Watching out for the town

A former commissioner at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman said that having an inspector general would be a good way to safeguard against wrongdoing.

“When I was a commissioner at the Port Authority, we had an inspector general,” said Blakeman, a Port Authority commissioner from 2001-2009. “It was a good buffer between decision-makers and people who might have felt there was some impropriety. In the interest of transparency you could avoid situations that give rise to suspicion by an internal investigation.”

A proposal introduced by Blakeman to add a resolution for the inspector general position to the April 24 meeting agenda failed. It was backed by Councilwoman Erin King-Sweeney. It was noted by town officials that it was only the emergency resolution, not the actual idea, which was voted down.

“I felt to get it on the agenda, I would hand it up and its on the table,” Blakeman said. “Hopefully in the near future it will be considered.”

The inspector general would independently investigate possible corruption, fraud and waste in the town. It would be a two-year term. The person would be approved by what Blakeman called a “super majority” of the town board — six out of the seven council people. The budget for the office would be $250,000. The inspector general’s annual salary would be half that amount.

Having demonstrated a certain amount of experience as an investigator like a police detective or independence such as a judge are part of the qualifications. Blakeman said the person should have “high moral and ethical character.” The person cannot be an officer in any political party.

Supervisor Anthony Santino called the resolution’s introduction “political grandstanding,” and said that the town already has protections in place against improprieties.

“Hempstead Town has strong safeguards in place to protect against waste, fraud and abuse within its government,” Santino said. “A comprehensive disclosure and review process accompanies municipal contracts. Online posting of bids and town board resolutions ensures transparency. Financial disclosures for elected officials and town policy makers provide accountability.”

Having an inspector general or any type of independent watchdog is not new, according to Dr. Craig Burnette, an assistant professor of political science at Hofstra University. He said the concept dates to colonial times.

“This bubbles up from time to time, like last year with contracts at the county level,” Burnette said. “You are hoping for independence. To create an entity outside the political process with some degree of power to unearth things that otherwise would not be made clear.” 

How can the person in the position be truly independent if he or she is appointed by the government or organization they serve and are paid by is the primary question. “You hope the person takes the job seriously, the salary is guaranteed and they cannot be removed from office unless they are doing something,” Burnette said. “It really comes down to how it is set up. Ultimately, it’s up to what the board wants, and if it’s on the radar of the residents. For some individuals it could cause some strife.”

He noted the success of the Government Accountability Office at the federal level. It’s a government agency that provides auditing, evaluation and investigative services for Congress. It is the audit institution of the U.S. government.

“The GAO at the national level is pretty darn successful,” Burnette said, they don’t take prisoners.”

The next town board meeting is May 9 at Town Hall at 1 Washington Street in Hempstead.