Editor:
I was reading one of the local papers the other day and noticed that Arcola failed to file the required audits for the years 2004-2005 – what a surprise, as this was during the tenure of former mayor Alvin Gipson.
Because Arcola is getting ready to get it’s water system in place, the Texas Water Quality Control Board is going to require that all audits from 2001 thru 2005 to be submitted. It should be interesting to see what the audits for those 2 missing years reveal as Gipson demonstrated a continual lack of regard for fiscal responsibilty while he was mayor.
An example of this is the egregious violations of Texas Constitutional Law by Gipson when he appeared to treat Arcola as his own private bank by doling out advances to City employees.
There was a similar case a few years back over in Kendelton
where a Kendelton city employee needed some dentures – a single advance was given to her to purchase the dentures, and there was a great amount of commotion made of this by the District Attorney, Sheriff and others. I’m sitting here looking at tens of advances that Gipson gave out to four different Arcola City employees in the amounts up to $1,000 (to be paid back interest-free in increments as little as $50 per paycheck). Two of these employees quit their jobs after this matter became public last spring (there is ALOT more to this story if and when an investigation is made).
I filed a complaint back in May about this with the DA’s office, and (since it was just before the election) the DA declared that this matter certainly deserved an investigation. Well, the election has come and passed, months have come and passed, yet neither District Attorney John Healey nor Sheriff Milton Wright have initiated any action on this matter. What is the point of having laws if the people charged with enforcing those laws are not doing their job they were eleceted to perform?
Mr. Healey and Sheriff Wright – I am beseaching you on behalf of the citizens of Arcola and Fort Bend County to get off your duffs and do your job – investigate AND prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.
Thomas J. Hilton
Arcola
Because Arcola is getting ready to get it’s water system in place, the Texas Water Quality Control Board is going to require that all audits from 2001 thru 2005 to be submitted. It should be interesting to see what the audits for those 2 missing years reveal as Gipson demonstrated a continual lack of regard for fiscal responsibilty while he was mayor.
An example of this is the egregious violations of Texas Constitutional Law by Gipson when he appeared to treat Arcola as his own private bank by doling out advances to City employees.
