"Fitchburg, Mass., officials discuss airport finances"

Wednesday, November 24, 2004
 
Officials discuss airport finances
By Evan Lehmann
The Fitchburg (MA) Sentinel


FITCHBURG -- Key city officials and a private auditor who's examining the
airport's finances met Tuesday morning at the Fitchburg Police Department,
Mayor Dan H. Mylott said in an interview after the meeting.

"In all honesty, we were at the police department because the rooms in City
Hall were full," Mylott said. "We needed a room."

The police department is the guardian of financial documents police seized
Friday from Airport Manager David L. Bouvier's office, according to a city
official close to the audit.

At least one private auditor with the firm Melanson & Heath is working out
of the police department, which oversees access to the materials and is
closely documenting who views them, said the official, who has agreed to
speak on condition of anonymity.

The auditing firm, which raised questions about the airport's finances when
conducting a routine review of the department in the past two weeks, told
police what type of records to seize, the official said. 

"They took materials, including books and records, things auditors want to
look at," the official said of the documents seized by police.

Mylott said he attended the meeting with City Auditor Richard Sarasin, City
Treasurer Bruce Richards, City Solicitor C. Deborah Phillips, Airport
Commission Chairman Kit Walker, Police Capt. Mark W. Louney and Pat
Squillante, a partner with Melanson & Heath.

"We're involving everybody who may now be involved or who in the future may
be involved," Mylott said.

Mylott questioned Squillante Tuesday about the possibility of launching a
forensic audit, the official said. Forensic audits, more intensive than
regular audits, can determine whether fraud occurred and are widely used in
criminal and civil courts.

"It is a possibility," the official said of a forensic audit.

Mylott placed Bouvier on paid administrative leave on Thursday after
consulting the Airport Commission, Walker said Monday.


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