Ken Jakes tells NES Board Decosta Jenkins must go!

Ken Jakes appeared before the NES Board today and told the Board that they should fire NES executive director Decosta Jenkins. 

Ken Jakes is the long time citizen activist and former Metro Council candidate who uncovered massive criminal activity on the part of NES. Such criminal activity including accepting thousands of dollars of perks and benefits for use by NES brass in exchange for NES services provided to Gaylord, misuse of credit cards and pay pal accounts involving private purchases with NES credit, a conflict of interest and manipulation of purchasing specs to benefit a particular provider of cable and more. Ken discovered these criminal activities by using freedom of information request and poring over hundreds of email exchanges and other records.

As a result of Ken's effort the State Comptroller conducted an audit of NES and confirmed what Ken's investigation had uncovered. The information was presented to Davidson County District Attorney Torry Johnson but he declined to prosecute. At today's appearance before the Board, Ken said, "This is not the end of this. I am taking this issue to the Federal Attorney."

To be allowed to address the board, Ken had to make his request in writing and had to get unanimous Board approval. They only allowed him five minutes. Ken declared that criminal activity had occurred and read to the board the following segment from Metro Charter: 

The officers, agents and employees of the board are prohibited from appropriating or using any of the moneys, revenues, assets or property of the board, or of the metropolitan government, or its credit either directly or indirectly by way of donations for festivities, exhibits, shows, lectures, pageants, excursions, decorations or parades, and shall not give or grant to any person or persons any reduction or other benefit of any kind in rates or service by the board, nor shall they make or allow any discrimination in favor of any purchaser of power, light, current or other service not enjoyed by others of the same class and taking power under like conditions; provided, nothing in this article shall prevent participation in normal electric promotion activities.

"How much clearer, could it be?" Ken asked. He also referenced a section of the NES employee manual that says much the same thing.

Most of the NES Board meeting was spend adopting policies to address the issues raised in the audit. A new credit card policy took credit cards away from over 100 employees and left only eleven procurement professionals with credit cards. The State audit had found substantial misuse of credit cards. The bylaws of the Electric Power Board were amended; a new travel expense policy, a new policy manual, a new procurement and materials policy manual, a recommendation to  retain  a firm to provide third party review of the Internal Audit Function, and a "Corrective Action Plan in Response to the State Audit Findings" were approved.

While it is good that the Board is addressing the finding of the audit and taking corrective action, why is no one in jail for grand theft? Why does  Decosta Jenkins still have a job?

There was no media present covering today's important Board meeting.

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