WOOD-TV Channel 8 is hot on the trai
l of Wayland City Treasurer Cheri Parrish. Investigative reporters say they want to know her role, if any, in reports of $500,000 missing from City of Bangor coffers.
Parrish was hired in 2012 as treasurer for Wayland after the abrupt resignation of Bhama Cairns. She, like Wayland City Manager Michael Selden, worked at Bangor between 2007 and 2012.
24 Hour News 8 reported Monday that about $500,000 seems to be missing from Bangor’s city accounts, prompting current Mayor Nick Householder to contact the FBI.
WOOD-TV 8 reported, “Annual city audit reports from 2007 to 2012 show a pattern of ‘control deficiencies.’ Some $500,000 seems to have vanished from city funds during that time.”
However, the greatest drop in the general fund occurred in 2006, the year before Parrish and Selden came on board. Channel 8 asserted that, “One audit shows that the general fund fell from more than $330,000 in 2006 to $74,000 in 2007.
Selden and Parrish’s work would not have applied until the end of fiscal year 2008.
Householder told 24 Hour News 8 there were “a lot of red flags,” including a $64,000 withdrawal in 2012 under the vague description “debit memo.”
24 Hour News 8 indicated that the FBI will investigate such a situation for three reasons: “If there was improper use of federal funds, if money was transferred across state lines or if there was a large sum of money involved.”
So a Channel 8 news team tried to call Parrish at her home Sunday and was told she wasn’t there.
Channel 8 continued its search for Parrish and reported, “Staff at Wayland City Hall told 24 Hour News 8 last week that Parrish was out, but her car was in the parking lot. Someone came out to move it at the close of the business day, but that person wasn’t Parrish.”
It was Wayland Police Chief Steve Harper, reporters said
.
Selden, when contacted by Townbroadcast, replied, “I can tell you that I don’t know anything about any missing funds from my time in Bangor. However, while there is an investigation going on, we really can’t discuss anything. We have not heard anything from the FBI or anyone else conducting an investigation other than Channel 8, but are happy to speak to them if they need anything from us.
“Audits were conducted every year and nothing showed in those that raised concern.
“On a side note, from what I see the largest drop in fund balance they are showing was between 2006 and 2007. If I assume those are fiscal year end 2006 and 2007, which would have been the audited numbers, fiscal year end 2007 was June 30 2007. While Cheri and I did start in 2007, I began work Aug. 27, 2007, and Cheri began a week or two prior (fiscal year end 2008).”
“We need to know where the city’s money went for the citizens of the City of Bangor,” Selden told Channel 8.
