Melson and Owens, Partners in Crime?

This whole business of Melson's influence and his clandestine dealings with local elected officials just keeps getting more curious as time passes. Melson's good buddy Ronnie Owens just announced his candidacy for another term on the Lauderdale County Board of Education, touting his enlightened and exemplary leadership for the Board's newly "improved financial accountability". Perhaps if Owens could get out of bed with Melson for a day or two he might actually come to know something about the school system's "accountability".

Now, since the "Honorable" Mr. Owens is so very keen on accountability, he must surely know why the state auditors have mysteriously vanished from sight at the Lauderdale County Board of Education offices. The auditors came on site in the spring of 2019 to begin a routine annual audit, the report on which was already overdue by the time they arrived. Perhaps the auditors have discontinued their work at the Lauderdale School Board at the behest of the Alabama Legislature, for whom they work. Might our local legislative delegation have something to do with their disappearance? Ronnie Owens should know that Federal regulators and creditors are not happy when audits are overdue. Fines and adverse credit ratings could result if the delay continues.

Perhaps Melson wishes to avoid having state auditors take timely notice of the Board's willing cooperation with him as he raids the school systems coffers to continue pushing his boondoggle Ag Center project forward. Or perhaps Owens has enlisted Melson's assistance in delaying the audit to avoid any politically untimely notice of the Board's own speculative land purchases and their raiding of lunchroom funds to prop up the system's reserves. Or perhaps he's just tired of his Board being repeatedly cited for violating state law by continuing to operate its athletic programs in the red and illegally borrowing from state and local tax revenue to cover the hole.

Concerned citizens might also ask Owens why his school system's newest financial director cannot explain a $40,000 difference between the school system's accounting records and its bank account balance. Perhaps Owens has now granted Melson direct access to the school systems deposits! Oh well, what's a mere forty grand between political bedfellows, right?

Humbly submitted for your consideration by,

Every parent in Lauderdale County, indeed every citizen in Lauderdale, should be asking the school system about the above irregularities. First things first, we'd like to know about the missing $40,000.00. Any readers have a clue?