Councilwoman Janice Rutherford
Posted: 07/08/2010 07:57:07 PM PDT
Congratulations to the San Bernardino County Grand Jury for uncovering massive increases in the portion of the county budget that county elected officials are spending on taxpayer-financed aides, analysts and public relations advisers.
The Grand Jury learned that the county Board of Supervisors is using taxpayer dollars for the bloated "Fifth Floor," totaling a stunning $65 million in 2010 alone.
Even more alarming is the fact that supervisors' staff budgets for salary, expenses and fringe benefits have increased by an eye-popping nearly 65 percent just since 2005.
I concur with the findings of the San Bernardino County Grand Jury. The tens of millions of dollars being spent annually on supervisors' personal staff (such taxpayer-paid staff members are often used to buttress and assist in the re-election of incumbents, as we are seeing now in the 2nd Supervisorial District) is astonishing, and all the more outrageous given our region's current economic climate and budget deficit. The county is having to make hard choices on funding for law enforcement, education, and other vital county services; those choices could be made a bit easier by cutting much of the fat from the roster of politically appointed staffers.
Continued skyrocketing increases in the budgets for staffs of county supervisors cannot continue, as the Grand Jury has wisely concluded. I share those concerns, and I pledge the following:
I will use the county Grand Jury's indings as a guide and model when allocating staff positions should I be fortunate to win election in November. I will put an immediate end to the practice of runaway budgets and expenses for staff.
Unlike my opponent in the upcoming race for the county's 2nd Supervisorial District - who was chair of the Board of Supervisors during the period of massive and unprecedented staff funding increases which the Grand Jury just criticized - I will not permit any staff member to remain on county staff while simultaneously drawing a stipend or paycheck from a political campaign - even my own campaign.
I support a clear line of separation between work on behalf of the taxpayers and professional services rendered on behalf of political causes. I believe any county supervisor can lead by example; and my staff will remain committed to the taxpayers of the 2nd District, free from allegiances and commitments to lucrative outside political interests.
Second, I support the restructuring budget plan currently underway. As do most residents, I would like to see a significant savings. If this plan will achieve its worthy goal of saving millions of dollars, that plan should indeed be embraced by local taxpayers. I commend the county's new chief administrative officer for taking the first steps toward that plan's realization.
Third, I will ensure that allocated discretionary spending for special projects and programs designed to help constituents of the 2nd District do exactly that - directly help residents, as the policy initially intends. Politicians should not use that discretionary spending to pad their office staff.
Fourth, any funds left to the discretion of an individual county supervisor should not be used in a self-serving manner. For example, there should be no parks, public libraries or even a bus bench named in recognition of a sitting county elected official.
To use taxpayers funds to "recognize" the personality of an incumbent politician is to provide yet another taxpayer-financed boost to the self-serving interest of re-election. Even in good economic times taxpayers should not fund a standing memorial or commemoration to an elected official.
The Grand Jury is a useful tool in uncovering waste, mismanagement, fraud, and abuse. It is equally important in developing solutions to problems in county government. For instance, two years ago, the findings of that Grand Jury session resulted in major positive changes in the Assessor's Office operations and direction.
Of note, the total potential waste in the Assessor's Office cited by the Grand Jury - that is, the total increase in staff salaries - was some $1 million. For the five county supervisors the total is $65 million, or more than 60 times that of the county Assessor's Office, which, thankfully, has been corrected. Clearly, there is potentially far more savings to be realized by implementing this year's Grand Jury's recommendations regarding the Board of Supervisors' staffing positions.
The Board of Supervisors has until late August to issue its response to the Grand Jury's recommendation for taxpayer savings. It is my hope that they will heed their advice and continue implementing reforms to reduce their wasteful levels of staffing.
Fewer taxpayer dollars spent on unnecessary political aides to county politicians during a deep recession? Sounds like common sense to me.
Janice Rutherford is a member of the Fontana City Council and a candidate for San Bernardino County 2nd District supervisor in the Nov. 2 election.
http://www.sbsun.com/pointofview/ci_15472031
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