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Ethics
WEST PALM BEACH - Trying to restore public faith in local government, Palm Beach County commissioners Tuesday agreed to create a post for a full-time watchdog intended to guard against corruption and waste.
The creation of the Office of Inspector General was recommended by a state grand jury that reviewed county government practices in the wake of corruption scandals that landed three former county commissioners in prison since 2006. How to pay for the new position, how to select the new watchdog and who this new inspector general would answer to are issues the commission intends to determine before giving it the formal go-ahead by the end of the year. If the plan gets final commission approval, the next step would be to push for a referendum in November 2010 asking voters to change the county's charter to broaden the powers of the inspector general. That would allow the inspector general's oversight to go beyond the commission-controlled levels of government and include city governments, the school district, the sheriff's office and other branches of county government. The commission Tuesday also endorsed creating a Palm Beach County Ethics Commission, more ethics training for employees and officials and strengthening lobbying rules. The county needs to "welcome all scrutiny and oversight," Commissioner Jess Santamaria said. "We must not stop until we regain public trust," Santamaria said. The county's timetable was not fast enough for a coalition of business groups pushing for changes. The groups, including Leadership Palm Beach County, the Voters Coalition, Business Forum and Economic Council, plan to lead a petition drive to force a referendum of their own making if the county doesn't take action to create an independent inspector general. That petition drive needs to start this November, so the groups can't wait for the commission to take action by the end of the year, said David Baker, who represents the business groups. "We can't live with that time schedule," Baker said. Others, from county officials to community activists, questioned whether business groups should lead the charge for an anti-corruption referendum. Residents waving signs and wearing t-shirts with anti-corruption messages called for commissioners to make changes to create more government oversight. "We want it done now," said Mike Macy, of West Palm Beach, who was among a group of residents wearing red t-shirts that said: "We are mad as hell and we are not going to it any longer." Signs in the audience at Tuesday's commission meeting said "End Corruption" and "Who's next?" – which referred to three of the seven commissioners who served on the board in 2006 now serving time in prison. "One more indictment and we will have an incarcerated majority," Panagioti Tsolkas, co-chairman of the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition, told commissioners. "Why would we take you seriously?" The grand jury recommended that the selection and oversight of a new inspector general be handled by an "independent oversight board," made up of representatives appointed by various branches of law enforcement, the new ethics commission chairman and a resident. The county estimates that the creation of the new inspector general post would cost about $500,000 to get the office up and running in 2010 and then cost about $1 million in 2011 as the inspector's staff grows. An inspector general could be in place by early 2010. This comes as the county faces a worsening budget crunch, with plans to raise property taxes and lay off about 200 employees. Commissioners have yet to agree to other recommended reforms, such as more oversight for managing the county's debt and changing the way the county buys and sells land. County Administrator Robert Weisman said he supports most of the grand jury recommendations, but he defends the way the county handles its finances and land management. "I have been doing this job for 19 years," Weisman told commissioners. "If some of these findings were true, it would be my responsibility to quit." Send this page to a friend Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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