ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Allentown City Council discussed a proposed resolution Wednesday night that would require an audit and review of the mayor’s traveling expenses and a review by an independent auditor.
Because the proposed resolution was met with resistance by two councilmembers and the administration, Council President Santo Napoli announced he was pulling the resolution and referring it back to the human resources committee.
The proposed resolution was sponsored by Councilmembers Candida Affa, Cynthia Mota, Ce-Ce Gerlach and Napoli.
Mota said the resolution was straightforward and calls for a complete accounting of the mayor’s travel expenses, including receipts, records and total costs to taxpayers.
“While some information may already exist, it is often presented in pieces or without full context,” Mota said. “This resolution ensures a clear and consolidated review. We’ve recognized that travel can be a part of the mayor’s official duties. However, when public funds are used, those expenses must be clearly documented, reasonable and in full compliance with law.”
Mota said City Council has a responsibility to provide oversight.
“That responsibility requires us to review how taxpayers dollars are spent,” she said. “This is not about accusations; rather, it is about accountability. Transparency is not optional; it is fundamental.”
Mayor Matt Tuerk did not attend the meeting but Managing Director Frank Kane made a lengthy statement to try and show the economic importance of the mayor’s trips.
Kane said the city benefits from having a proactive mayor who is quite possibly the city’s biggest fan.
“It’s important for someone in the organization to create and maintain and nurture relationships with potential funding partners in the federal and state government and in the nonprofit sector,” Kane said. “It’s a foundational component of American democracy that citizens can hold their government accountable as their traditional press morphs into the less traditional blogosphere.”
“It’s important that we listen to those voices, too, if some segment of the public has concerns about things relating to the travel of the mayor and the staff in that office,” Kane said.
He explained, however, that all travel expenses are already audited by the city’s auditor.
“I don’t know why you would want to pay an independent auditor somewhere between $40,000 to $100,000 to do a forensic audit to, to audit what we already audit,” Kane said. “You’d be paying the same amount that we paid in travel expenses in the last four years to do the audit.”
Kane was not prepared to share the total expenses for travel for the past four years because he said he needed the city auditor to review the numbers.
Jeff Glazier, the city auditor, did not attend the meeting because he is on a medical leave.
Affa said she could not remember a meeting over the past four years where the mayor reported on his travel.
“He should be here telling us that every time he goes out of town,” Affa said. “I think the taxpayers want to know, and I think it’s our duty to get the receipts. That’s all we’re asking. We’re not making any accusations. But the only thing I have to say here is he does not report that.”
Councilmembers Jeremy Binder and Cristian Pungo said they had problems with the resolution the way it was written.”
Binder said he does not believe the resolution will give council what it is really seeking.
“This audit resolution isn’t going to get us the information we’re actually looking for,” Binder said. “My concern at the end of this is we’re going to get a report that says pretty much exactly what the controller is saying. It concerns me that we are going to spend more money to duplicate the effort of what the controller is doing. I think we all want the same thing; I just don’t think that this is the language to get us there.”
Pungo said he’s not sure if council has ever asked the mayor for a report after he travels.
“And I think it’s important for us to make the ask and say, hey, look, if every time the mayor travels, we want to see a report, let’s ask for that,” Pungo said. “This obviously doesn’t achieve that. I don’t truly see the financial benefit to the city of Allentown on spending thousands to prove what we already know.”
Napoli said any time council has asked the mayor about to talk about his trips, it has been like pulling teeth.
“And I don’t understand why,” he said. “I mean he’s doing work out there that’s beneficial to the city and our residents.”
Napoli said he wants Glazier and the human resources committee to review the resolution for further input.