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C | PHILLY.COM
Inquirer.com/opinion
"@PhillyInquirer
A watchdog
with teeth
| EDITORIAL
A permanent, independent
Inspector Generals Office is
crucial to honest city
government.
ly because an inspector general enshrined in the City
Charter could investigate
Council.
Since 2008, the Inspector
Generals Office has saved
taxpayers more than $50 million and forced more than
200 badly behaving city employees off the payroll. But
the office operates under an
executive order and therefore could be dropped by a
future mayor.
In response to an Editorial Board questionnaire, all
the mayoral candidates say
they support making the Inspector Generals Office permanent (except Milton
Street, who did not participate). However, former District Attorney Lynne Abraham hedges on changing the
City Charter, saying that
question should be evaluated by a commission to consider the charter as a
whole. Her full answer, and
those of the other candidates, are featured on todays op-ed page.
Former Judge Nelson
Diaz advocates the additional step of combining the
functions of the citys inspector general, chief integrity officer, and Ethics Board into
a sort of ethics czar position.
The plan is worth considering as long as the watchdogs
remain independent.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Harold Jackson
Josh Gohlke
DEPUTY EDITORIAL
PAGE EDITOR
Kevin Ferris
ASSISTANT EDITORIAL
PAGE EDITOR
Russell Cooke
Cynthia Burton
EDITORIAL WRITER
Trudy Rubin
COLUMNIST
COMMENTARY
By Renee Amoore
Bloomberg