Letter: Majority Of Voters Favor OIG

The Office of the Inspector General was recommended by the grand jury in Palm Beach County after an extensive investigation and sworn testimonies by numerous government officials, businessmen and women, and respected civic leaders. The voters of Palm Beach County subsequently voted by 72 percent in favor of having the OIG include the oversight of all 38 cities in our county.

It is very hard to believe that 14 of the 38 cities have been continuously delaying progress to fully fund the independent Office of the Inspector General. All elected officials in the cities are there because the voters of Palm Beach County put you there. Do you understand that 72 percent of the voters of Palm Beach County have voted for an independent inspector general? It seems to me that you are defying those voters who put you in office. The one commissioner who has been fighting for the will of the voters is Commissioner Jess Santamaria.

We thought the primary purpose in the establishment of the Inspector General’s Office was to rid ourselves of the title “Corruption County,” an insult to all the good people of our county. My question is the same as the many people I have spoken with: why have 14 cities out of the 38 cities in our county started a lawsuit to avoid helping to support the Office of the Inspector General? The only answer I could come up with is that the politicians from those 14 cities in our county are trying to hide something.

It is up to us the people of Palm Beach County to stand up and tell all 14 cities’ government officials to stop any further delays and fully fund the Office of the Inspector General immediately. You have the power to do this because we, the voters, gave you that power.

Perhaps the best solution will be for the 72 percent of the voters who support the inspector general to also vote the elected officials in the 14 cities out of office in the next election, just as was done in Wellington.

George Peltzmacher
Royal Palm Beach