- A state audit accuses the Nebraska Commission of African American Affairs of minor violations like closed meetings and high turnover in members
- One of the members appointed by former Governor Pete Ricketts is a former interim executive director, but questions remain on how he was appointed.
- State auditor Mike Foley says the commission is ready to get the violations fixed.
A 57-page audit accuses a state board of misusing state funds, committing multiple meeting violations and making questionable purchasing card transactions.
One example on page 29 of the audit details a Qdoba catering order that cost nearly $500.
State auditors also flagged the turnover rates for chairmen and, more notably, executive directors.
"They've had 4, and the third one is a gentleman we don't think was properly installed as their executive director," Foley said.
That man is John Carter, who is no longer a member of the commission. Carter, now an entrepreneur, was disbarred from practicing law in 2011 after being sued by the state.
After serving for law enforcement agencies across Nebraska, Foley says he does not think Carter's appointment followed the proper process and questions if he collected his salary in accordance with state law when he was interim executive director.
Carter was actually appointed to the commission by then-Governor Pete Ricketts. We reached out to Carter using multiple methods, including messaging him through his blog. We are still waiting for a response.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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