WHISTLEBLOWERS, AS the country has become all too keenly aware, help serve the public interest when they stick their necks out to report wrongdoing in government. That, though, assumes that their complaints are actually investigated and not ignored. So, D.C. residents should be alarmed by a report that alleges that the agency charged with handling these critical issues in the District may not be up to the job.
A report issued this month by D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson faults the D.C. Board of Ethics and Governmental Accountability (BEGA) for its failure to investigate a 2018 complaint from a city employee alleging public housing funds were improperly steered to a developer with political connections. The employee twice contacted the agency and despite a referral from the Office of the Inspector General and an inquiry from a council member’s office, no action was taken until Ms. Patterson asked about it this year, according to the report.
BEGA acknowledged it had mishandled the complaint, which is now under investigation; it blamed the failure on “flawed processes and human error” but called it an “aberration.” The auditor disagreed, citing what she saw as a pattern of dysfunction. “BEGA itself is not performing to the highest ethical standards nor fulfilling its safe harbor role,” Ms. Patterson wrote. That a former BEGA employee played a critical role in the audit has raised some concerns about its objectivity, but this is not the first time questions have been raised about the competence of the agency.
The agency needlessly dragged out its investigation of the former schools chancellor whose daughter was given preferential admission to a desirable high school, and it sat on its hands as questions mounted about the conduct of council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2). We previously lamented what we saw as a loss of vigor in an agency that showed great promise in its early years. We are glad the mayor and council finally acted to put in place a full complement of board members but questions, as evidenced by this troubling report, persist. D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), whose committee has oversight of the agency, will hold a roundtable event Nov. 21 that hopefully will get to the bottom of what is happening at the agency — and whether changes are needed.
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