Updated post
Thu, 17 Mar 2016 at 4:50 p.m.
███ [Deletions at the behest of Dunedin City Council – instruction by recorded voicemail received from Communications and Marketing Manager on Thu, 17 Mar 2015 at 4:24 p.m.]
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Received from Cr Lee Vandervis
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 at 3:48 p.m.
█ Message: Please feel free to print all of the emails and attachments below, as at least some of the Dunedin public should know what they actually contain.
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[begins]
—— Forwarded Message
From: Lee Vandervis
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2016 11:06:18 +1300
To: EditorODT, Nicholas George S Smith, Julian Smith, Vaughan Elder
Conversation: My job is to represent ratepayers’ concerns and allegations…. [words deleted]
Subject: My job is to represent ratepayers’ concerns and allegations…. [words deleted]
Dear Editor,
Your ‘reporter’ Chris Morris has [word deleted] in the article below [word deleted] claimed:
– “The ODT understands Cr Vandervis has also refused to co-operate with investigators examining his latest claims.”
This is provably untrue as evidenced by some of my communications with Crowe Horwarth through my lawyer as attached. [It also slurs my previous claims, especially regarding Citifleet almost all of which have been publicly proven.]
All it would have taken to get the reported co-operating truth would have been for your reporter to call Crowe Horwarth and establish that I have been responding to their inquiries and have gone to some trouble to supply them with an affidavit and supporting email showing how wrong again Mayor Cull was to claim that I had not provided evidence to him, the DCC CEO or our previous CEO. As well as evidence I have provided verbally, I have included my affidavit and one example of an evidential email, parts of which must remain redacted for obvious reasons.
My previous 19/9/15 complaint of Chris Morris ‘reporting’ which may be of interest to you is also below. There have been many others, yet Morris has wondered why I will not talk to him.
[paragraph deleted]
Kind regards,
Cr. Lee Vandervis
Vandervis inquiry ongoing
Home » News » Dunedin
By Chris Morris on Sat, 27 Feb 2016
News: Dunedin
6 1 Share This
The outspoken councillor levelling fraud claims at the Dunedin City Council is remaining tight-lipped as the investigation continues.Cr Lee Vandervis, speaking at a full council meeting in December, claimed to have paid a backhander to council staff to secure a council contract.
The allegation prompted a furious exchange with Mayor Dave Cull and an investigation by the council’s internal auditors, Crowe Horwath, which was continuing.
Cr Vandervis has repeatedly refused Otago Daily Times requests to produce his evidence and has not responded to fresh requests for comment this week.
The ODT understands Cr Vandervis has also refused to co-operate with investigators examining his latest claims.
That followed a series of allegations levelled against council staff by Cr Vandervis in recent years, only for the councillor to then refuse to co-operate with council staff by providing evidence to back his claims, emails released in December showed.
Council group chief financial officer Grant McKenzie, contacted this week, would only say the latest investigation was continuing with no set date for completion.
Asked if Cr Vandervis had been spoken to, or provided evidence, Mr McKenzie would only say: “The investigators are still working through their process, which includes hearing from Cr Vandervis.”
Crowe Horwath was expected to provide a report to the council on its findings but subsequent steps – and the timeframe to complete the inquiry – depended on what was discovered, he said.
“We’re waiting on some information. Once we know what that information says, that will then drive where the next step is in the investigation.”
Mr Cull was reluctant to comment while the investigation continued but hoped any evidence would be forthcoming.
“Clearly, it’s in everyone’s interests for any allegation, or any wrongdoing, to be brought to light and dealt with.”
chris.morris @odt.co.nz
{Link: http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/374580/vandervis-inquiry-ongoing -Eds}
From: Lee Vandervis
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2015 09:06:12 +1300
To: EditorODT, Nicholas George S Smith, Julian Smith
Cc: Chris Morris, David Loughrey
Conversation: Reporters reporting gossip instead of serious Council issues
Subject: Reporters reporting gossip instead of serious Council issues
Dear Editor,
Your reported Chris Morris has [again] seriously misrepresented me in today’s ODT story “Information requests irk Councillors”.
In this story where Council chairs Benson Pope and Thomson are fully indulged, reporter Morris fails to find balance or grasp the real issues [again].
Minimal quotes from my emails [fully published on What If] should have included:
“Do you not realise that most of my LGOIMA request arise from questions and allegations from members of the public that I represent?”
“don’t you dare suggest that my approach has failed to identify fraudulemt behaviour, as you similarly do not know what has gone into, for instance, Citifleet…. [words deleted].
Additional insightful material from my emails that has been ignored includes:
“If all my 2011 LGOIMA requests for Citifleet information, including all credit card information had been made available as requested under LGOIMA, think how many subsequently stolen vehicles would have been saved and perhaps even the life of a bent manager. Put a price on that David and make sure to request the full cost thereof.
The horrendous cost of not having required relevant information on which to make decisions is the reason we have LGOIMA.
In my opinion, not using the LGOIMA process suggests that you are not doing your job as an elected representative.”
“if rate-paid reports like the $300,000 Deloitte investigation information were made available to us who need to make related decisions, none of this tedious LGOIMA process would be necessary. It is a shame that I have to go to so much effort just get basic information, and that so few others can be bothered.”
There is real meat in what my emails reveal here [you should take 4 minutes to read them in full] Morris’ gossip columnist treatment of the non-issues, making me look perverse in the process, is the main reason I no longer risk talking to him.
Ditto Loughrey who recently reported mainly Thomson’s comment re sale of Wall st. ignoring Cr Calvert’s excellent questions and debate, and completely failing to report the much bigger Finance Committee discussion issue of $15 million per year interest costs on DCC debt and the urgent need to investigate the sale of DELTA and Aurora to deal with DCC debt.
Perhaps you might be interested in meeting to discuss?
Kind regards,
Cr. Lee Vandervis
(6) Attachments:
CCE03152016_0001 Affidavit of L Vandervis 1/3/16
CCE01212016_0003[1] GA Paine, Barrister – letter to L Vandervis 21/1/2016
CCE12212015_0016 GA Paine, Barrister – letter to L Vandervis 21/12/2015
CCE12182015_0005 GA Paine, Barrister – letter to L Vandervis 18/12/2015
croweH1/2.jpg [click to enlarge]
croweH2/2.jpg [click to enlarge]
[ends]
█ For more, enter the term *vandervis* in the search box at right.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
What if? Dunedin... 