Attacks on the mayor, town employees are baseless

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  I grew up here in Superior and was educated in our schools.  I left after high school and moved back here two years ago.  I worked for The Town of Superior Finance Department until Jan. 20, 2016.  Recently, I read about our former Town Clerk who seems to know more about what’s going on at Town Hall than when she was actually here.  She claims she was Finance Manager for Miami, Financial Administrator for Kearny and acting Finance Director for Mammoth.  But she did not show anything to support her financial background while she was here.  She had trouble reading the bank statements.  She did do journal entries, but they were wrong and I had to correct them myself.  In fact, one of the top officials for The Pinal-Gila Council for Senior Citizens said the financial documents she submitted while she was at Miami were never correct.  It also appears there are a lot of copies of the Town’s bank statements floating around that some people are using to support lies and personal attacks.  I read something about purchases made at the Dollar Store in December and without any information, I know it’s “Toys for Tots”, when the Town card is used to buy Christmas presents for the children of Superior.  I’ve also read we have Bank of the West and Chase Bank cards.  We only have one card from The Bank of the West and it does have the same logo as a personal bank card.  There is lots of speculation out there, but I have the facts.  I have remained quiet about recent events, but i have to present the facts to let the residents of Superior know the truth.

  The Mayor’s verbal attackers use lies and accusations.  But I find it more compelling that an independent auditing firm with a solid reputation found no impropriety and that the Mayor’s employer determined no further action was necessary.  In fact, when the Mayor realized his mistake, he immediately advised the Town Manager and brought in the money to reimburse the Town.   I gave him a receipt and kept a copy for the Town.  However, that copy which I kept in a sealed envelope in my desk marked “Confidential” somehow disappeared.  It is strange that a document turns up missing right at the time our auditors were requesting it.  This was the first time anything was taken from my desk in Town Hall but it wouldn’t be the last.  I am not going to attack the Mayor, because he came in to reimburse the Town at the time he realized his mistake.  I understand the matter is still under review and the entire process should be allowed to run its course.  In our country, a person is innocent until proven guilty.

  The Finance Director position has been vacant since September of 2013.  I was originally hired as the front desk clerk.  But when the Finance Clerk at the time was overwhelmed with the amount of work, I was asked to step in.  It became apparent that very little work was done after March of 2013.  The federal and state tax filings were a priority.  I submitted the delinquent tax forms for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of 2013, and had the IRS and state penalties removed.  Also, the invoices needed to receive funding for the Senior Center were not done since June of 2013.  I submitted all the invoices to release needed funds to the Senior Center.  In fact, the Pinal-Gila Council for Senior Citizens recently conducted a thorough review and determined the financial reporting for the Senior Center was “excellent”.  Since January of 2014, I did all the Finance work for the Town.  There was a clerk helping with data entry and filing, but I performed all accounting functions on my own, pursuant to GAAP standards.  For two years, I have performed my job to the best of my ability, including the duties of a Finance Director.  I took on the additional workload without complaint and without requesting a pay increase because I think it’s important to give back to your community.  Superior is my home town.

  I resigned my position on Jan. 20, 2016.  I left due to a hostile work environment that began when the former Town Clerk was hired in July of 2015.  Confidential payroll documents pertaining to the former Town Clerk were taken from my desk, including Town checks (unsigned) that we issued stop payment requests on.  Someone tried to log on to my computer while I was at lunch, and our computer administrator had to reset my password.  My time was being monitored even though we do not use a time clock or timecards.  My co-workers, including the former Town Clerk, openly celebrated the anticipated removal of the Mayor and Town Manager in Town Hall in December, before any action was taken by the Town Council.  For these reasons and many others, I would not be productive working with current Town Hall staff on a daily basis.  However, I would consider performing the Finance duties that I am already familiar with as an independent contractor.  I could provide valuable assistance and have always acted in the best interest of Town.

/s/ David Romero

Former Finance Officer, Town of Superior

Staff (5795 Posts)

There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.


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