Jane Brady is the chair of A Better Delaware. She previously served as state attorney general and as a judge of the Delaware Superior Court.
Delaware is a small community, even if it is a state. To say “everyone knows everyone” is mostly true, and in that kind of business and political climate, there is a tendency to get things done through those relationships, not necessarily according to the laws and regulations of the state.
There are some checks and balances that are respected, but the way Delaware government has done business is, as a practical matter, informal.
A Better Delaware has called for more accountability and transparency in Delaware’s governing practices on a consistent basis. The Center for Public Integrity rates Delaware 48th in the nation with regard to those factors, giving us a failing grade in ethics enforcement and our Freedom of Information laws.
Recent events have highlighted why we need to improve. Legislators have been arrested for criminal offenses, there was an embezzlement from the unemployment insurance fund that was not disclosed for approximately six months, and there have been questions about both the “double-dipping” of legislators holding state employment positions and where grant funds, in particular to address the opioid crisis, went. These events have apparently not gone unnoticed.
Newly elected Gov. Matt Meyer seems to be addressing some of the issues. He has promised to require ethics training for all state employees. He has further stated that any misappropriation of tax dollars would be identified to the public within 90 days. He directed all state agencies to review the past four years of “audit findings” within the next three months. Presumably, that means the agencies will conduct those audits, as that is not an annual practice of any state office. Further, you may recall that, last year, one fund within the Department of Labor was actually deemed “unauditable” by the state auditor’s office. Regular and consistent attention to the accounting of how and where your tax dollars are being spent is information every Delawarean deserves.
And, speaking of the auditor’s office, pending legislation would give the Delaware auditor of accounts the authority to issue subpoenas directly, removing a requirement to go through the courts. This proposal would expedite the review of agency finances, as well as allow more flexibility to respond to emerging situations. It is a welcome change. You may recall the difficulty a previous auditor had in getting cooperation from state agencies and the legislature.
It is not just where your money is going that should concern you. How effectively it is being spent is also important. Each year, the Department of Education publishes data regarding all Delaware public schools, currently known as school performance data reports. These reports make up Delaware’s Report Card and have, historically, been difficult to find on the department’s website. Legislation now pending would require the department to provide a link to these reports on the homepage of its website, as well as better identify all education-related data to reflect the broad range of information the DOE publishes, in addition to the annual reports required under existing state and federal law. Many parents do not know how well the school their child attends is teaching, so there is real learning. Shamefully, there are more than a dozen schools in Delaware where the proficiencies of students in math and English are below 10%. That means that fewer than 10 of every 100 students in that school are reading or doing math at grade level. Knowing where your child’s school stands can be important information, as more and more school options become available for parents. No child’s chances of success should depend on the ZIP code in which his or her family can afford to live.
Finally, government does not always act with the proper intentions or in accord with the will of the people. We should know what is motivating our leaders when they make choices significant numbers of us oppose. The electric vehicle mandate is one. Why are the leaders committed to forcing us to buy the kind of car they choose? Why are they intentionally working to eliminate gas-powered cars completely? And why are they doing it not only when it is so universally opposed but when the costs, range, safety and ability to charge these vehicles are prohibitive to many?
Similarly, why are our leaders willing to sign agreements to take money from a wind farm company in exchange for access to our shores when the electricity will not go to Delaware customers, no jobs are created for Delaware businesses and such an agreement imposes all the risks to the environment on Delaware’s (in particular, Sussex County’s) citizens and natural resources?
Answers to questions such as this may come from an independent and impartial review by an inspector general, someone who has no political or financial interest in the answers to these questions and who is obligated to provide the public or members of the General Assembly the answers. Legislation should be passed to establish an Office of the Inspector General in Delaware.
As citizens, as taxpayers, as residents, we all are owed the duty of responsiveness and fidelity to the laws and oath of office from our elected and appointed officials. Assuring that we are informed and that where and how our money is being spent is accurately reported is a core duty of our government. We seem to be making some small steps in the right direction.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
