Since I left the Board in 2024, people have asked me about my time serving Nutley: Do you regret it? Would you serve again? What would you do differently?

But the question I hear most is: What happened with the district’s finances, and where did the money go?

It is a fair question. The answer is not one transaction, and there was no single pot of money that simply went missing. The district took in less revenue than projected, spent more than budgeted across numerous accounts, and ended FY2023–24 with a substantial deficit. Ultimately, Nutley needed a $9 million advance in State aid.

In 2023, I became concerned that something was wrong with Nutley’s financial picture. I began asking questions and pushing for better financial reporting as we tried to understand why the numbers were not adding up.

As the concerns grew, we brought in outside accounting help to better understand what was happening. When we finally understood the full scale of the problem, I stood before the town, explained what we knew, and answered questions directly.

Before the forensic audit is released, I want to be clear about what I found while serving on the Board.

Key financial information provided to us was incomplete, altered, omitted or delayed. Known costs were not properly budgeted or encumbered. Controls within the district’s accounting system had been removed or bypassed. And the financial reports available to the Board did not provide a timely and complete picture of the district’s actual financial condition. That made the district’s true financial position extremely difficult to see in real time.

In April, I spent approximately two and a half hours with the forensic auditors going through these issues in detail. I was interviewed early in their process. I have not seen their final report, and I won’t speak for them. When it becomes public, residents can read their findings and compare them with what I am telling you today.

So, do I regret serving? No. I am proud that I kept asking questions when the numbers didn’t make sense and helped bring the problem to light.

Would I serve again? Absolutely. And I would bring what this experience taught me back to the Board: clear financial reporting, independent verification when something doesn’t add up, and a willingness to keep asking questions until we get answers.

That is why I am running again.

If you have questions about what happened, ask me here, send me a message, or stop me when you see me around town. I will answer directly and continue sharing the evidence as it becomes public.