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February 23, 2010 in City
State investigates city of Spokane Web site
Page referred to financial officer as CPA; Cooley let certification expire in 2006
The State Board of Accountancy is investigating a city Web site that mistakenly listed Spokane’s chief financial officer, Gavin Cooley, as a certified public accountant.
Cooley let his CPA license expire in 2006, but until early this month a city Web site devoted to the city’s investment policy listed Cooley as a CPA.
Rick Sweeney, the State Board of Accountancy’s executive director, said he made the decision to open the investigation Tuesday based on a complaint filed by Ron Wright, a critic of the city’s 2004 settlement with River Park Square and a retired Riverside, Calif. police detective. In his complaint, Wright argued that the Web site “misleads bond agents, bond investors, and bond raters alike.”
River Park Square is owned by the Cowles Company, which also owns The Spokesman-Review.
City Administrator Ted Danek said that the listing on the Web site was an oversight and was removed once it was brought to the city’s attention. Danek and finance division administrators said this week that they know of no instance in which Cooley or other city representatives purposely misrepresented Cooley’s status.
Cooley said in an e-mail responding to allegations made by Wright that he decided to let his CPA license lapse because “it is not a job requirement and my busy schedule made it difficult for me to meet” education requirements associated with maintaining it. He said he alerted his staff when the change occurred.
“Since then I have never used the CPA designation,” he wrote. “Also, whenever I knew I was listed as a CPA by someone else, I immediately corrected the situation.”
CPAs must fulfill 120 hours of continuing education every three years. The city’s accounting director, Pam Dolan, whom Cooley oversees, remains a CPA.
Sweeney said misusing the CPA designation can result in a misdemeanor violation with a $750 fine. Cooley will have 20 days to respond to the investigation, which likely will last at least 40 days, Sweeney said.
Editor’s note: The 120 hours required for continuing education has been corrected from the initial report.
MAC faces angry crowd 
HankTingler on February 23 at 6:44 p.m.
I like the fake email addresses for the councilpersons, except for Bob Apple the only one with gonads to post his.
The City Web site has a ot of bugs in it that their webmaster prefers to ignore.
maynard on February 23 at 6:53 p.m.
What is the big deal now?? The City of Spokane web team immediately fixed the ‘typo’ on the website and Mr Cooley has corrected any listing that was brought to his attention. Why can’t the state leave well enough alone and move on. I do however disagree with the fact that our cities CFO does not need a CPA designation for a job requirement. All CFO’s that I know of (and I don’t know many mind you) have the CPA designation. I think Mr Cooley should make time in his schedule to get recertified and I’m sure our Mayor and City Council would be happy to work with him.
Ron_the_Cop on February 23 at 7:36 p.m.
Maynard Ross,
I appreciate your concern. Brunt has the full story and I have given him all my evidence/documentation. We’ll see if Brunt will report the full story. BTW there is one mistake in the online story - it’s not 20 hours of CPE but 120 hours over three years that is required to renew your CPA license. I too agree the CFO should be required to be a CPA. See my affidavit I linked to below.
You can read the relevant email exchanges of why this is important over in Brunt’s article thread on the Auditor position that the City Council is allowing to remain unfilled:
Spokane City Council seeks more assistance
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/08/council-seeks-more-assistance/
Brunt didn’t run Cooley’s complete email yet and put it in proper context:
“I hate wasting time responding to silly emails but not responding to these rants sends the wrong message.
In 2006 I decided to lapse my CPA certification. The certification is not a job requirement and my busy schedule made it difficult for me to meet the 120 hour continuing professional education requirement (Note: I passed all sections of the CPA Exam on my first try and learned a tremendous amount during my years in public accounting). I therefore alerted my staff I was no longer a CPA and removed the designation from my business cards, letterhead and other areas where it was used. Since then I have never used the CPA designation. Also, whenever I knew I was listed as a CPA by someone else, I immediately corrected the situation. Simple.
That is my response. The many other wild accusations in these endless strings of conspiracy-based emails speak for themselves.
Gavin Cooley
City of Spokane
Chief Financial Officer
Read my follow up questions to Cooley and his inconsistent statements. Brunt needs to press Cooley on his explanation of when he acted to scrub the website. Also you can read my full complaint and affidavit here too. Read and decide for yourself if this was a simple oversight or not:
Gavin Cooley CFO Spokane, WA - Misuse of CPA complaint filed
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/?p=225
Why is this important? Check out this table I just completed for former Sheriff Tony Bamonte re the losses suffered by the citizens of Spokane in the RPS bond frauds at the hands of Spokane’s power elite - $87M. I will follow with a detailed summary/analysis soon:
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rps-fraud-loss-table-1.doc
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
Professional Vitae
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/revised-resume-12-29-09.pdf
liarsinnews on February 23 at 7:47 p.m.
