George Rebane

George Foster, elected Nevada City Treasurer, resigned last night.  His surprise resignation should not have been a surprise to anyone on the city council paying attention to what George has been trying to accomplish in revamping what has passed for the city’s financial management. 

The real surprises in the recent past have been discoveries of mysteriously unknown lapses in collecting for certain utilities, ‘spiking’ the wages of soon to retire city officials, and the magnitude of the unfunded liabilities the city faces.  The city’s operations have been a puzzle to all outsiders to whom there seemed to be a disconnect between the Treasurer and the Council in how the city budgets and spends its monies. 

With the disbanding of the citizens financial oversight committee by the City Council, visibility into city finances now changes from murky to opaque.  That committee seemed to be the last counterweight to making the Treasurer’s job something beyond being a potted plant in city hall.  Nevada City has lost an experienced, motivated, and much needed public servant to help steer its way through the shoals of the current recession with a gaggle of captains manning the wheel. 

The only ongoing surprise is that the county Grand Jury has not seen fit to invite George in for a chat, maybe now they’ll revisit that decision.