, is the commission of an unlawful act, done in an official capacity, which affects the performance of official duties. Malfeasance in office is often grounds for a for cause removal of an elected official by statute or recall election.” And this matter appears to involve every member, if not one of them will tell the truth.
They all know what happened to the missing funds. One or more members is responsible for the misappropriation and one or more members know who is responsible and is covering it up. Each one has a fiduciary obligation and since no one will “fess up” or point out the person(s) responsible, they should all resign or be removed.
I believe an independent audit is needed!
One of two things, they are just stupid or thieves.
Please don’t limit us to just one choice….I’m gonna go way out on a limb and say that they are both stupid and a thief (especially STUPID)! Typical “public servant/politician. Washington DC isn’t the only “swamp” that needs to be drained.
Are you really surprised? Their hoping if they ignore it,it will go away! A lot of that goes on around here! But who am I to question the almighty powers that be