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Former Marion City Auditor Robert Landon has issued a press release claiming that recent audit findings and reviews by outside firms have “definitively verified” the systemic financial and software issues he reported during his tenure.
As requested, Marion Watch Investigates is presenting Mr. Landon’s statement in full. Following the press release, we are providing elaboration and context on these key points, based on our own extensive, long-term investigations into the city’s financial and political history, including our “Silent Sabotage” and “Beyond the Ballot” series. Marion Watch has been watching this situation and gathering data since at least late 2017, and reported on it extenssively in 2019. Our theories regarding widespread information technology control issues have been verified in this audit as well as documented by Marion Watch Investigates using official documents such as council summaries, news articles, state audits, and eye witnesses have also weighed in to confirm Marion’s political culture of disregard for the law, information technology, and financial controls. This was escalated drastically upon installation of the New World software systems, which we have also reported on extensively.
Press Release from Robert Landon
After months—and even years—of challenges, I’m glad to share that the facts we presented about the City’s financial systems have been definitively verified by outside sources and official audit findings.
This is not a victory for me, but a victory for fiscal integrity and transparency in Marion.
The Systemic Issues Vindicated:
- Software Failure: The independent audit and forensic accounting review firm, Veritas, confirmed that the legacy New World software produced inaccurate reports and switched data, eroding public trust in the figures.
- Access & Accountability: The Auditor of State verified our long-standing claim that the system had inappropriate permissions and overrides, allowing unauthorized individuals access. This was a core threat to the city’s financial stability, and its verification confirms our concerns were legitimate and necessary.
- Workforce Quality: When I took office, we had to quickly address deficiencies. The fact is, our staff proved to be more qualified and effective than those we inherited from the previous administration, which allowed us to maintain service despite challenges.
Fiscal Resilience Under My Watch:
- Stronger Revenue: Our fairer income tax collection system, coupled with diligent enforcement, allowed Marion to collect more revenue during the COVID-19 downturn than my predecessor collected during the Great Recession (2007-2009). This is a testament to the fiscal resilience of Marion’s taxpayers and the effectiveness of our reformed collection methods.
This audit puts a definitive end to the political noise surrounding my tenure.
I am immensely proud that the systemic flaws we pointed out for years have now been publicly verified, paving the way for a more stable and transparent financial future for Marion.
It’s time to put this chapter behind me and focus entirely on the next level of service for our community: fighting for governance reform, economic resilience, and a stronger future for every Marion resident.
More soon.
Marion Watch Investigates: Elaboration and Research Data
Mr. Landon’s points align closely with facts and systemic failures uncovered during our own multi-year “Silent Sabotage” investigation, which has analyzed state audits, official city records, and eyewitness accounts dating back decades.
On “Software Failure”: The Broken Reconciliation Module
Landon’s claim of “software failure” is substantiated by our research. The core issue, which Marion Watch has been investigating, was the legacy Tyler/New World software system implemented around 2008-2009 under a previous administration.
- Our “Silent Sabotage” investigation confirmed that state audits immediately flagged this new system. The 2010 audit was a disaster, identifying 22 distinct findings. Then-State Auditor Dave Yost publicly stated the findings showed a “lack of attention to detail and poor management oversight”.
- The most critical flaw, as Landon alludes to, was that the system’s bank reconciliation module—the primary tool for ensuring books match bank records—was “never implemented correctly from the start” and “had never worked correctly since 2008”.
- Landon’s “vindication” by Veritas Solutions Group is also confirmed. The new administration hired Veritas to repair the corrupted books. In July 2023, Veritas reported to City Council that the reconciliation module was indeed never implemented correctly. Their work to fix the data required 90 journal entries and resulted in a $1.464 million net expense impact for 2021 alone.
- Marion Watch also suggested other legally mandated software safety controls were also misconfigured which has been verified by the current administration.
On “Access” and the $1.28 Million Error
Landon’s point on “Access & Accountability” is directly linked to the broken reconciliation module. This broken “work around” system is the “core threat” he mentions.
- This specific failure is what allowed the catastrophic error of his tenure to go undetected. Our investigation confirmed that in 2020, his office erroneously remitted approximately $1,280,000 in federal payroll withholdings to the State of Ohio for seven months.
- State auditors explicitly linked this massive error to the pre-existing, inherited flaw. The $1.28M error “went undetected for seven months precisely because the bank reconciliation module was non-functional”.
- This error resulted in the $154,399 Finding for Recovery issued against Landon for the resulting IRS penalties and interest.
On “Workforce Quality” and Inherited Problems
Landon’s claim of inheriting a deficient office is supported by the documented record of the previous administration.
- Our investigation, detailed in “Silent Sabotage,” confirms that his predecessor, Kelly Carr, faced a $22,500 Finding for Recovery. This was issued for penalties incurred after her office failed to file required 2018 W-2s and 1099s to the IRS on time.
- Furthermore, our research into the same prior administration, detailed in our report “Twila Laing: Silent Sabotage,” confirmed the 2015 conviction of former utility supervisor Brenda Nwosu for stealing over $34,000. Her theft went undetected for over 3.5 years, a failure the State Auditor attributed to the broken internal controls. Laing advised that she had reported suspicious activity to leadership in the Schertzer administration and these reports were ignored.
On “Political Noise”
Landon’s reference to “political noise” is a direct reference to the 2019 election.
- Our “Beyond the Ballot” investigation detailed this. Landon, a Republican, was formally charged with misdemeanor election law violations on November 5, 2019—Election Day. An event Marion Watch members personally witnessed.
- The investigation was initiated by a complaint from his political opponent, the incumbent Democrat Kelly Carr.
- The case was dismissed 16 months later, on March 10, 2021, after a visiting judge found the prosecution’s complaints to be “facially deficient”.
In summary, Landon’s assertions that the city’s financial systems were broken long before his tenure, that the software was fundamentally flawed, and that he was targeted politically are all claims substantiated by our own extensive, document-based investigative reporting.