Brunt writes in the first paragraph, re CPA, “that mistakenly”, I would have added or accidentally on purpose. And of course, Ted Danek, City Administrator, says showing CPA was a oversight. Yeah, duh, Cooley stopped paying his dues in 2006.
For gosh sakes its been 4 years.
AND HOW ABOUT GAVIN COOLEY AT HIS BRAGGING SESSION AT THE SPOKANE CITY CLUB (just a few short weeks ago) RE THE CITY CREDIT RATING YARN. The document for that event showed GAVIN COOLEY, CPA. How about those apples, Mr. DANEK. Merely another oversight? Give me a break.
And remember, the Lilac City credit rating was helped immensely when Gavin Cooley, the main architect of the agreement between the city and the Cowles Dynasty where the city could show S&P it had a source of revenue to service the tens of millions of dollars for the parking garage. The taxpayers got screwed with the Cooley agreement for 30 or 35 years of debt. But the city credit rating improved. Thanks to the taxpayers!!
Scoutster on February 23 at 8:15 p.m.
Um…OK. So this is all really a cover up for a crime, huh?
I went to your blog (instant credibility problem for me with the title you have chosen to give it). I got as confused as a Rosicrucian Lost on a grassy knoll confined by Knights Templar Mormons without a birth certificate.
If there is something to this besides a bureacratic oversight, then I am grateful you and others are on it. But for this lay person (who, I think, has at least average intelligence and attention span), the theory is a big reach and difficult to sell.
If this is your passion, thanks for your efforts. Gadflies are important elements of local politics, and even more so with the shrinking of the newspaper business. And, of course, part of your theory is that the newspaper itself is the chief conspirator.
If, on the other hand, this is just a distraction, then I am annoyed that taxpayer $$ have to bird dog this nuisance.
My jury is out.
Good luck.
Ron_the_Cop on February 23 at 8:32 p.m.
Scoutster,
I was a regular caller to the old Mark Fuhrman Show. Fuhrman tagged me with one of my AKA’s Ron the Cop. When his show was scrubbed I changed one of my blogs to this name. Nothing sinister here. My facts speak for themselves.
I’m sorry if I was misleading in my post. Read my cover letter to the State Board of Accountancy and affidavit. This could be just an oversight but I think there is much more to this than meets the eye. That’s what I want looked into.
Cooley’s initial statement to me has a glaring inconsistency in it. As a criminal investigator of some 35 years, I would not let him get away with this explanation. The question is will Brunt? So far Cooley has not bothered to answer my rather simple follow up question. This is a major red flag for me indicating deception and consciousness of guilt or in layman’s term he knew full well that CPA was on this page. Or at the very least this is his direct area of responsibility and it’s been there for almost four years. This doesn’t instill confidence re his abilities and financial acumen.
Why is this important? Cooley was the major negotiator of the RPS Settlement Agreement which cost the taxpayers a cool $45M. At the minimum this will costs $87M. See my table above. Now whose interests were Cooley looking out for? Could it be this is why he and Steven Rector, secretary treasurer of the Cowles Co, allowed their CPA licenses to lapse? Rector along with Attorney Laurel Siddoway were the principal negotiators of this DEAL. In my opinion they all concealed material facts from the Council that felt it had a gun to their head when they voted for it. I would put it more bluntly - this was nothing more than an extortion agreement at the behest of the Cowles Co.
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
Scoutster on February 23 at 8:45 p.m.
But what would Gavin’s motive be? Did he get some sort of pay off?
zelda on February 23 at 8:45 p.m.
Just an aside, but the credibility of S&P’s and Moody’s bond ratings was demolished in September 2008. Getting a good bond rating isn’t much to brag about.
While I appreciate the work that went into this revelation, for the big interests involved it’s kind of like being stoned to death with popcorn. Unless there is a large accumulation of these, City Hall is just going to keep pretending they’re annoyances and nothing more.
Ron_the_Cop on February 23 at 8:58 p.m.
Scoutster,
Good question read my causes and actions for a civil RICO prosecution. HINT - it’s organized crime and the expected behavior of those in its grips. There can be no appeasing of organized crime it must be destroyed.
