Tuesday, July 10, 2007

THE TANGLED WEB

I wasn't able to attend the Operations Committee meeting last night, but did manage to speak with one of the Commissioners who did, and it seems to have been quite a night.

On the subject of employees being paid from multiple codes, Budget Director Gail Cook refused, once again, to provide a list. The next step, I am told, will be asking department heads to report information for their respective departments. While this should get to the bottom of it, I think it lets Cook and Mayor Lynch off the hook way too easy. There is no excuse for a request for public information to be denied, whether it was requested by a Commissioner, or a private citizen. I think Commission as a whole should not only demand that Mrs. Cook produce the list, but also abolish the practice immediately.

I also hear that insurance is a hot topic around the Courthouse. As premiums continue to rise, word has leaked that Insurance Services Group is being paid a "Consulting Fee" by Cariten, who refuses to disclose how much that fee is, although they charge the county a consulting fee, which is paid for by our tax dollars. It is interesting, although not surprising, to note that the owners of ISG have been major financial supporters of Mr. Lynch's campaigns.

With all that has been said lately about ethics in government, do you think they don't get it, or simply don't care?

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