Bloomfield's Crisis of Governance Part 5.2: The Offline Government (Part 2)
The Offline Government (Part 2):
The Digital Blackout
By Peter C. Frank | The Bloomfield Dispatch
(See also: Breaking News: The Town Manager's Legal Troubles)
The “Shadow Ledger”
In Part 5.1, we analyzed the collapse of cash reconciliation—the Town’s inability to balance its own checkbook for 15 months. But the Finance Director’s letter to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) reveals a deeper, more systemic failure. It wasn't just that they stopped checking the math; it’s that they stopped using the calculator entirely.
Reasons #6 through #10 of the "13 Reasons" paint a picture of a Digital Blackout—a period where the Town of Bloomfield effectively ceased to operate as a modern digital government and reverted to an "Offline" state, running a $100 million corporation on what effectively amounts to loose paper and unverified spreadsheets.
But before we analyze the specific failures, we must address the Town's response to these inquiries.
The Non-Response: Managing Perception vs. Records
When The Dispatch submitted specific questions about the Finance Director's August 4th letter to OPM—including binary yes/no questions about bank reconciliation failures and the documented 50% data gap—the Town's response was a link to a webpage that does not address those specific failures.
"Thank you for your inquiry... Please click the link below to access the information responsive to your inquiry," the Town's email stated, directing this reporter to a newly published "Truth & Transparency" page.
However, that webpage addresses 15 general questions but omits the three specific failures documented in the OPM letter: 15 months without bank reconciliation, 50% of activity unrecorded, and FY2023 auditor entries never entered into MUNIS.
Pattern Recognition: Expert Analysis
The Dispatch consulted crisis communications professionals about the pattern of behavior exhibited by Bloomfield's administration—specifically, the shift from a month of silence to the creation of a webpage that addresses generic questions while avoiding the specific failures documented in the OPM letter.
Cyndee Harrison, founder of PRShield.com, a reputation management system for brands and businesses, reviewed the pattern of the Town's response. "When an institution shifts from silence to creating ‘Truth’ webpages or requiring FOIA requests for basic information," Harrison explained, "it usually signals that they’re navigating a high-stakes situation."
Matthew N. Klink, a partner at California Strategies, LLC and global political strategist, noted that such sudden shifts in communication style "often point to an external architect." He advised that in such cases, reporters should "search the town’s approved motions for either a public services contract or a specific PR contract."
The Dispatch has searched Town Council meeting minutes and vendor contracts but has found no public record of crisis communications consulting contracts to date. A FOIA request for any such contracts is pending.
Whether the communications shift represents hired expertise or internal coordination, the effect is the same: direct questions remain unanswered while the "Truth & Transparency" page addresses questions no one asked. It raises a critical question for taxpayers: Why is the administration focused on managing the perception of these failures rather than addressing the failures themselves?
The "Digital Blackout": Explained (Plain & Simple)
The Town’s "Truth" page claims they have "sufficient financial information." But the internal documents tell a different story—one of a complete "Digital Blackout."
To cut through the bureaucratic jargon, let’s look at the Five Reasons (Reasons #6–10) the State OPM threatened to take over our finances, explained in plain English.
Reason #7: The 50% Blackout
What the Town Said: "Approximately 50% of financial activity was not recorded in MUNIS."
What It Means: Imagine getting a report card where the teacher put black tape over half your grades. Can your parents really know how you did in school?
Why It Matters: The Town passed a budget and claimed "surpluses" while being blind to half of the money coming in and out. They were flying the plane with half the instruments broken.
THE SMOKING GUN:
On September 16, 2024, Finance Director Darrell Hill admitted the scope of this blackout to the Finance Subcommittee:
"...in the month of July and the month of January when we're collecting The Lion Share of our taxes due... upwards of $50 million is collected and is not... recorded in our system of record MUNIS until August."
He continued regarding expenses:
"...there is financial activity that we know occurred but is not reflected in the system... it's an Under reporting both on the revenue side and the expense side."
MUNIS is the Town’s "System of Record." It is the legal and digital brain of the municipality. It controls the budget, prevents overspending, tracks grants, and generates the reports the Town Council uses to make decisions.
When the Finance Director admits that 50% of activity was outside this system, it means that for the entirety of FY2024, the Town Council was operating on data that was necessarily incomplete.
Reason #8: The "Ghost" Account
What the Town Said: "Escrow account... not recorded on the General Ledger."
What It Means: This is like opening a secret bank account that your parents don’t know about. You put money in, but you never write it down in the family checkbook.
Why It Matters: If money isn't on the books, the auditors can't see it. This is how funds can be lost track of or misappropriated.
The "Desk Drawer" Economy
If the data isn't in the computer, where is it?
According to the Town's Finance, Budget, Audit & Bonding Subcommittee's September 16th, 2024 meeting transcript, it was physically sitting in furniture. Director Hill told the Subcommittee:
"We have experienced... finding uncashed checks in desk drawers, unpaid invoices in desk drawers."
Reason #9: The Lemonade Stand Failure
What the Town Said: "Enterprise Fund not reconciled with Town."
What It Means: The Town runs businesses (like the Golf Course). This failure means they stopped checking if the cash in the register matched the money the Town thought it had. It’s like running a lemonade stand but never counting the money at the end of the day.
Reason #10: The Time Travel Error
What the Town Said: "FY2023 Auditor entries were not entered in MUNIS."
What It Means: Imagine you got a math problem wrong last year, and the teacher corrected it in red pen. This means the Town ignored the red pen and started this year's math homework using the old, wrong numbers.
Why It Matters: If your starting balance is wrong, every single number you write after that is automatically wrong, forever.
The Editorial: A Question of Trust
This reporter must question why the Town has chosen this path of evasion.
"Radical transparency, paired with clear accountability and a plan for moving forward, tends to resonate better with modern audiences," Harrison told The Dispatch. "It’s not just a values-based decision; it’s a strategic one. When leaders share the full picture upfront, people are more likely to get behind the solution rather than feeling like they’ve been left in the dark."
Harrison concluded with a warning that our Town Council should heed: "The public doesn’t expect perfection—but they do expect clarity, consistency, and a good-faith path forward."
Bloomfield deserves a government that admits its mistakes, not one that ignores them and hopes the public stops asking questions.
Conclusion: The Illusion of Oversight
The OPM letter and the September 16th transcript confirm that for over a year, Bloomfield operated as a "Shadow Government." The official numbers presented to the public in Council meetings were a partial picture—not because of verified malice, but because 50% of the reality was trapped in spreadsheets and desk drawers.
The Finance Subcommittee was told the truth in September 2024. They voted to bring that truth to the full Council. But as we will continue to explore, that presentation never happened in the public eye. The "Digital Blackout" was kept in the dark.
Stay tuned for Part 5.3, where we finish exploring the 13 reasons and take a look at something in the FY2025 budget that will make you think you're seeing double—literally.
Another great article! I believe this was all done maliciously and wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve stolen a hella large amount of money! Is this why Wong didn’t complete her term or McCrary didn’t seek reelection???? Where’s the money???? Joe S, do you know???? These are your pawns!!!!
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