Good afternoon,
In the wake of a low-grade license suspension scandal involving Delaware State Treasurer-Elect Colleen Davis, we have heard little from Kathy McGuiness who won the race for State Auditor in a Democratic sweep.
Davis decided to keep the soap opera going to trial over a sloppy driving record that is hard to explain away.
We did learn through an article in the Daily Times (Delmarva Now that McGuiness, an ambitious former Rehoboth Commissioner, plans a restructuring of the office that has her Democratic primary opponent Kathleen Davies returning to her post.
Outgoing Republican State Auditor Tom Wagner had sacked Davies, only to see a state board order her return to a key post at the auditor’s office. Proceedings are confidential and we have few public insights into the reasons behind Wagner’s actions.
McGuiness will oversee a key watchdog office that has become more toothless over the years, due to a lack of staff. Worse yet, recent departures have made the situation worse, something Wagner acknowledged in the story.
Critics have claimed that the affable Wagner did not fight hard enough to retain staff during periods when the General Assembly was demanding budget cuts.
While Wagner was said to be fairly popular in Legislative Hall, he was not immune from nervous Democrats wary of a more aggressive audit schedule of well-connected organizations.
One would guess that Davies will end up with another position in state government, but McGuiness will still have to fill staff vacancies and get the office back on track.
A long-term goal should be a more proactive auditing effort that ferrets out questionable practices sooner rather than later.
Enjoy the crisp and clear (for now) weather. The newsletter returns tomorrow. – Doug Rainey, publisher.
