Posted: Wednesday, 06 May 2009 11:32AM
Sitting At A Desk Is A Good Place To Start
Steve Corbett Reporting
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
If nothing else, Luzerne County President Judge Chester Muroski called county Clerk of Courts Bob Reilly into his chambers and read him the riot act. Even if Muroski dealt with Reilly in his normally soft-spoken way, the judge made it clear that Reilly’s behavior is not acceptable.
Muroski even issued a press release.
But Reilly might be beyond embarrassment.
In a newspaper article in today’s Citizens Voice, he is quoted as saying that my outing him as selling cars at a Wilkes-Barre dealership during courthouse operating hours is much ado about nothing.
“Personally, I think it’s politically motivated,” Reilly is quoted as saying about my criticism after I reached him at the car lot last Friday morning at 10:26.
“All of a sudden this comes up when it’s never been an issue before,” Reilly said in the Voice story.
If fighting for good government makes me political, then I’m guilty as charged and proud of it.
Reilly has outlived his usefulness as a public servant. After 22 years as clerk of courts, he is as much a political animal as the courthouse mice - and about as helpful in upholding the public trust.
And even though Reilly is not up for re-election this year, voters should eject him from office should he decide to ask the people for another term.
Instead of saying he is sorry and promising not to do it again, Reilly offered a lame justification for his absence from the courthouse on Friday. Still, he promised to do his job and be available during the day at his county office, according to Muroski’s press release.
We’ll be watching.
We’ll also be keeping an eye on Deputy Recorder of Deeds Mark Carey whom I reached at his Avoca insurance company yesterday afternoon at 2:30. Carey is a full-time county worker who is paid $41,200 a year plus benefits.
Recorder of Deeds James “Red” O’Brien hired Carey after Carey headed up O’Brien’s campaign for public office out of the same insurance office where he was working yesterday when I called.
Carey said he was busy and couldn’t talk but said he’d try to call “Corbett” when he got back to the courthouse at about 3:30. Like Reilly, Carey failed to keep his word.
Also like Reilly, Carey’s whereabouts have been discussed for months by county workers and voters who accuse him of not putting in a full day’s work for a full day’s pay at his public service job. Tipsters alerted me to where I could find both men during courthouse hours. And both men were exactly where I was told they would be.
And Carey isn’t even an elected official.
Yet, confusion reigns about work requirements for him as well as Reilly.
Elected row officers like Reilly apparently make their own rules about the number of hours they work at their elected duties. They also apparently take off whenever they choose since no rules exist that govern their vacation time, personal leave or sick days.
Reilly’s biggest perk might be that theoretically he doesn’t have to come to work at all.
A worker at the county human resources office told me yesterday that Carey’s boss determines what time off Carey is granted. That makes no sense, either.
Strict rules and regulations about public service must be instituted at the Luzerne County Courthouse. County commissioners must publicly address the matter as soon as possible and formulate a fair, honest policy.
“Sitting at a desk for eight hours doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing your job,” Reilly said in the Voice article.
Still, sitting at your desk in a cash-strapped county is a good place to start and is better than a car lot for doing the people’s business.
The FBI, the agency that’s responsible for fighting public corruption, must also clearly spell out what constitutes theft of honest services. If picking up a public paycheck in exchange for hours not worked constitutes a crime, then the FBI must enforce the law.
A former federal prosecutor recently said on “Corbett” that prosecutors have great discretion in deciding what constitutes theft of honest services.
Good.
They should use it.
The public trust depends on it.
Honesty is the best public policy.
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