It’s a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Yesterday the Citizens Board of the Office of State Ethics voted to hire a private attorney to investigate political contributions made by now-resigned Board Chair Kenneth Bernhard. The law certainly requires them to conduct an investigation, that’s not in question. But some outsiders wonder if the expense of a private attorney is wise given the state’s current budget crisis. Others argue that Bernhard’s infraction, which totaled $750, doesn’t rise to the need of spending thousands when the ex-Chair himself has admitted wrongdoing and resigned.
But the OSE is held to a higher standard by the public and by government. It cannot allow its own attorneys to investigate an out-going Chair - that would clearly be a conflict. And it can’t ignore this case. So the Office is proceeding as only it can. Let’s hope Attorney Jill Hartley, who has been retained for the job, keeps it brief and as inexpensive for the taxpayers as possible.
Tags: contribution, Kenneth Bernhard, Office of State Ethics
