GRDA Board Chairman: State Audit 'Not Going To Find Anything'

Dan Bewley, News On 6

VINITA, Oklahoma -- The Grand River Dam Authority learned Wednesday how much a state audit is going to cost. The GRDA has been under fire since our Oklahoma Impact Team revealed the board gave their former CEO a back-door $90,000 raise.

6/7/2011 Related Story: GRDA To Learn Details Of State Audit Wednesday

Wednesday was the first board meeting for Greg Grodhaus. The former computer design CEO was appointed to the board by Governor Mary Fallin.

"The governor said in her campaign and that what she is for is government to run smaller, more effective, more productive, and to better serve the needs of the customers," Grodhaus said.

His appointment came on the heels of an Oklahoma Impact Team investigation. Oklahoma Impact reporter Jennifer Loren discovered the GRDA board gave former CEO Kevin Easley a hidden $90,000 raise.

Easley resigned as CEO two months after our report aired.

4/13/2011 Related Story: Grand River Dam Authority CEO Kevin Easley Resigns

In addition to the appointment of Grodhaus, the state will be conducting an audit of the GRDA.

In a letter to the board, the state auditor's office said it will look at everything from July 2003 through March 2011. One of the goals is to see if the GRDA operates in a manner that's in the best interests of Oklahoma. The audit's estimated cost to the GRDA is $125,000.

David Chernicky, the board chairman and supporter of Kevin Easley, said the audit is a waste of GRDA customers' money and is confident nothing wrong or illegal will be uncovered.

David Chernicky, Board Chairman: "They're not going to find anything."

Dan Bewley, News On 6: "There are questions in regards to Mr. Easley's departure and the way he ran things and there are those who believe that some things may not necessarily be on the up and up."

David Chernicky, Board Chairman: "And there are those who are politically motivated to harass and they're not going to find anything."

Grodhaus, however, said the audit is a good step to making sure everything is running as it should.

"If you're not constantly inspecting or being inspected then how are you going to move forward and improve and have a place to draw the stake and say where do we go from?" he said.

There is no timeline for how long it will take to conduct the audit. Once it's finished the GRDA will have ten days to respond.