CHARLES LADE DEMPSEY, R.I.P.

The Father of the Inspector General Act of 1978, Charles Lade Dempsey, has died, at age 88.

I never met Mr. Dempsey, but he read my 535 requests for admissions in the case of an EPA special agent who blew the whistle on corruption.

Mr. Dempsey told my mentor and client, EPA Inspector General Senior Special Agent Robert E. Tyndall, now retired, that it was "the best brief that he ever read on an obstruction of justice." The case established the right of environmental crimes investigators to investigate cases without fear of retaliation.  Senior Special Robert E. Tyndall v. Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General, 93-CAA-5, 95-CAA-6 (June 14, 1996)(decided on the very first day of the DOL Administrative Review Board, which decided two cases that day, both involving my environmental whistleblower clients).

Mr. Dempsey was the former vice Chair of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE), the roundtable for agency Inspectors General.

The IG Act was the greatest improvement in government public administration in 50 years.  President Carter and President Reagan appointed tough IGs to perform civil, criminal and administrative investigations of government employees and contractors.  President Reagan wanted IGs "tougher than a junkyard dog."  President Reagan fired 16 IGs on his Inauguration Day, only to reappoint five of them, including Chuck Dempsey, stating his intent to "prosecute any crook we find." Mr. Dempsey was later Acting IG at EPA.

Mr. Dempsey was one of only four other people on this planet who encouraged Senior Special Agent Tyndall to bring the legal action that he hired me to represent him in back in 1994; the others were journalist Tony Snow (later White House Press Secretary) and Bob's wife, Lynda.  The case involved a massive coverup of government contract fraud and conflict of interest, involving acid rain research during the first Bush Administration.

Now numerous states, cities and counties in the U.S. have IGs.

However, not one of our local governments here in St. Johns County has an Inspector General, or will even discuss it.

Wonder why?

Dodgy developers and government contractors who boss and bully your local governments prefer lapdogs to watchdogs.

No IG was included in the proposed 2008 County Charter, which We, the People defeated twice that year, once in the primary and once in the general election.  Then-Chairman of the County Commission Thomas G. Manuel extended me the courtesy of speaking for twelve minutes -- "you have extra time" -- on the Charter and my proposed strengthening amendments, intended to create a charter for limited government, with whistleblower and human rights protections, an IG and an OMB's.  No one made a motion to implement any of them.  Who's afraid of Sheriff DAVID SHOAR?  Apparently every single one of our local officials, who eschew accountability out of fear of the bully.

For a good time, go to a government meeting  and suggest the need for an Inspector General.

Watch County Administrator MICHAEL DAVID WANCHICK, one of Sheriff DAVID BERNARD SHOAR's henchmen, and his toadies and enablers, et al. hyperventilate at the thought.

Here's the only obituary I've found on Mr. Dempsey (so far):

Charles Lade Dempsey Obituary


Charles Lade Dempsey

AGE: 88 • Morristown
1928 - 2017

Charles Lade Dempsey passed away on January 20, 2017. He was 88 years old. The son of Louis F. Dempsey and Clara Lade Dempsey, he was born in Morristown, NJ, on June 7, 1928. Mr. Dempsey was the devoted husband of the late Mary (Mackenzie), his wife of fifty years.

After graduating from Roxbury High School in 1945, Mr. Dempsey served in the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant (1950-1953). While serving in the Infantry during the Korean War, he was awarded both the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. Mr. Dempsey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University (1960) and went on to attend the Catholic University School of Law (1962).

Mr. Dempsey had a successful career in government service that spanned almost three decades in investigations and audit under four Presidential administrations, working for the Housing and Home Finance Agency (1957-1968) and its successor, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (1968-1985). He served as Inspector General (1977-1985) under both the Carter and Reagan administrations. President Reagan also appointed Mr. Dempsey to serve as Acting Inspector General at the Environmental Protection Agency (1983) and as the first Vice Chairman of the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (1983). In 1985, he was elected to the National Academy of Public Administration.

Mr. Dempsey's was a member of the Association of Federal Investigators and served as its national president (1977). His long career in Federal government administration led to numerous prestigious national awards and his guides and policies on ethics and fraud management were used in training thousands of government employees. After retirement from government service in 1985, Mr. Dempsey entered the private sector as President of Chuck Dempsey and Associates and as a Senior Partner at Riso & Dempsey, both firms that provided advisory services to government agencies and the private sector on management controls and ethics.

Mr. Dempsey is predeceased by his parents; his beloved wife, Mary; his brother, Louis F. Dempsey and sister-in-law, Patricia Fox Dempsey; and his brother, Joseph H. Dempsey. He is survived by his sister, Maryclare Dempsey Myers and brother-in-law Daniel Myers; his sister-in-law, Audrey Evans Dempsey; and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his friend, Marie Rhoades.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Church of the Assumption in Morristown, NJ, on Wednesday at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow at Holy Rood Cemetery, Morristown, NJ. Hours of visitation at the Doyle Funeral Home (www.doylefh.com) 106 Maple Ave., Morristown, NJ on Tuesday from 4:00 to 8:00 PM.
Published in Daily Record on Jan. 23, 2017