My letter to the South Bend Tribune

To the editors:

A recently ended series of articles in the blog Progressives, South Bend brought to light some unsettling things concerning the management practices of the Northern Indiana Workforce Investment Board (NIWIB), which was headed by (mayoral candidate) Juan Manigault. The information was developed from 169 pages of public record and the findings are from outside auditors as well as the agency which supervised the NIWIB - Indiana Workforce Development.

Broadly speaking, the conclusions of these parties seemed to be that there were few controls present to provide accountability for taxpayers' money. This led to a very long list of problems including fraudulent checks cashed for $60,000. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent in attempts to construct better records, as well.

But the figure that really jumps out is the $1.1 million the NIWIB forfeited for programs, due to their faulty record keeping. Presumably, that money would have been used to train people and transition them into gainful employment. How many people lost the chance for a better life?

There is a lot of detail available on the blog to anyone interested.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Don Wheeler
Progressives, South Bend www.donvila-progressivessouthbend.blogspot.com