As a councilman for the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, I support the Palm Beach County Office of the Inspector General. While the OIG provides county and municipal government bodies with assistance for the efficient purchasing of goods and services, the independent advisory and audit work of the OIG will improve public confidence in county and local government operations.
We should remember the problems that led to establishing Palm Beach County’s OIG, the Code of Ethics and the Ethics Commission and appreciate the consistent leadership and support such positive reforms provided by County Commissioner Jess Santamaria and State Attorney Michael McAuliffe.
Under Sheryl Steckler’s capable leadership, the inspector general will play a significant part of the overall ethics, transparency and accountability of our local government. Her experience and commitment to fulfilling objectives of the OIG are impressive.
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council adopted a resolution supporting the Palm Beach County Code of Ethics, the Ethics Commission and an independent Office of Inspector General in July 2009. I’m glad the county is now reverting back to charging our vendors/contractors the one-quarter percent fee. Our taxpayers must not be charged.
Also, I fully support the extension of State Road 7 to Northlake Blvd. As a retired firefighter who spent 31 years on the job, most of which was in the western communities, I know how overburdened our road infrastructure currently is. Any help to relieve traffic off Seminole Pratt and Okeechobee is desperately needed, not to mention the need for better evacuation routes in event of an emergency. The extension will improve the response time of both Fire-Rescue and the PBSO.
Ron Jarriel, Councilman, Loxahatchee Groves
