This petition is not about politics, personal attacks, or assumptions of wrongdoing. It is about responsible governance, public confidence, and ensuring that the systems managing our taxpayer dollars are operating with the highest level of transparency possible.

Over time, any organization — public or private — can develop institutional blind spots. That is why independent review and accountability are healthy and necessary parts of good leadership. Recent public concerns regarding financial documentation, internal controls, and oversight have created understandable questions within our community. Rather than allowing division, speculation, or distrust to grow, we believe the responsible path forward is an independent forensic audit.

A FOCUSED forensic audit is not a declaration of guilt nor necessarily expensive. Its also the goal if and when other steps are taken including:

• preliminary reviews,
• internal control assessments,
• operational audits,
• compliance reviews,
• or independent investigations.

These can help determine whether a full forensic audit is actually justified.

Common “pre-forensic audit” steps include:

1. Independent Financial Review

An outside CPA or municipal finance consultant reviews:

• bank reconciliations,
• procurement practices,
• credit card usage,
• vendor payments,
• overtime,
• payroll,
• grant tracking,
• and journal entries.

Goal:

identify anomalies or weak controls before spending hundreds of thousands on a forensic investigation.

These are all professional tools used to verify processes, identify weaknesses, strengthen safeguards, and restore public confidence. If operations are sound, the audit will reinforce trust in our city leadership. If improvements are needed, then identifying them early protects both the city and its citizens moving forward.

This petition is a call for unity through transparency.

We invite citizens of all backgrounds, political beliefs, professions, and neighborhoods to support a respectful request for independent review so that Seabrook can continue moving forward stronger, healthier, and more accountable to the people it serves.

Our city deserves:

• Transparency
• Responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds
• Strong internal controls
• Independent oversight
• Public confidence in local government

Supporting this petition does not mean attacking our city. It means caring enough about Seabrook to ensure it remains strong for future generations.

Together, we can choose openness over division and accountability over speculation.