Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Inspectors General and Ombuds Needed

As amply demonstrated by a raft of documents posted by Sheriff David Shoar on his website, concernng the death of a deputy's girlfriend, St. Johns County and St. Augustine need Inspectors General and Ombuds.

Government accountability requires it.

I have been advocating for creation of independent IGs and Ombuds offices since 2006. That was when we and FDEP caght WILLIAM B. HARRISS, then City Manager, red-handed. HARRISS dumped 40,000 cubic yards of solid waste in our Old City Reservoir. The County Code Enforcement office and County Sheriff refused to investigate HARRISS. HARRISS was never prosecuted or fined. In 2010, HARRISS resigned, going to work for the Sheriff, running his ST. JOHNS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOUR STAR ASSOCIATION, INC., Sheriff Shoar's non-profit group.

The HARRISS-dumped contaminated solid waste was removed from the Old City Reservoir as a result of our community organizing and confronting HARRISS and AKERMAN SENTERFITT over their hare-brained scheme to return the solid waste to Lincolnville, where they proposed putting twelve feet of dirt on it and calling it a "park."

We won. The contaminated solid waste has been removed to a Class I landfill in Nassau County.

Yes we can!

The stench of the contaminated solid waste is gone, but the odor of corruption remains. We need Inspectors General and Ombuds here to assure accountability, starting with St. Johns County government, with oversight and investigation powers over the Sheriff, among others. That would require a County Charter, and a vote of the people. This time, let's do it right.

Quo vobis videtor?

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