As we reported in our previous post "A Real Numbers Guy", Councilman Mike Pope brags he could train a chimp how to use QuickBooks in an hour. It may be time for the civil service commission to recruit some of those lovable, tree-dwelling primates for Mayor Martin to interview for the city bookkeeper position.
Why? Because current $47.50 per hour clerk/bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber has made such a tangled mess of the city's financial records since coming on board in February that something has to be done.
We told you that Pope didn't even have financial reports to present to his fellow council members at the October meeting. After reviewing Schaber's most recent work-quietly released to council a few days ago-his move starts to make sense in an odd, Mike Pope sort of way. Schaber's report is so inaccurate that Pope may have been trying to spare Mayor Martin additional embarrassment. Martin doesn't need any more embarrassment.
Martin and Pope are not inclined to take advice from anyone other than each other. So we expect Schaber to be around for as long as Martin is. Despite the painfully obvious fact that she just ain't gettin' it done.
Whenever a new mayor takes office, that person will face quite a task piecing the city financials back together.
