Let Out the Watchdogs

Call it scrutiny, oversight, checks and balances - every public entity needs some. The current spotlight is on legal costs at the Plainfield school district now that state Comptroller Matthew Boxer has released his report.

Over at the PMUA, a citizen group used the Open Public Records Act to uncover high costs for commissioners' food and travel, leading to reforms.

Dr. Harold Yood studies each City Council agenda and questions unusual costs at public meetings.

The late Bob Ferraro, both as a citizen and a City Council member, reveled in his "watchdog" role. Newspapers have long had a watchdog role when it comes to public funds.

Alas, DumpPMUA appears to be in abeyance and BOE watchers are few nowadays. Yesterday brought the shocking news that the Star-Ledger, considered the state's paper of record, may close down if a union/management standoff cannot be resolved. Even Plainfield's blogs, once numbered in dozens, have dwindled to a bare handful.

Feeding at the public trough is a longtime Jersey tradition, explored both in a book and a documentary titled "The Soprano State."  Reporter Bob Ingle co-authored the book with Sandy McClure and Ingle continues to monitor corruption in his column.

When fiscal missteps go on to reach the level of crime, you can read about it here.More often, once a situation is exposed, officials take steps to correct it. That is likely to be the outcome with the school district's oversight of legal fees, as it was with PMUA's food and travel policies. The city is still at a disadvantage in not having a chief financial officer, except for the part-time services of one serving full-time as CFO and business administrator in a neighboring municipality.

Who will be the next generation of watchdogs?  Anyone who is willing to attend public meetings, read documents, check the law, ask questions and challenge authority. You don't even need a cape or a lightsaber, just a notebook and a pen.

--Bernice