A former vendor for the city of Chattanooga has challenged the City Council to charge him, request a state audit or otherwise absolve him of any wrongdoing in his reclaiming of $5.9 million of streetlights formerly owned by the city, after a memorandum by the city’s internal audit office resurfaced the issue this summer.
In a scathing letter to the council, Don Lepard, owner of Chattanooga company Global Green Lighting, disputes findings of the memorandum published in July by Stan Sewell, the city’s independent internal auditor.
After condemning Sewell’s “accusatory tone,” Lepard urges council to get to the bottom of the issue and for the city to retract any accusation made against him in the memorandum.
In the letter, which was presented on his behalf by local attorney Buddy Presley, Lepard denies any wrongdoing and challenges the council to quote:
“* Officially charge [him] of a crime and let [him] defend [himself] using only the truthful facts, or