Causes and action for civl RICO prosecution
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cowles-co-rico.doc
Zelda,
Thanks I think you get the big picture. What will stop this is when the citizens of Spokane wake up, smell the coffee and hold their elected/appointed accountable. Of course it would help if the local paper was not an instrumentality of the perps to conceal their criminal activity.
HankTingler on February 23 at 9:34 p.m.
There are “oversights” and “oversights”. For a mistake (even though this is not of the greatest magnitude) to fester for four years indicates a lack of someone watching the henhouse.
So why would Cooley conveniently “forget” his lapse and yet to refer to himself as a CPA?
If I were a professional, I would have taken the personal time (evenings, weekends), to maintain my rating. I guess it didn’t mean anything to him to put forth the effort.
So if his assistant has is a CPA why dont we make THEM the head of the department and Cooley go count his unemployment checks?
Ron_the_Cop on February 23 at 9:51 p.m.
Hank Tingler,
That’s what I would like to know too. He’s an at will employee and can be out on the street in a heart beat. He will have to make up his 120 hrs before he can get his CPA current again.
To be fair Cooley’s assistant Tim Dunivant, the City’s Budget Director, is also a CPA. If I were Ms.Pam Dolan and Mr. Dunivant I would be concerned if I we’re being set up to be the scapegoat. If I were the City Treasurer Ellen Dolan (No relation to Pam Dolan) I would be definitely concerned. They all are putting their professional licenses on the line for Cooley.
ChefGus/ John Olsen on February 24 at 3:25 a.m.
There is no excuse for not renewing certification as a professional…. and in most professions four years of not keeping up with the current trends does make you less conversant and effective… and it also means you lose your license to practice.
120 hours in four years… is 30 a year, most of which can be accomplished by on line courses now in my profession and weekend courses, where you also get to network and interact with peers you might not otherwise see.
Mr Cooley is a VERY bright young man, and has done a great job, so it may be that he was so busy he could not find the time.. but most businesses provide time off and travel to conferences with fees paid to stay current.
He is certainly not a lazy person so I’m wondering too what his motivation or lack of motivation was. John
Orange on February 24 at 5:24 a.m.
Someone needs to move back to Riverside. Or retire somewhere else.
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 6:15 a.m.
Orange,
I moved to Spokane for its many fine attributes. The one thing that is lacking is a government that is uncorrupt and responsive to the people. Sorry I’m staying and prefer to fix this one item.
The Cowles Co criminal enterprise as defined in the Federal RICO Act has so thoroughly co-opted/corrupted the political/governmental structures in Spokane that they can no longer act to protect the citizens of Spokane from criminal victimization and from imminent public hazards. The citizens of Spokane and the family of Jo Savage have a fundamental right to ensure that justice is served when their political/ governmental law enforcement and decision making bodies can’t or won’t act because of their systemic co-option/ corruption. In our legal system – NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 8:14 a.m.
For readers reading here, there is a newer post of this article which corrects the factual error - 120 and not 20 hours of CPE are required over a three year period to renew a CPA license that has a three year term.
Feel free to read the CPE requirements here on the State Board of Accountancy website:
http://www.cpaboard.wa.gov/CertificateLicense/cpe.shtml
Here’s the link to the new post:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/24/state-probe-targets-city-cfo/?c=121679&comments=1#c121679
cowboy on February 24 at 8:33 a.m.
Ron thanks you for your hard work in bringing some sort of decency to Spokane. I have seen your posts many times about the parking garage death.
Have you every thought of using your talents to bring the SPD to the table over the 7 officers that murdered a unarmed innocent 3 years ago?
we have no one else doing anything supposedly the feds are supposed to be involved although we haven’t seen anything promising yet.
shanusmaximus on February 24 at 10:22 a.m.
“Someone needs to move back to Riverside. Or retire somewhere else.”
It is that kind of attitude as to why this town is stuck in second gear. No questions, no curiosity and a “kill the messenger” type attitude anytime someone shines a light on the corruption in this town. Frankly, I find it creepily cult like.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm around here to anyone that attempts to sweep the bats from this belfry. You will be told to stop, to decease and to go away. No questions, no curiosity…just people yelling at the alarm clock and burying their heads under the covers.
Hank_Tingler on February 24 at 11:00 a.m.
We should remember that the color orange is not a primary color, but a composite color consisting of YELLOW and RED.
