Five months after announcing it would no longer fund the Northern Kentucky Community Center, the United Way is close to deciding which nonprofit agencies it will support to serve east Covington residents.

        The charity expects to announce by the end of the month which of nine proposals from local nonprofit groups will receive the $171,167 that previously went to the community center. The center — in the heart of Covington's African-American community — has been criticized for late audits, unpaid utility bills and poor management.

        Recently, Rollins Davis, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Commu nity Center, discussed how he and the center's board are addressing its problems, and rebuilding the community center's image as it begins its first year without United Way funding.

        QUESTION: The Northern Kentucky Community Center was among dozens of nonprofit agencies in Greater Cincinnati to receive United Way funds. Why do you think it didn't work out in your case?

        ANSWER: I think there were other factors and variables factored into their decision.

        Q. Such as?

        A. Politics.

        Q. In what way?

        A. In January of this year, I was told that if you don't kowtow to certain people, your organization will not be funded and also you will be squeezed out of the United Way's process.

        Q. Who told you that?

        A. I don't want to get into any slander, but if it ever comes to a point where it goes to court, I would take it to the Supreme Court.

        Q. Could you say if it was a board member or someone with United Way?

        A. It wasn't a board member but it was someone who was working on the peripheral who had heard this.

        Q. At the center?

        A. It was someone in the system in Northern Kentucky who was involved in east side groups and different circles in that area. I think they may have been saying it to me FYI, "If you want to survive, you might want to do X,Y, and ....'”

        Q. So do you feel it was a case of you not kowtowing to the United Way enough?

        A. I don't know if it was the exact people at United Way or it was people who were able to position themselves on the funding committee of the United Way. I think there were some personality conflicts with folks who wanted me to go in certain directions, maybe support certain issues, and if I didn't, then they'd find other ways to put pressure on me. That's what I believe.

        Q. You're saying you think politics is behind the United Way's decision to stop funding you, not issues like late audits, unpaid utility bills or management concerns?

        A. It just doesn't make sense (for United Way to cut funding), particularly since there's no criminal intent ..., there's no misappropriation of funds. We are a struggling community service organization, and we want to communicate that we don't have the luxury, in terms of finances, to put all the different management tiers in place to make the organization run like a Fortune 500 company.

        ... What's the significance of a late audit? Is that criminal? Is that something that will close an entity down, or is that something that's correctable? You had a former (city commissioner) who didn't pay a tax on his business for years.

        Q.Were you working from a deficit when you took over as executive director?

        A. We were more than $150,000 in debt when I walked into the organization. That kind of debt just doesn't disappear overnight. It's something that we've been constantly working towards .... But the real question is, who controls the (charitable) dollars in this region? Who sits on those boards? Who's part of those foundations, trusts, private corporations and United Way? Who are the shakers and the movers? And how much access do organizations like (the community center) have in that arena?”

        Q. What is your operating budget today?

        A. It's about $175,000.

        Q. How does that compare with what you had before United Way cut its funding?

        A. It's about half of what we had.

        Q. What are your funding sources today?

        A. Funding sources are program fees, grants and foundations, lease income, private donors, a CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) from the city of Covington that's about $36,000 for day care, housing homeless prevention and youth development, and we're continuing to work on some additional revenue from state organizations. We still receive about $10,000 in HUD dollars, too, for a housing counseling program.

        Q. What programs does the community center offer? A. We have day care, youth development, which includes after-school programs — team sports, cheerleading, field trips, open recreation, table games, ed ucational videos and things of that sort — a commodities program with the (Area Development District), homeless prevention, and we still do community outreach work/neighborhood organizing ...

        Q. Who are your current tenants?

        A. The Covington School Board is running their alternative program here, a program that used to be at Fourth District School.

        Q. In March the center's board of directors removed you from handling the center's financial affairs. Who is overseeing the financial affairs today?

        A. The board treasurer now is Robert Whaley. He was new as of March or April.

        Q. Are you overseeing financial affairs today or is he?

        A. Well, he is. He's the treasurer. But I'm involved with the finances too.

        Q. But is he the one who's making sure the bills are paid?

        A. Yes.

        Q. Is that helping to get things paid on time?

        A. It is. Of course paying bills is more a question of resources. You have to live within your means. One of the biggest barriers last year was that the natural gas costs went through the roof. Before last winter, we had never received a bill over $4,500. I'd say maximum $5,000. Last year, we received a bill in excess of $15,000 for one month.

        Q.Your board chairman was recently quoted as saying your utility bill was in excess of $75,000. You're saying that got so high just because of the skyrocketing natural gas costs?

        A. Without a doubt. And if you don't have cash reserves or an endowment that type of debt is hard to absorb.

        Q. Did you seek help in paying your bills?

        A. We asked for indirect support but we weren't able to get that.

        Q. Where did you seek that help from?

        A. Community businesses and whomever we thought we might be able to tie into.

        Q. And you weren't able to get financial assistance from any other sources?

        A. No.

        Q.How much do you owe on your delinquent utility bill today?

        A. We've cut it down to less than half.

        Q. Of $75,000?

        A. Yes.

        Q. How have you done that? A. We've done it by way of donations from folks in the community, on the board, and people who basically are committed to seeing the organization survive. I don't want to make race the total issue here, but I believe race plays a role in the networking opportunities for our organization.

        Q. In what way?

        A. I just believe that certain doors aren't open as a result of it.

        Q. In terms of community assistance?

        A. In terms of networking.

        Q. By businesses, community groups or the government?

        A. Wherever you can get potential dollars ...

        Q. But when you speak of race, you mean you have trouble networking because you serve a community that has Covington's largest minority population? Is that why you say race is an issue? Or is it because the community center's leaders are minorities?

        A. I think all of that has a role in it, but I don't want that to be the paramount concern, that I'm screaming race here. I do believe it's a factor though.

        Q. After the United Way announced plans to cut the community center's funding, did the board appoint an advisory council to help manage the center?

        A. Yes.

        Q. Who are its members?

        A. There are two attorneys and three accountants.

        Q. When was that advisory council formed?

        A. In May, I believe.

        Q. And what is the mission of the advisory council?

        A. To be technical advisers to ensure that things are being done according to all standards.

        Q. Were you ever behind in your mortgage payments?

        A. Not with the mortgage, no.

        Q. What have you learned from this whole experience?

        A. What I've learned is you need to learn how to play the political game better.

        Q. When it comes to getting funding?

        A. Right. You need to look at ways to have the organization be more self-reliant. You never put your faith in someone else's hands and depend on someone else to that degree because that makes you vulnerable.

        Q. By someone else's hands, you mean United Way?

        A. Yeah. You don't depend that heavily on any one entity to support your organization or its mission.

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