Cherokee Tribune – Marlow request to accept anonymous funds denied

The Cherokee Board of Education on Thursday night denied a request by School Board member Kelly Marlow to accept funds from anonymous donors to extend the 2011 financial auditor’s visit at its next meeting because taking the money might set a “bad precedent.”

The board voted to bring the 2011 financial auditor to its Jan. 16 meeting for the cost of $1,280, after months of questions about the audit report from Marlow.

However, the board denied Marlow’s request Thursday 2-5, with Marlow and School Board member Michael Geist in favor of taking the donation from what Marlow called an “anonymous” donor, to extend the time of the auditor’s visit.

“The motion is to extend the time that the auditor will be here at the January meeting,” Marlow said. “This is not a gift for the board, this is in the interest of the taxpayers.”

School Board Attorney Tom Roach, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo, School Board Chair Janet Read and School Board member Robert Wofford warned against accepting anonymous donations for specific purposes, saying that it set a dangerous precedent.

The “anonymous donation” was actually organized by Cherokee GOP Chair Rick Davies, he said Friday. But Davies said it was never intended to pay to extend the auditor’s visit.

“I don’t know if there was a misunderstanding or a miscommunication, but on our site it’s very clear what our intentions were and what we wanted the funds to be used for,” Davies said, referring to the fundraising website he started two months ago to raise money to cover the auditor’s fee.

According to Davies, state Reps. Michael Caldwell (R-Woodstock) and Scot Turner (R-Holly Springs) contributed to the fund, which Davies started out with a donation to cover half of the cost for the auditor’s visit himself.

via Cherokee Tribune – Marlow request to accept anonymous funds denied.