Promises Made, Promises Broken

At today’s (Monday) Board of Selectmen meeting we’ll hear about a little-known investigation into policy violations and potential abuses of Town credit card usage by Town employees.

By way of background, in February 2020, as part of a routine audit examining employee use of credit cards, the Town’s internal auditor uncovered concerning misuses and policy violations. As a result, the Town developed new policies and committed to adhering to them. However, we’ve recently learned that many of these policies were allegedly ignored or abused without consequence.

To wit, in June 2022, a private citizen seeking proof employees (and thereby the Town) were in compliance with these policies, requested to examine Town credit card statements, as is her (and every citizen’s) right under the Freedom of Information Act.

After months of delays and obfuscation, the citizen was granted limited access to partial credit card statements which revealed concerning information. Her findings ultimately prompted the Administration to launch an internal investigation of its own policy compliance.

Given the widespread distribution and use of Town credit cards, an investigation like this involves employees at different levels of influence and seniority. If policies were violated, senior members of the Administration responsible for their oversight and enforcement may be implicated. For this reason, best practice would have been for the Administration to employ an independent audit firm, one free from bias. Instead, the investigation was led by the Town’s Director of Human Resources, who reports directly to the First Selectwoman and is a contributor to her re-election campaign.

I’m not suggesting this investigation lacked integrity, nor am I suggesting the head of HR violated any laws by contributing to the First Selectwoman’s campaign, but any review of Town policies and procedures should be free of conflicts of interest in both fact AND appearance.

This internal investigation took almost eight months and was concluded more than a year after the private citizen came forward. Why did it take so long? What did this investigation uncover that is different from the audit done in 2020? What are the financial implications to the Town as a result of any violations? What were the consequences of any abuses? Is the Town investigating whether the numerous other issues raised by auditors - i.e. around purchasing, bidding practices and financial control failures – have been similarly ignored? These are just a sampling of the many questions we deserve answers to.

Four years ago, the First Selectwoman ran on a promise of cleaning up Town government and restoring the public’s trust in it. Fairfield residents were promised a government that was transparent in substance, not just in form. We were assured that lax oversight and abuse of policies without consequence were things of the past. Alas, from where I sit — that is to say, as the Minority Selectman — it appears the Administration has fallen short on those promises again and again.

I’ve had a four year, front row seat as the current Administration has deflected blame on a number of issues. Based on what I’ve experienced, I have very little confidence that the presentation at our Board of Selectmen meeting will yield answers or be the impetus for necessary and long overdue change.

Perhaps the best I can hope for is public awareness of the broader implications of the specific issue of alleged credit card misuse.

Nancy Lefkowitz
Selectman
Town of Fairfield