Auditor responds to allegations of illegal activity, wrongdoing

Monroe County auditor Sandra Newmann held a press conference Wednesday to address a petition requesting a special prosecutor be appointed to investigate allegations of wrongdoings and illegal activity of the Monroe County auditor’s office.

Vic Kelson, president of the county council filed the petition Tuesday.

Kelson filed the petition after learning that a $350,000 appropriation had been approved by the Department of Local Government Finance despite the fact that council members had denied the appropriation.

After learning the appropriation had been approved, Kelson said he went to the State Board of Accounts to ask how to fix the irregularities. They told Kelson to speak with the county prosecutor, who decided the issues needed to be looked into further and contacted both the State Board of Accounts and the Department of Local Government Finance.

Chief deputy prosecuting attorney Bob Miller, who filed the petition, refused to comment on both the petition and the investigation.

In response to Kelson’s petition, Newmann said it was wrong of Kelson to not talk with the county auditor’s office before filing the petition.

“This is not how elected officials should communicate,” Newmann said. “Not through the courts, not wasting taxpayers’ money on ridiculous court actions. Our courts are expensive enough to run without elected officials.”

Newmann also said the employee who made the mistake, Kristi Van Pelt, later corrected it as soon as it was found.

During the press conference, Van Pelt said she had filed the appropriations in late February after accidentally assuming they had been approved by the county council. As soon as she found the mistake on Aug. 4, the day the appropriations were granted by the Department of Local Government Finance, she filed for an appropriation reduction to correct her mistake.

Van Pelt also said it was “simply a clerical error and not any intentional act to disregard the council’s wishes.”

“As far as I am concerned, this is not the first error I’ve ever made nor will it be the last, I am sure,” she said.

During the closing of the press conference, Newmann said she questioned Kelson’s leadership and felt his actions proved he was not willing to communicate with other county officials and requested he resign as president of county council.

Kelson said no one believes any criminal wrongdoings have occurred, and the petition was made only after the State Board of Accounts said a prosecutor should examine the incident and the prosecutor decided the petition should be filed.

“This doesn’t mean a crime was committed or anyone thinks a crime was committed,” he said. “It just means we think it should be looked at.”