Report on a Document Revealing C.A.I. Misused Federal Funds (1977)
WBRZ-TV Channel 2 Baton Rouge Collection
Details
Collection:LSA
Genre: News
Place Covered: Capital Region, Louisiana, 1970s
Copyright Holder: Louisiana Department of State
Date Issued: 1977-06-13 thru 1977-06-20
Duration: 00:02:29
Subjects: Community Advancement, Inc. | Auditing | Subsidies | Public welfare | Dumas, Woodrow Wilson "Woody," 1916-1993 | WBRZ-TV (Television station : Baton Rouge, La.)
Contributors:
- Curren, Elizabeth Reporter
Description
A WBRZ-TV Channel 2 Eyewitness news story from Elizabeth Curren on a confidential preliminary report being made public revealing multiple unallowable expenditures, including the misuse of $400,000 of federal funds and a $60,000 bank overdraft, by C.A.I., Community Advancement, Inc. This report led to speculation that C.A.I. Executive Director Lee Wesley would be called to resign. There was also a distinct risk that C.A.I. would be dissolved as the official anti-poverty agency altogether as a result of these findings. City Finance Director Bert Roussel’s recommendations to Mayor-President Woody Dumas on how to handle the mismanagement were also made public. Includes an interview with Roussel on Wesley submitting a plan of action. Airdate: June 1977