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TRIB WATCH SEPTEMBER 7, 2007
Dunbar's Resume -- The Rest of the Story
Admittedly, I was pleasantly surprised reading
the recent article exposing George Dunbar's hypocrisy in talking
about finances when he oversaw the finances of a company (Wright
Industries) shortly before it went bankrupt, while also
revealing the facts of the county budget. However, there are
definitely more details to this story that were not part of the
Trib's account.
First, on the issue of the county's finances.
This is not a "he said-he said" issue. The facts are the facts.
Fact: the county's debt limit is not increasing; it is
decreasing. And we provided the newspaper with the formal
documentation to support this fact. There is no disputing this.
We are not merely "saying" it’s going down; it is. The article
should have exposed Dunbar for being flat wrong, and not simply
painted this as a difference of opinion.
Second, the increase in the county's budget is
almost entirely a result of increasing funding from sources
outside of property taxes. This is particularly true in our
human service areas, where funding is primarily through the
state. For example, if state funding increases for services for
disabled people, the budget increases. Every time we purchase
equipment for emergency responders with a state grant, the
budget increases. But of course, there is a corresponding
increase in revenue as well. In fact, the county's reliance on
its general fund (the portion funded by property taxes) is
getting smaller.
You might want to get the facts straight,
George, before holding another one of your press conferences. Or
they will continue to blow up in your face.
Regarding his other "proposals", let’s just say
he left a lot of meat on the bone. Voters are smart enough to
look past his generalities and platitudes.
Finally, it is impossible for Dunbar to deny his
role in Wright Industries' fall. A company doesn't go bankrupt
overnight. The failure was in place long before the actual
filing. The seeds of bankruptcy were sewn when George was
"responsible for the company's financial operations, bid
preparation and contract negotiations…(and oversaw) the
company's daily operations". This is straight from
Wright Industries' website.
He claims all of this happened after he left.
So, how does he explain federal IRS and state tax liens from
2005 and Unemployment Compensation Fund liens from 2004? Or a
court decision dating back to 2005 won by the Operating
Engineers Union for the company's failure to pay into the
benefits fund? His fingerprints are all over this, and he can't
hide from it.
This sad tale also reveals a lot about the
candidate. In his campaign literature he routinely boasts that he
was chief financial officer of one of "Pittsburgh's 50 Fastest
Growing Companies". We all know why, now, he never mentioned the
name of that company. He was definitely trying to hide -- and
for good reason.
We're not going to drop the issue of his role in
this bankruptcy the way he dropped his obligation to provide for
his employees at Wright Industries.
See Other TribWatch Articles:
2007 |
