>Donovan Proposes Major Reform to Protect Taxpayers from Official Corruption
Thursday, September 23, 2010
PLEDGES TO TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBLITY FOR GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
Kathleen A. Donovan, Republican candidate for County Executive, said today that she will bring accountability to all county independent agencies including the notorious Bergen County Improvement Authority by taking full responsibility for their actions. Ms. Donovan contrasted this to incumbent Dennis McNerney who, in her words, has “knowingly or incompetently allowed these agencies to run wild and unchecked during his eight years in office.”
Ms. Donovan said that the first step to bringing the independent agencies and authorities under control will be to change their governance and require that she or her designee serve as a voting, ex-officio member of each board. Ms. Donovan said that her presence (or that of a designated senior member of her administration) “will make us responsible for the actions of the boards.” Adding, “in a Donovan administration there is no way that the BCIA or any other agency will increase its debt from $15 million to $450 million, spend tens of millions on consulting contracts to political cronies and allow spending to go unchecked. We will be accountable and responsible.”
Referring to McNerney’s appointment of a long time Democrat contributor to “investigate” the BCIA, Ms. Donovan said, “You don’t protect taxpayers by appointing a political crony to review or investigate the actions of a runaway agency after the proverbial horse has left the barn and the damage is done. Taxpayers can only be protected by public officials who take full responsibility. That’s a major difference between McNerney and me. He hides out while his political allies disregard prudency and plunder for the benefit of their pay to play cronies. I’m a proactive leader who takes her oath to protect taxpayers seriously.”
Ms. Donovan noted that during her tenure as County Clerk she has saved each Bergen County family more than $300 through management efficiencies. She compared this to McNerney who during his eight years in office has increased government spending by over $34 million while overall county debt has spiraled to over $1 Billion, an increase of over $600 million during McNerney’s tenure. “While I am putting money back in the taxpayers’ pockets, Dennis is taking it out…tenfold”, said Donovan.
Ms. Donovan noted that in addition to ongoing federal investigations of the BCIA, the Board of Trustees of Bergen Academies, appointed by McNerney, has also come under strong rebuke by the State Department of Education.
