Paule-bearer





I appreciate that Mike Paule, who is running for a seat on the Triunfo Sanitation District, is addressing the district’s finances and conflict of interest issues. Despite the recent letter to the editor from Triunfo’s general manager dismissing these two issues as nonexistent, they are very real concerns that need to be addressed.

Mr. Paule echoes the concerns raised by auditors and the grand jury that the funds of Triunfo’s rate payers were not properly invested. The same was true for the agency that handles Triunfo’s funds—the Ventura Regional Sanitation District. Together, approximately $10 million of Triunfo and Ventura Regional funds sat in non-interest bearing checking accounts for close to three years.

When this financial problem was brought to the attention of the Triunfo Santiation District board, the Triunfo general manager had to recuse himself from the discussion because he also serves as the general manager for Ventura Regional.

Additionally, our legal counsel could not advise us because he too works for Ventura Regional. This conflict of interest left the Triunfo board with no staff and no legal representation to review this breach of the taxpayers’ trust. (See Minutes of the Triunfo meeting of Aug. 28, 2006.)

Instead of the general manager writing letters to the editor claiming no fiscal mismanagement and no conflict of interest, he could try to remain neutral during the campaign for the Triunfo Sanitation Distirct board. There is one seat open for election and I for one am glad Mike Paule is running. He is able and willing t o take steps to correct what is wrong, and he supports an allelected Board. He has my vote.

Linda Parks
Thousand Oaks
Parks is a Ventura County Supervisor and Triunfo Sanitation District board member.


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