Updating our entry yesterday titled "Daniels appoints four more men to top state positions" (scroll down three entries) are several stories in this morning's publications.
"Daniels names scandal buster: Clay County prosecutor to become state watchdog; governor-elect also fills 3 other law enforcement jobs" is the headline to this story by John Strauss in the Indianapolis Star. Some quotes:
Gov.-elect Mitch Daniels, who campaigned on a pledge to end a "string of scandals" in state government, on Wednesday named four key law enforcement officials to his administration, including the new position of inspector general. Daniels appointed David Thomas, 43, Brazil, the Clay County prosecutor, to be the state's chief government watchdog, reporting directly to Daniels. "We will be very intent on rooting out either misspending or actual misconduct," Daniels said. "We've seen plenty of both, and nobody's been in there looking." * * *Lesley Stedman Weidenbener of the Louisville Courier Journal reports:Daniels announced the appointments at a news conference at the Indianapolis Fire Fighters Union Local 416 hall, 748 Massachusetts Ave. The governor-elect, standing in the hall's museum among vintage firetrucks, said he planned to name commissioners of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Department of Correction by the end of next week.
"IDEM is a critical agency for reform if we're going to grow jobs and income in this state," he said. "We've got to get quicker (in regulatory actions). We've got to get more sensitive to the need for more Hoosiers to be working at better-paying jobs."
Daniels said that the inspector general will report directly to him and that the office will likely be combined with the state ethics commission.Here is the revised organization chart, prepared by the ILB, including the latest announcements.A staff for the new agency will be assembled by pulling talent from other agencies, Daniels said. An accountant or two likely will be taken from the State Board of Accounts to work on the investigations team, the governor-elect said.
"We intend to invest David [Thomas of Brazil] with the authority, resources and support to ensure the citizens of Indiana that if anybody is abusing the public trust, they're not going to get away with it for long," he said.
Republicans have long called for such an office, but Democrats — who until November controlled the Indiana House — were reluctant to create one. Daniels plans to do so by executive order, without approval from lawmakers.
Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, chairman of the Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee, said yesterday the inspector general will be helpful for both exposing fraud and abuse and for uncovering wasteful spending.
"Everything you can do to focus on a daily basis on what problems we have is a good idea," Kenley said. "There may be a time when this office is no longer needed, but right now it will be an important part of finding out our problems."
The Evansville Courier&Press story this morning, by Jennifer Whitson, focuses less on the new inspector general and more on the new Indiana State Police superintendent. So does the story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette by Dan Stockman, which begins:
Gov.-elect Mitch Daniels has named a member of the Fort Wayne Police Department to be new superintendent of the Indiana State Police.[More] Here is the Daniels' staff press release on the law enforcement appointments, headlined "Governor-elect Mitch Daniels Calls Upon Hoosiers from Ft. Wayne, Lafayette, Brazil, and Columbus to Lead Public Safety Departments." Posted by Marcia Oddi at December 23, 2004 06:49 AMPaul Whitesell, 53, is a member of Police Chief Rusty York’s staff, where he oversees training and is an in-house police psychologist. As superintendent of the state police, he’ll oversee about 1,300 state troopers.
Whitesell has a bachelor’s degree in police administration from Indiana University, a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Saint Francis and a doctorate in human services from Walden University. He is a 30-year police veteran and renowned trainer for the U.S. military, federal law enforcement agencies, and state and local police departments. He has served as a lieutenant at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, worked eight years with the Indiana State Police, and was the team leader of the SWAT teams for the Allen County Sheriff’s Department and the state police.