Delaware State News | April 25, 2023
by Joseph Edelen
A bipartisan effort to establish an inspector general in state government is being reintroduced in Delaware’s General Assembly.
The initiative and its potential benefits were discussed at length Monday during a virtual forum hosted by the Delaware Coalition for Open Government that drew more than 70 attendees.
Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Woodbrook, and Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, are leading the effort to create an independent, nonpartisan inspector general to investigate instances of fraud, waste and abuse in state offices.
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Also during Monday’s forum, panelist Stephen Street, Louisiana’s inspector general since 2008, said the office’s independence would curtail any redundancy during investigations.
“The IG is in a spot where they’re going to wade into the toxic cases that no one else will touch, essentially for political reasons. And, certainly, the ones that elected officials run from because they’re guaranteed to infuriate people because, sometimes, the case is hit, and you’ve got folks on both sides of it. No matter where you land, you’re gonna upset folks,” he said.
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