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I believe the citizens and taxpayers of Superior deserve to know what’s going on with our Mayor, Jayme Valenzuela.
On Dec. 9, the Council and the audience were informed that 2 or more cash withdrawals had been made at ATM machines with a Town debit card. A number of questions and comments were made but only after the manager explained that there were only 2 cards, the Town having one and the Mayor having one, did he admit he made the withdrawals. He said it was a mistake because the Town card and his personal card had the same pin number. During the conversation he was directly asked if it was just the one time and he said yes, two withdrawals but just the one time. He further said that he had paid it back to the Town. The manager confirmed that he had paid it back and there were receipts. When asked at Town Hall for the receipts showing that he paid it back people were told that the receipts had disappeared. There was no offer to pull the bank deposit records to show that the money paid back was ever deposited in the bank.
I requested, and reviewed, bank statements from November 2011 through November 2015. In a very quick review I found that there were a total of 8 cash withdrawals from ATMs, beginning August 2013 and ending December 2014, totaling $2,323 plus bank fees. I believe that it is highly unlikely that this “mistake” could have been made 8 different times. On Dec. 15, 2015, one week after the Council meeting, the $2,323.00 was paid back to the Town of Superior by the Mayor.
At the Jan. 14 Council meeting the independent auditors called in to review the transactions, confirmed the dollar amount that had been withdrawn. They further did a “sampling” of other charges made on Town debit cards and found approximately 50% of these charges did not have receipts.
The Mayor was asked many times, including 3 times by Council members, to resign from his position. He continued to insist that he did nothing wrong, that he had paid it all back and refused to step down. The Council voted to request a criminal investigation by DPS. Hopefully, they will uncover and report the truth.
In the meantime, we have a mess at Town Hall. The Town Manager submitted her notice the day after the Council meetings. I do not believe she has done anything wrong or illegal but we need a manager that has a better handle on our money.
It appears that the bank statements have not been reconciled for many, many months. It also appears that there are very few checks and balances in place to prevent this from happening again.
In my opinion, it’s time to clean house! This is a “NEW SUPERIOR”, with hopes and plans for an improved Town with good schools, clean neighborhoods, jobs and a great place to raise a family. In the past 10 years many people have worked hard to change the reputation that Superior had as a drug haven with nowhere to go but down hill. It’s no longer acceptable to be complacent with things just because “it’s always been that way”. If we work together we can have a wonderful thriving community that we are proud to be a part of. Hopefully, the citizens of Superior can convince Mayor Valenzuela to step down and let us move forward. Whether he is guilty or innocent the people will never be able to trust him, believe him or respect him. We simply can’t have a leader like that and expect to improve our Town.
If he continues to refuse to step down for the good of the Town I see no alternative than to begin a recall process, which will cost the taxpayers (us) another several thousand dollars. I appreciate all of your help in this effort. Although the rebuilding will be a lot of work, when it’s over I believe that we will have a stronger and better community.
This is my personal opinion and not that of the Superior Chamber of Commerce.
/s/ Sue Anderson
Resident, business owner and taxpayer
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