Original Event Post...

The public is cordially invited to all LWVNCC Hot Topic webinars, held periodically via Zoom web conference, to learn about issues of interest to the community.

January Topic: creation of a DE Inspector General's Office

Keith Steck, President of the Delaware Coalition for Open Government (DelCOG) will be our guest speaker for the January 2022 Hot Topic, on the topic of a proposed Inspector General's office for Delaware. There's been a lot of buzz in the community about this idea, particularly given the recent criminal charges raised against the State Auditor's office.

DelCOG has proposed the creation of an Office of Inspector General to investigate waste, fraud, abuse, and other shortcomings in state government and organizations funded by the state. As DelCOG envisions the OIG, an appointed Inspector General with relevant experience would head the office. The Office would complement but not compete with the attorney general's office and the office of the state auditor. Leads could come from a broad range of sources, including whistleblowers, state employees, and contract employees.

Mr. Steck, the new president of DelCOG, has first-hand experience working for an inspector general and the organizational structure and operations of an OIG, an office which two-thirds of other US states already have. He will provide a brief overview to the League of DelCOG's proposal and an update on the status of the proposal.

Please pre-register for the meeting using the link provided above.

About Our Speaker

Keith Steck has been a Delaware resident for over 25 years, the last 10 of them in Sussex County. He is a US military veteran, retired from a federal legislative branch agency--Government Accountability Office (GAO). For the majority of his career he was a senior analyst and did investigative work the last few years, including the last 3 years in GAO’s Inspector General’s Office. He received his Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree (BSFS) from Georgetown University and a Master’s in Governmental Administration (MGA) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Since 2017, Keith has been actively involved in fighting water contamination and overdevelopment in Sussex County in conjunction with a range of community and environmental groups. Since 2018, he has been a member of the Delaware Coalition for Open Government - DelCOG - that focuses on open government and public access to public records and other information.