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PWC’s Best Slush Fund
By Greg L | 10 February 2010 | Crime, Prince William County | 6 Comments
I’m not a big fan of the idea of local governments doling out taxpayer dollars to charities. There’s no moral argument in seizing wealth (under penalty of law) from taxpayers in order to fund charitable groups, and the opportunity for graft and corruption to creep into funding decisions is substantial. If private individuals and entities choose to donate their money to charity for whatever reason, that’s laudable, and by definition charitable. When government seizes your money and then instead of using it to fund necessary government operations uses it as a slush fund to funnel cash to non-governmental entities, watch out.
Case in point: the rules that govern the disbursement of public funds to the arts require that the organizations are registered as tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. According to ArtsIntegrity.org, five of the twenty-two organizations that receive taxpayer dollars are not. The “Arts Council” that makes funding decisions for some reason decided to not follow the rules that govern their operation. How surprising.
There’s our starting point. Now that we know the Arts Council plays a little fast and loose with county rules, let’s “follow the money,” so to speak, and see where it’s been going. Not that hard to do, since the pot of taxpayer dollars shrunk by $34,000 in 2009, making somewhat fewer dollars to track down. Everyone takes a hit during this last budget year, but not quite everyone.
One organization actually got an $18,000 increase while everyone else saw their funding cut. The Manassas Ballet Theater was the recipient of this unique taxpayer largesse, and the Executive Director of the Manassas Ballet is none other than Manassas Councilman Mark Wolfe, who also serves as the Chairman of the Prince William County Arts Council. So here we have a politically-connected principal in an organization that’s seeking taxpayer dollars, and the head of the organization that decides where those taxpayer dollars is this same person. Geez, I’d love to be in charge of some government panel that decides where taxpayer dollars are awarded and have the ability to funnel that money directly to the organization I run.
“Conflict of Interest” is a pretty charitable way to describe an arrangement like this. It’s about as conflict of interest as say the head of the Office of Information Technology working on a scheme to rig bids so he can funnel money overseas to entities he has relationships with. You see, if Mark Wolfe draws a salary as part of being the Executive Director of the Manassas Ballet, he uses his influence as Chairman of the Arts Council to direct money to the Manassas Ballet, and then receives some of those tax dollars as salary, that could be a significant problem.
Who could have thought such a thing could happen? It’s only free taxpayer money being parceled around with no accountability, and no apparent oversight. A perfect slush fund to reward the politically connected, pay off political debts, and amass favors. If these folks on the Prince William County Arts Council decide to throw taxpayer dollars at The John Jenkins Traveling Monkey Show and Tattoo Exhibition, there’s no consequence for doing so, even if that taxpayer money could have instead been used to pay the salary three more another teachers, purchase firefighting equipment needed to save lives, or send ten police officers to a specialized training course at the FBI Academy. If the John Jenkins Traveling Monkey Show and Tattoo Exhibition then hires individual members of the Arts Council on as consultants and pays them some of those taxpayer dollars, what do you call that? “Criminal behavior,” perhaps?
When there’s “free government money” to be handed out to non-governmental entities, you better believe it draws corruption, fraud and abuse quicker than flies are drawn to honey. If we’re going to keep up this charade that it’s a good idea for government to funnel the dollars they seize from taxpayers to non-governmental entities, we at least ought to cloak the process of political payola with a more substantial oversight effort. This isn’t fooling anyone.
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an obvious conflict of interest. fairfax county has similar boards, but thy have financial disclosure mandated for their members. additionally, in fairfax, the principle behind funding some charities is in a sense the same principle behind privatization. its easier for the county government to drop a donation to a 501c3 to keep the homeless off the streets than it is for the county to build a shelter, and employ people to work the shelter.
It’s easy to check out a groups 501(c)3 status. Just look on the Guidestar web site.
Private charities tend to be more efficient with money than the government. This is a big part of the recent District of Columbia/Archdiocese of Washington dispute. Just about everyone acknowledged that the Archdiocese is more effective and efficient in managing social services than the DC government.
BVBL: “A perfect slush fund to reward the politically connected…”
Eh, it’d be interesting to see how much money PWC Department of Public Works has donated (over the years) to the Freedom Museum, Chucky Colgan Jr’s. private little HOBBY/SLUSH FUND!!!
I’m not sure if it was ever finalized but I remember PWC, a few years back, considering donating TWENTY NINE ACRES, near the end of the Broad Run VRE Station at the airport (talk about your VERY PRIME REAL ESTATE), to the Freedom Museum.
You don’t think his FATHER, State Senator Charles Colgan, D-29th, (speaking of being politically connected) had anything to do with that, DO YOU?
Nah, probably just a COINCIDENCE!!!???!!!
As for me, I always thought it was (part) of the reason Chucky Sr turned a blind eye to Three Dollar Bob Wilson, PWC Director of Public Works, showing up to an “invitation only” reception at the VMMA on Alan Kors property in Nokesville, EARLY on a Sunday morning with THREE young (male) PWC employees in tow.
I say this over and over, can you imagine what would happen if a (male) Department Director ever showed up to a social event with THREE YOUNG FEMALE employees on his arm?????
The REASON Chuck Colgan, Ben Thompson (Brentsville Supervisor, at the time) and John Jenkins (Neabsco) practically BROKE their NECKS turning a blind eye to the GAY SQUAD was because it involved HOMOSEXUALITY!!!!!
I always thought Mr. Stewart was a no-nonsense leader. I still think he might have that quality, but, boy (!) there is sure a lot of nonsense happening with the arts council and the granting process. He could put his foot down, but I don’t even see the toe wiggling. What in the world are we playing at?
You may or may not be an arts lover, but you do have something to say about sly deals in the distribution of county money. Prince William Symphony has been with us for years, and they have been a jewel in the crown. Why does the BOCS continue to let K. Bentz and Mark Wolfe spoil it all, running things their way?? PUT THESE PEOPLE OUT OF BUSINESS!! Let’s have fairness in government, and excellence in arts and education.
Mr. Stewart, do you listen to the people who vote for you?
Do we really want to give this up? D.C. military brass in Manassas, playing their hearts out? Even Mr. Stewart must be proud of this, or?
You want to hear something powerful - and not just stupid? Check out the D.C. military brass and Prince William Symphony playing in Manassas at a local school!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtV7ppbsef0
BUT, OF COURSE, WE’RE JUST ABOUT TO LOSE THE PRINCE WILLIAM SYMPHONY!
Guess Mr. Stewart just doesn’t care.