Feeding Freddy: $420K for the Schools

We happened to catch this on the calendar this week:
A0321-06 Order/s/Alderman Frank Nuzzo, as President That unexpended proceeds of the City's Municipal Purpose Loan of 2004 Bonds dated March 1, 2004 in the amount of $420,125.92 are not needed to complete the Whittier School, Parlin School and Everett High School remodeling projects for which the related bonds were issued pursuant to Order No. 04-025 approved by the Mayor on January 26, 2004, are hereby appropriated for the purpose of remodeling, reconstructing and making extraordinary repairs to the Webster Elementary School, the Whittier School, Parlin School, and Everett High School; and that the Mayor is authorized to take any other action necessary to carry out this project.

Evidently, Mayor Hanlon has found some money! Excellent news. No? Well, will someone please explain to us why $420K is necessary for "extraordinary repairs" for schools that have just been completely remodeled? Why does the bulk of the money have to go to fix the Parlin? Wasn't that just finished? What's even more extraordinary is the fact that the superintendent showed up to claim this money without one shred of evidence to support his belief that the Adams School could not be used for as a preschool, as it had been just a few short years ago. No paperwork - no estimates - no nothing. The Adams School has the right plumbing in place already, but somehow, the "same" work would need to be done to it to get the building ready for a preschool population. So without any information apart from the superintendent's "word" for it, the Board of Aldermen voted on it favorably, with the exception of Stephen Smith. The Superintendent has a huge history of misleading city government about the fiscal management of the school system, but 6 out of 7 aldermen "take his word" for it. Let's guess why the Webster is being "fixed," instead of the Adams. Could it be that not enough work needed to be done on the Adams for Freddy's good friends in the construction industry?

Why not give the taxpayer a tax break for a change instead of feeding Fred with it?

The wording allows the mayor to "take any other action necessary to carry out this project." How's that for ambiguity? Sounds to me like they just cut city government out of the decision making process. With Fred's favorite auditor, Don Andrew, in place, ( you know - the guy that hid years of Freddy's overspending from city government) the Superintendent will have complete control over transferring funds. He'll transfer it for a "capital improvement" first - and then switch it to some other line item. This is, after all, the superintendent who used special education allocated funds on Homecoming parades, advertising and teacher lunches. A leopard does not change it's spots and evidently, city government has forgotten just how bad that state audit was.