Consider Settling The Burnham Matter
By Art Gallagher
The audit into Ex- Brookdale President Peter Burnham’s spending irregularities has revealed questionable reimbursements in the amount of $48,109.75. Brookdale plans to file suit against Burnham. Burnham’s retirement funds have been frozen by the Treasury Department. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating. All of this according to the Asbury Park Press.
Brookdale has already spent $12,500 on the audit. Legal fees to date likely add up to several thousand dollars more, not to mention the cost of the prosecutors.
Unless there is reasonable suspicion of a great deal more of inappropriate expenditures, and there might be….an earlier APP article that is no longer on their site said construction of athletic facilities was being investigated…, the Brookdale Board of Trustees should consider settling this matter and putting the controversy in the past.
Spending more money on audits and litigation than on what was misappropriated would be stupid and wasteful. That money would be better spent on new management controls to ensure that similar misappropriations don’t occur in the future.
Posted: April 16th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Brookdale Community College | Tags: Brookdale, Burnham | 11 Comments »