North Greenbush officials: The ship has been righted | News

NORTH GREENBUSH - State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says financial records in North Greenbush were so poorly kept, his auditors couldn't even determine what the town's actual financial condition is.

On Thursday night, town officials held their first public board meeting since the comptroller's searing report came out earlier in the week. And even though Town Supervisor Alson Spain insists the "ship has been righted," clearly not everyone was onboard with that assessment.

The message from North Greenbush officials was that mistakes of the past have been corrected.

"Our financial situation today is strong," proclaimed Spain, "We now have accurate information and we know where we stand financially."

Earlier this week, the state comptroller's office, after auditing a two-and-a-half-year period from January, 2009 through May, 2011, concluded the town "appears to have significant fiscal stress issues", pointing to, among other things, a $678,000 transfer of funds during a previous administration without board authorization.

"They didn't do their jobs as public officials," said town resident Charles Smith. "They had a sworn duty under oath to obey the law and put those resolutions together and approve them. They didn't do it so do you just forget about it?"

Smith is not forgetting it. He sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Thursday requesting a full investigation, alleging that town officials kept the public in the dark so that they could gain politically.

"We have nothing to hide and the audit proves that," said board member Louis Desso.

Desso says when the previous town comptroller Michael Strenka was fired and a new one, Tony Germano, was brought in, financial confusion was cleared up and confidence was restored.

"We will never back down from doing what is right and what is needed to insure town finances are kept balanced and honest," Desso asserted.

"As the comptroller's letter said, there is no money missing," Spain points out. "The report indicates there's no possibility of any missing funds."

"I don't think anybody can have faith in what people are saying at this point," Smith opines. "I don't know what the state of town finances are."

The state comptroller's office has recommended that they continue to revue North Greenbush's interfund transfers to the general fund and determine if they were authorizes and appropriate.