Sen.-elect Claire McCaskill stepped into the U.S. Senate chamber for the first time today, as she continues her Washington orientation.
"It was extraordinary," McCaskill said in a telephone interview with me from Washington. "It was one of those goosebump moments where reality begins to set it. I'm thrilled to have the responsibility. I have big shoes to fill."
McCaskill said she was accompanied into the chamber by the Secretary of the Senate early this afternoon. The Secretary explained to her how the January 4th swearing-in ceremony will be conducted. McCaskill also learned about rules of the Senate Cloak Room and met with pages about their duties.
McCaskill isn't sure exactly where she'll be sitting in the chamber just yet, but said she knows she'll be in "rookie corner."
She said she has met all of the new Senators except Republican Bob Corker.
McCaskill also said she has already set up a meeting with David Walker of the Government Accountability Office for next Tuesday. "It was one of my most important priorities to set up this meeting. I want to be able to look at their audits and use the audits," McCaskill said.
Right now, McCaskill is still mostly focused on staff. Adrianne Marsh has signed on as her press secretary/communications director. Tod Martin has signed on as Deputy Chief of Staff.
McCaskill is still conducting interviews for three critical positions: Chief of Staff, Legislative Director and Administrative Director.
"It'll be a total of around 35 to 40 people eventually," McCaskill said of her hirings. She said 10 to 15 will be stationed in Missouri, and she promised to have an office in Springfield.
McCaskill will travel back to Missouri tonight and be back in the Auditor's office in Jefferson City tomorrow, where she will begin helping Auditor-elect Susan Montee with her transition.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
Press Release --- For Release --- Also For Release Via World Wide Web
Contact: Steven L. Reed --- 417-368-1481 --- stevenlloydreed@hotmail.com
The following letter has been e-mail to moaudit@auditor.mo.gov at 6:30pm as of November 28, 2006. A Certified Copy will also be mailed per U.S. Mail.
November 28, 2006
State Auditor Claire C. McCaskill
301 West High Street
Office 880
P.O. Box 869
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
moaudit@auditor.mo.gov
State Auditor Elect Susan Montee
P.O. Box 1485
St. Joseph, MO 64502
Dear Auditor Claire McCaskill and Susan Montee:
I am asking that a public meeting and a special input phone number be set up so the People can give possible problems or issues that they want to see the State Auditor’s office look at. A News-Leader article said last week that the State Auditor’s Audit would be completed by the end of the year.
Will all due respect I request that the time table be extended on into 2007 sometime in the spring. This would allow the Citizens to add as many issues as possible into the process.
A Brief History of the Nixa Audit
While I lived in Nixa I ran for Alderman and was very involved in trying to help address issues and concerns of the Citizens.
I became Chief Petitioner for the Nixa Audit which was started when around 900 Citizen Signatures were turned in. I was mentored by Retired
Sergeant Paul Pritchett who had done a previous Audit in Nixa. The Nixa Audit signatures were turned in the summer of 2002 and the Audit was not completed and released at a public meeting until February 11, 2003. The City of Nixa fought the Audit all the way through but after it was made public then the current Mayor Doug Marrs said it was a good thing. Marrs said it helped to correct a lot of things the City needed corrected.
The News-Leader ran a story on the Public Meeting, (in advance), that was help by the Auditors office so people could come or send comments. The News-Leader published the State Auditors Springfield phone number where people could call and leave issues and concerns about how the Nixa government was being run.
A Brief History of the Current Sate Audit of Springfield Missouri
Springfield
On November 15, 2000 I requested and received the standard Audit Form Petition of which I still have a copy of. I got some signatures and then later when Doug Burlison ran for City Counsel in 2005 he got a new petition form from the State Auditor’s office. The Fire Fighters and Police Unions and several other groups joined in the effort and almost 7,000 city residents agreed that the audit is needed. Don't dismiss it as crack potty or revenge; it should be welcomed. An important point is that this audit will not cost "more than $100,000."
ONE MAJOR PROBLEM
Over 7,000 signatures from the Citizens went in to the Auditor’s office in the summer BEFORE it was made public that over one million dollars was missing from the Municipal Court. Now the City has been saying publicly and at City Council meetings the $100,000 State Audit is “over or about” the Municipal Court’s One Million Vanishing Act”. That is not true the Fire Fighters and Police Unions want to know why Millions in their Pension Funds disappeared too. In my opinion using a Crime like the Municipal Court situation to “blow off” or “cover up” a Citizen Audit could be considered a form of deception, deceit, and crime in itself.
Second Problem
Nixa compared to Springfield: Nixa is 12,000 and Springfield is 120,000. That in theory would mean it would take 10 years. Certainly it would take as long or longer to Audit Springfield.
I Respectfully Request
I request that the Auditors Office schedule open public meetings and list a phone number in the paper for people who want to call in issues or possible problems they would like to see checked out.
The Audit should be taken into 2007 and the newly elected State Auditor should make sure a complete Audit takes place.
Clearly the Audit Process is very precise and we must make sure the People of Springfield get their moneys worth and the only way that will happen is if we allow as many people as Possible to put in input into what areas the Auditor needs to look at.
In Nixa we turned in around 50 issues for the Auditor to look at. The People can turn in 50, 100, 1,000 or any number and the Auditor’s office tries to address as many as possible. So far this has not happened and we need to slow the train or pull the horses
back and make sure we treat one City as another and do our job as the Precise Audit Process requires.
Clearly Claire McCaskill has used Managerial Accounting to find what areas are going well for the City but mainly locating areas they can cut costs and better serve the people of the City. Her staff has done very high quality audits and I would like it to be said they were all done in that way. The City should work in a positive way to reap the most benefits possible from the process.
Sincerely,
Steven Lloyd Reed
1441 S. Estate Avenue
Springfield, MO 65804
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