I'm not a fan of government waste. I think we should hold people in both the public and private sector accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to ripping off the government.
That being said, I'm not some zero-tolerance authoritarian asshat about it. I'm totally fine with looking the other way when someone innocuously bends the rules, and uses their position of public power to do something nice and fun that benefits others.
The City of Yukon, however, feels a bit differently. Via The Yukon Progress:
A city employee has been disciplined for allowing unauthorized people to access a paid section of the Rock the Route concert last month.
City officials confirmed a male employee allowed several people to enter the VIP access area free of charge. Guests paid $50 per ticket.
“I can tell you the employee was suspended and without pay for a period of time,” City Manager Jim Crosby said. “They will no longer be allowed to work any city events.”
He said city officials are trying to determine if other city employees were involved.
Really? You suspended some guy for that? Is nothing sacred anymore?! Just like trying to cry your way out of speeding ticket, being snuck into the VIP area of a concert is a harmless American right of passage that everyone experiences at least once! Hell, what's the point of even having a VIP area if people can't sneak into it? That's what makes it fun!
To make this story more absurd, The Yukon Progress is launching a Woodward and Bernstein investigation into what happened:
Prior to Crosby’s comments, city staff declined to provide several details about the situation. City spokeswoman Jenna Roberson declined to talk about the disciplinary actions.
The number of people who gained access was unclear and Roberson said she did not know if they were coworkers or friends.
When asked how many employees were suspended, Roberson said, “it’s my understanding just one.”
When pressed for further information about the actions taken, Roberson required an Open Records Request.
The Yukon Progress sent the request. The Oklahoma Open Records Act states that a public body “may keep personnel records confidential” if it poses an unwarranted invasion of privacy.
That's bizarre. I would say some cheap reporters at the Yukon Progress are trying to find out who they need to contact to get VIP access to the next public event, but they have the ultimate free VIP entry – the press pass. I wonder how many of those they get a year? Perhaps we should file an open records request and investigate.
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