Impotent ethics policy should be dumped

Now that Greene County’s nepotism policy will stand in the wake of Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley’s hiring of his son, lawmakers are discussing how the county should address such situations in the future. The answer is this: Had the Legislature followed its own policy, the situation would have been addressed eight months ago. The future should have started then.

A notable quote from Legislator Harry Lennon, a Cairo Democrat, neatly states the problem and the solution. Lennon thought the hiring process should have been more transparent. “Whenever there is an appearance of impropriety, you must disclose it immediately,” he said. Taking this a step further, there was an appearance of impropriety, but the Legislature fumbled the ball and disclosed it twice in contradictory terms.

In July, Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said Matthew Seeley could not be hired until his father retired as sheriff, according to the current policy. Yet Groden later confirmed that Matthew Seeley was hired as a provisional employee in May, two months earlier.

“Matthew Seeley is employed as a provisional employee, pending his completion and successful scoring of a civil service exam,” Groden said. “If he passes the exam and is reachable, meaning he must score in the top three spots, he will be appointed as a permanent employee.” Then there was this from Groden: “Provisional status is very common in governmental employment as civil service tests are only given infrequently and eligible lists have expiration dates.”

Now, here comes the punch line: Although the hiring was a violation of the administrative manual, it is not something that can be enforced, Groden said.

Did Groden call the hiring a violation of the policy and then say it can’t be enforced?

If that is correct, and it certainly seems so, the Legislature is wielding an impotent policy to address significant ethical matters. What’s needed here is a nepotism policy with teeth, rather than a policy that can’t be enforced even where there are clear violations.

The Legislature can’t afford to stand pat with a losing hand. We need lawmakers who will make the hard choice of either drafting a new and enforceable policy or eliminate the current lifeless policy for good and handle ethical matters case by case.

We’re sure Matthew Seeley is a worthy and qualified employee, but he should have been hired on Jan. 1, the day his father retired from office, to avoid all appearances of impropriety. Legislator Michael Bulich, a Catskill Republican, asked if the county needed something in place to prevent these situations. Yes, a firm hand and a policy that carries weight.