Resident responds to mention in campaign flyer
To the editor:
In response to Mayor Jim Burch’s unflattering and demeaning statement about Sal Grosso (misspelled Grasso) contained in a campaign document mailed to many thousands of Cape Coral residents and labeled “The Truth,” I offer the following:
– In 2005, Sal Grosso met with three auditors from the Florida Auditor General’s staff and asked them to look at how our City was accounting for its revenues because he found evidence the city was failing to include all beginning net assets in preparing budgets. He discovered balances brought forward from prior years were significantly understated and the amount of revenue sources contemplated in proposed budgets were being increased beyond those amounts necessary to carry out planned expenditures.
– The 2006 Audit conducted by the Auditor General (Finding #4), confirmed Sal’s finding. Grosso gave the Auditor General a total of 24 things to look at and coincidentally they found 24 things the city was doing wrong including issues with the original Sewer & Water expansion contract. That was confirmed by an Attorney General Opinion AGO 2007-12.
– Among other responsibilities, as an executive working for the NY Telephone Company, Grosso was responsible for the preparation and monitoring of the budget for the Downstate Region of the company over a three year period. In addition, he was also given responsibility for retiring more than $500 million of corporate assets in 1985 when he was rehired as a consultant to complete that assignment.
– Professor Don Forrer who teaches at Hodges University and who has a Doctorate in Business Administration, had this to say about Sal Grosso:
“Sal Grosso is one of the best researchers that I have been associated with. I first had the privilege of working with Sal in 1995 when he was hired for $1 to help with Cape Coral utility accounts and assessments. Sal’s research skills were instrumental in finding under billed and unaccountable utility accounts plus millions in unbilled betterment fees. I would add that even though many will dispute this fact, when the history of Cape Coral is written, it will be titled “Sal Grosso was Right”……..
– Nynex Vice President Mike Marino had this to say about Grosso:
“Your knowledge, dedication, utter perseverance and above all, your honesty, have been inspirational to me and I will always be guided by them.”
– From former Executive Vice President of NEC Gordon Ray who was also a VP at New York Telephone and holds a Doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering:
“Sal Grosso in my mind is an outstanding individual. We both worked for New York Telephone for many years. My last assignment was VP Planning while Sal was a Division Manager in another organization. Unlike most employees, Sal would not hesitate to cross organizational lines and approach company officers or others if he thought the contact would help customers. Sal had a reputation, both within his own organization as well as in other groups, of being an honest and forceful individual driven by a strong desire to improve the corporation and its services. When given a budget for his group, he moved mountains to meet the objectives handed him.”
– From Peter T. Milano, retired, .Executive Vice President, AT&T Co. :
“Sal’s excellent performance results were due to his unique analytical ability, a comprehensive set of operational controls, a focus on employee development, and the tenacity to pursue corrective actions by other organizations with responsibility to support our service and cost management objectives. These abilities and personal characteristics endured and improved as I followed his career through a series of important management assignments over the next 25 years.
“But beyond his widely recognized business acumen, Sal was, and is, principally admired for his integrity, honesty, and candor in everything he does and every situation he faces. To me, these are the true measures of his character and behavior. I would be pleased and honored to have Sal Grosso as a member of my management team in any business, financial, or service project I might be asked to undertake, past or present. He is a person to be trusted and counted on.”
– And finally retired Chief Financial Officer Fred Salerno of Verizon, one of the top corporations in the world, had this to say about Grosso at the time of Grosso’s retirement:
“It has been my good fortune to have learned this business from professionals like yourself. Although you will be retiring, you can be assured that the high standards you set for yourself and others, will be passed on by people like myself.”
Sal Grosso
Cape Coral