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In an unsettling series of events, the South Bend Legal Department's approach to the Transparency Hub's SQL code issues has sparked widespread concern about accountability and transparency. The Department initially recognized a problem on November 1st, pledging immediate remedial action. However, in a startling reversal on December 22nd, they contradicted earlier statements, asserting that the hub operated flawlessly. This sudden change in narrative warrants serious examination.
Further adding to public distress, the City of South Bend has yet to comment on the duration of the hub's downtime or potential data inaccuracies, leaving its citizens feeling disregarded and uninformed. The core questions remain unanswered: How long did the hub fail to deliver full functionality? Why is there a conspicuous lack of transparency from the South Bend Legal Department?
Regrettably, the Department's response has been less than satisfactory. They have sidestepped these questions by suggesting that residents lack the necessary knowledge to operate the hub, or that address rounding is misunderstood. Yet, during a Mayor's Night Out event on September 7th, Redress South Bend met with the operators of the Transparency Hub and confirmed that the issues were not due to user error but stemmed from hub malfunctions. Hub operators could not find the events in question on the hub, but found them in the systems back end, confirming that they "should be on the hub," according to the operators. This crucial piece of information seems to have been conveniently overlooked by the City.
Citizens are now calling upon the South Bend Legal Department to restore trust by addressing these concerns honestly and providing clear, unambiguous responses.