Weitzman blasted by Guidance Center
By Andy Malekoff and Jo-Ellen Hazan
First published in the Long Island Business News: Friday, December 28, 2007
For more than 50 years, the North Shore Family and Child Guidance Center has served children with serious emotional and social problems and their families.
Putting modesty aside just briefly, we do a spectacular job, often on a shoestring budget, and almost always under difficult circumstances. That is what we do.
Now, we find ourselves the victim of Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman’s thinly veiled campaign to inflate his reputation, with no regard for the truth or for the people he might harm.
Here are the facts:
Four years ago, two employees in our accounting department conspired to steal $70,000 from us. Within weeks, we discovered the theft and called in the police. The employees were led out in handcuffs. They were convicted and punished. And every penny was returned. This is an unfortunate reality of doing business today, and it happens in the best of organizations – like ours.
More than two years later, in an audit by Nassau County, this incident was noted. By then, this was a non-issue, because we had resolved it ourselves, along with other concerns issued in the report. Yet Comptroller Howard Weitzman seized upon it and issued a press release, claiming credit for uncovering fraud, theft and lack of oversight at our agency. In fact, he did not uncover a thing.
The release was painstakingly worded to extract every bit of drama and to earn every nugget of credit for Mr. Weitzman, where he was entitled to none. He held a press conference to trumpet his accomplishments. He compared us to the Roslyn School District. And he issued a “blast” e-mail of the press release to his friends, donors and supporters, obviously to demonstrate that he was right on the case.
We had provided Mr. Weitzman with all of the ingredients for a juicy story – money, kids and theft. And he told the story – and a story is all it was – very well. To compare us to Roslyn is just pandering.
Mr. Weitzman may have done great damage to our organization and, ultimately, to the children and families we have been serving and advocating for every day for more than 50 years.
Unlike Mr. Weitzman, we don’t have a good publicity machine. For the most part, the people who know us are our donors and the people we help. Unlike Mr. Weitzman, we do not blare our accomplishments and we do not exaggerate them. And, also unlike Mr. Weitzman, we would not try to inflate our own image by harming others. Especially kids.
Shame on you, Howard Weitzman.
Andrew Malekoff, executive director; Jo-Ellen Hazan, president, North Shore Family & Guidance Center
3 comments:
Andy,
This is really unbelievable. What kind of response has letter elicited?
Andrew
This far positive responses. Many
Here are two of them:
"This is outrageous! Let's see...private corporations embezzle millions of dollars each year, many of them gov't-funded, but it's not-for-profits that the public needs to look out for. Best of luck pulling through the storm." - from an agency head
"A sad commentary -- but amazing well thought out response... sounds like you are weathering the storm ok, I hope..." - from and educator
There have also been many emails and calls from agencies who applaud the response, and their best wishes that we are not 'punished for speaking freely' adding that "this could happen to any of us."
Here are a few more responses that I have received.
“…I have been discussing this issue with a couple of other agency Directors and it is upsetting to see how they are trying to earn points for political purposes without seeing the bigger picture...If this is happening to you today, it might happen to me tomorrow if no one stands up to these bullies...”
“I read the article and while I know I shouldn’t be amazed...I still am...It is probably just a matter of time before he goes after more of us. You would think he could find enough to do just by examining government practices.”
“Terrific article in the Long Island Business News. You deserve enormous credit for taking this on and for stating the facts clearly and distinctly.”
“Bravo on a great response to a sickening scenario. It’s amazing what crap politicians stir up.”
“We all know what you and North Shore stand for, and we stand with you.”
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