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Auditor: Elections Office Unhelpful

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By MIKE SALINERO msalinero@tampatrib.com

Published: January 8, 2009

TAMPA - Workers for former elections supervisor Buddy Johnson either ignored calls or canceled meetings as auditors tried to gain access to the elections office's financial records, Hillsborough County commissioners were told Wednesday.

Dan Pohto, director of county audits for the Circuit Court clerk, said that when he finally got to see spreadsheets they were sketchy with no invoices, checks or other financial documentation to back them up. The elections office's bank records were "frozen," Pohto said, and he couldn't examine them.

"I've been audit director for nine years and I've never seen anything like this," Pohto said.

Johnson, in a phone interview, denied that his office staff did not cooperate with Pohto. He said an external audit of his office being conducted by the financial services company, Ernst & Young, will show he and his staff managed the office's financial affairs responsibly.

"My statement is: There was no mismanagement - period," Johnson said.

The commission asked the clerk's office to conduct the audit Dec. 17 after Johnson sent his chief of staff, Kathy Harris, to ask for a budget supplement of $2.34 million. But because of the financial disarray and lack of cooperation, Pohto was only able to document $336,000 of the $2.34 million.

Among the spending he could not verify were payments to Premier Elections Solution for election equipment, including new optical scan voting machines.

On Wednesday, Premier representative Bill Roberts said the supervisor's office owes the company $2.1 million. The bill includes $1.7 million representing the last payment on a $5.37 million contract for the machines, plus another $400,000 for ballot boxes, additional hardware and software.

Harris never mentioned Johnson needed money to finish paying for voting machines when she spoke to commissioners last month. At that time, she attributed most of the $2.3 million in cost overruns to personnel and equipment needed to handle the large voter turnout for the Nov. 4 election.

Roberts, however, said Johnson's office should have been aware of the money owed Premier when Harris spoke at the Dec. 17 commission meeting.

"I know they were in receipt of all the things they'd ordered," Roberts said.

Current elections supervisor Phyllis Busansky said she will talk to Premier early next week to verify how much is still owed the company.

Busansky said she found the main elections office on Falkenburg Road in "disarray" when she paid her first visit as supervisor Tuesday. Her chief deputy, Craig Latimer, said records were in boxes on the floor or stacked and bound in rubber bands.

"We have no idea as I stand before you ... how much has been spent and what is left and what is encumbered," Busansky told commissioners.

Johnson said the records were scattered because of the ongoing audit by Ernst & Young.

"With all due respect to Craig, he doesn't know what an audit puts you through," Johnson said.

The Ernst & Young Audit, which is conducted annually of constitutional offices such as the sheriff and supervisor of elections, should be ready next month, Pohto said.

Busansky assured commissioners she would untangle the financial mess in 60-90 days. She said trucks started moving records Wednesday from the Falkenburg election center to the supervisor's downtown office in the County Center where they will be sorted out.

The commission approved $300,000 that Busansky requested to pay for a contract with a financial adviser to go through the records and report his findings.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303.

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