From World Poverty to CZ Elections, to Coto Public Safety

From World Poverty to CZ Elections, to Coto Public Safety

What the numbers mean, depends on who audits the numbers: My board is less corrupt than your board!

June 7, 2007

According to Carl Bialik, the Wall Street Journal’s Numbers Guy, one challenge facing Paul Wolfowitz’ replacement at the World Bank’s helm is “how to count the world’s poor so we might know if that dream is approaching reality”. The “dream” refers to the World Bank’s slogan: “Our dream is world free of poverty”.

“In April 2007, the bank announced that 985 million people are poor world-wide, a decline of 260 million since 1990. By that count the UN’s Millennium Development goal of halving the proportion of people living in poverty in the 25 years ending in 2015 appears attainable”, writes Bialik in his June 1, 2007 column. However, the columnist continues “to some economists, the World’s Bank definition of poverty is flawed, arbitrary and tends to suppress numbers”, and goes on to list a number of challenges associated with data collection and reporting, including those expressed by the UN’s own number’s guy, Martin Ravallion: “Getting more accurate estimates of purchasing power for China is a high priority. But we can’t force the government to participate”.

Consider how the CZ elections results were interpreted by re-elected Jerry Mezger (shortly after expressing his opposition to direct elections in the community, because direct elections would mean the board would have to be pro-active to eliminate fraud, and using cumulative voting designed for a micro-minority to gain control of an association) “This vote also means that virtually the entire community has tuned you out because they see how ridiculous your emails and blog are”. The results Mr. Mezger refers to are listed below, including some 80-so votes used by losing incumbent Lyle Schlieder that he cast for Mr. Mezger (the CotoBuzz Journal had previously predicted Mr. Schlieder would be a “sacrificial lamb”, and apparently he was), and the blogzz activity up to the time of this writing.

Preliminary results of the 2007-2008 CZ Master Association BOD Elections



Candidate
Status
Total Votes

Vince Hylka

Bob Varo

Jerry Mezger

Lyle Schlieder

Michael Zuvoski
New candidate

Incumbent CZ president

Incumbent

Incumbent

New candidate
5,450

1,335

1,093

1,024

206


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blogzz Activity thru June 6, 2007 Establishes Record High



We have in this forum quoted Republican 2008 presidential front-runner Rudy Giulani as saying "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it; and you can't manage it if you are not measuring it”, in responding to the question of how he got crime under control in NYC. We have been working for years with various local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to develop public safety management tools. To date, and after much prodding, besides references to the Sheriff’s Blotter, the Varo/Mezger administration report monthly CHP statistics without any reported analysis and subsequent action. For example, 2007 CHP enforcement hours are down some 60% from 2006, immediately after the Varo/Mezger boards refused to renew the CHP contract on a yearly basis and decided instead for a quarterly one. The latest CHP figures also indicate that speeding continues to be a major problem in the community, perhaps aided and abetted by the absence of any significant pro-active traffic patrol in the community.

Then there is the on going debate between members of previous CZ board of directors, and the Varo/Mezger administration. On the one-hand, critic of the Varo/Mezger administration charge mis-management and lack of transparency for the last to association dues increases. While the Varo/Mezger administration point to “audited financials”, claiming that the mis-management happened in someone else’s watch – “just ask the audited financials” – the problem with the latter position, is that when the auditor is asked key question the response is basically, “ask the board”!

Clearly, if the new Coto de Caza leadership is going to be accountable and transparent, the best thing it can do, is to immediately establish a board-independent financial audit committee, then the committee must establish a baseline going forward – otherwise be warned: “Figures do not lie, but liars figure”, and the ongoing debate will continue - my board is less corrupt than your board, and better for the community!




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