Ron_the_Cop on February 24 at 11:56 a.m.
Thanks all and to S-R Ryan Pitts to allow this thread to stand. Trust me this is a courageous act by Mr. Pitts. Read Larry Shook’s piece re what the S-R reporters must contend with:
‘The Stench That Won’t Go Away’
How The Spokesman-Review’s credibility crisis
turned deadly
http://www.girlfromhotsprings.com/news-stench.html
Mr. Shook had these kind words of my small efforts and those of former Sheriff Tony Bamonte re the decision of Breean Beggs to leave the CFJ. I will post my reply to Mr. Shook in the new thread for this article.
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/24/state-probe-targets-city-cfo/
Please spread the word to all your friends and relatives. The new/alternative/social media will be the end of the Cowles Co control of the news in this town.
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
*****
Actually this may open some new avenues. Stay tuned:
Thanks for sharing this note about the departure of Breean Beggs’s departure from the Center for Justice, Ron. I have to say that, as powerful a contribution as Breean and the Center for Justice have made to Spokane, from my perspective the current efforts of you and retired Sheriff Tony Bamonte may prove the more historic in the end. Until you two arrived, took the mountainous evidence of criminality surrounding the RPS financial fraud, the gangrenous public corruption that fed it, and the death of Jo Ellen Savage in the RPS garage that these “crimes against property” caused, it was as though the law didn’t much matter to anyone in these parts. It was as though the social contract in Spokane had been voided. Your lonely, professional determination to demand justice may yet produce justice for the public as no other efforts have. Were I putting you in for a military commendation, I could without hesitation add the boilerplate about rising above and beyond the call of duty and conduct reflecting great credit upon yourselves and your community. In a setting in which government at every level, all the way to the U.S. Dept. of Justice, has disgraced itself and failed the very legacy of the American democracy, that’s saying a lot. I’ve said it before and I say it again: there’s nothing like good cops when you need them, even if they are retired.
Larry Shook
eagleproducer on February 25 at 11:36 a.m.
Two Dolans and a Cooley? What, is working for the city of Spokane also known as “Irish welfare?”
eagleproducer on February 25 at 11:48 a.m.
ronthecop blared: “No one is above the law.”
That’s just rich, especially coming from someone who uses the name of a convicted perjurer to title their blog. Oh, excuse me, former cop and convicted felon as the title to their blog.
Believe me, Southern California has plenty of government malfeasance, fraud and outright criminality to keep you busy. I’m guessing your reasons for relocating to the Inland Northwest were much the same as Mr. Furhman’s.
shanusmaximus on February 25 at 12:24 p.m.
@Spotucky
“That’s just rich, especially coming from someone who uses the name of a convicted perjurer to title their blog. Oh, excuse me, former cop and convicted felon as the title to their blog.”
Fuhrman wasn’t above the law. He pleaded no contest, was fined and put on probation and cannot serve as an officer. The law served. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t correct about the Simpson case.
“Believe me, Southern California has plenty of government malfeasance, fraud and outright criminality to keep you busy.”
See? There it is again. You tell people to leave. I love it. Do you go by the same logic when you are arguing with a redneck and his comeback is, “If you don’t like it you can leave.”? Because that is what you and many are doing here. You won’t debate the actual charges of corruption. I imagine because you can’t….
GreenFriendly on February 25 at 1:36 p.m.
How can you make such claims that listing his title on the website lost the city $87 million. I have read all your material posted including your “table” and I have no clue where you are getting numbers or how you are even adding them up. Your first column is “Bond obligations” from the city of Spokane, never actually stating how much was paid of those obligations until the next columns. You then add “RPS Settlement Monies Received” and “RPS Settlement Monies Paid” when you should be subtracting, because RPS received money, and then paid it! This doesn’t mean you add every number in the equation.
Thats great that you are questioning the government and being active, but really there might be a reason you are retired. Even still your initial complaint is against his CPA title on the website, and how that “mistake” cost the city $87 million dollars, but yet you make no connection or have any evidence how. All you have is a grudge over the parking garage incident.
Maybe you should go talk to your friend Brad Thoma http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/dec/24/fired-sergeant-claiming-alcohol-disability-sues/ and tell HIM to stop trying to steal my tax dollars.
Ron_the_Cop on February 25 at 10:40 p.m.
GreenFriendly,
Yes the table may be a little difficult to follow without the text that goes with it. I’ve now completed my report and readers are free to read both the report and table here. At a minimum this was a loss of $87M. See caveats in my report/analysis re a forensic audit needs to be done to confirm the actual losses.
RPS Fraud Losses Sustained by the Taxpayers of Spokane
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rps-bond-frauds-summary-and-analysis-1.doc
I have some other related breaking news that I will post tomorrow. I just got in the door from teaching my criminal justice class.
liarsinnews on February 25 at 10:46 p.m.
Reading the foregoing comments, I get the impression that both Orange and Spoketucky think former Detective Ron Wright doesn`t know of what he speaks. I think Orange is completely in the dark regarding the corruption in the Lilac City and I wonder if Spotucky believed that OJ was innocent? For starters, Gavin Cooley screwed the taxpayers living in Spokane with the agreement he masterminded to pay off the Cowleses for the RPS parking garage. The debt in the tens of millions of dollars is left to the Lilac City taxpayers to pay off for the next 30 years.
And one more thing I know for sure, Detective Ron Wright is the straight arrow kind of law enforcement officer I want to show up if I needed a cop!
eagleproducer on February 26 at 10:58 a.m.
shanus: Where did I tell Ron to leave? I simply stated I believe his decision to re-locate to the beautiful Inland Northwest was motivated by factors other than a desire to rid the world of reverse Robin Hoodery. Cops enforce laws and represent a system that favors the wealthy, so perhaps he feels some sort of karmic debt is to be repaid…?
Fuhrman owned up to what he did because going to trial would have meant further embarrassment and exposure of fellow officers on the other side of the thin blue line. He did it to save his skin and avoid prison, nothing else.
I never disputed Ron’s claims that the Cowles, the city of Spokane, and other parties participated in a monstrous fraud that has/will cost the taxpayers untold millions of dollars. Steve Eugster and Rick Miller were all over the story when the deals were being cooked and warned people what would happen should the rosy scenario painted for the garage not materialize. Does Ron really think one day a federal agent will enter the offices of Betsy Cowles, Roberta Green, et.al. and lead them away in handcuffs? Most people in Spokane haven’t a clue to what occurred and those that do don’t care because they probably in some way benefited from the fraud.
shanusmaximus on February 26 at 1:34 p.m.
@Spotucky
“shanus: Where did I tell Ron to leave?”
You said, “Believe me, Southern California has plenty of government malfeasance, fraud and outright criminality to keep you busy.”
Meaning, why don’t you go back to California to pursue corruption instead of sticking your nose in around here where it doesn’t belong.
“Cops enforce laws and represent a system that favors the wealthy, so perhaps he feels some sort of karmic debt is to be repaid…?”
What? Lol!!! You are just bigoted towards cops no matter what.
“I never disputed Ron’s claims that the Cowles, the city of Spokane, and other parties participated in a monstrous fraud that has/will cost the taxpayers untold millions of dollars. Steve Eugster and Rick Miller were all over the story when the deals were being cooked…”
Oh I know all aboot it. I was a listener/caller to the Rick Miller show. So…..what is your problem? It seems like you have a problem with Ron because he is a COP.
“Does Ron really think one day a federal agent will enter the offices of Betsy Cowles, Roberta Green, et.al. and lead them away in handcuffs? Most people in Spokane haven’t a clue to what occurred and those that do don’t care because they probably in some way benefited from the fraud.”
Are saying Ron should stop investigating the corruption in this town because YOU have a defeatist attitude about it? I find this WORSE than people not knowing about it because you do know about it and you are not supporting people who are willing to put their necks out.
Ron_the_Cop on February 26 at 7:52 p.m.
Shanusmaximus,
Thx for your support. You know what I don’t understand? I’m supposed to protect the interests of the wealthy? Well I guess someone knocked me in the head because I’m looking out for the average citizen/taxpayer in Spokane that was robbed of $87M by my calculations. Check my report out with the caveat that a forensic audit needs to be done to accurately determine what the losses really are:
RPS Fraud Losses Sustained by the Taxpayers of Spokane
http://friendsofmarkfuhrman.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/rps-bond-frauds-summary-and-analysis-1.doc
Spoketucky,
How do you spell “R I C O” it’s easy math $87M x 3 - check my answer to Zelda in the related thread on Savage Manslaughter case and the explosive memo from her former husband:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/feb/26/memo-on-legal-work-in-rps-case-surfaces/?comments#c122817
lsywlw on February 28 at 7:58 p.m.
hermes and gucci balenciaga handbag
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