Trust Must be Regained to Move Wayne County Forward

Government cannot endure without some form of trust among the elected officials and by the taxpayers who voted for them.

The past decade’s trend of elected officials and their appointees taking advantage of taxpayers, contractors and public resources is not only unethical and many times illegal, it creates the perception that Wayne County only has self-serving leaders. I caution anyone from throwing a blanket statement like this out there over all elected officials and government employees.

As a county elected official and a lifelong Wayne County resident, I am concerned and frustrated about the recent events that have surfaced in the news media.

An umbrella of distraction in Wayne County, resulting from allegations of wrong-doing and what else may be hidden, is redirecting time and limited resources away from providing services to taxpayers. It’s time for Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano to sit down with the entire Commission and lay everything out that has occurred and is expected to happen. Everyone must be on the same page. Ficano needs to stop spoon feeding us the truth as the news media uncovers it. Tell the whole truth to the Commission members and more importantly, to the taxpayers.

Now is the time to eliminate the mistrust and lack of transparency – bring new cooperation among elected officials.

There is no concrete evidence that Ficano has taken any illegal action. My reaction would be even more drastic if the FBI publicly announced he is a target of an investigation. However, the allegations within his administration do make us question his leadership and managerial capabilities.

The executive branch and legislative bodies in local, state and federal governments have frequent disagreements due to the nature of varying perspectives and priorities. What they do have is trust among one another that nothing will be hidden. Certainly disagreements will occur with Ficano, but the valid concern and frustration is the hidden actions taken by staff within his administration.

The max exodus of key personnel from the Ficano Administration is also a concern. The investigation has cost him half of his inner circle staff. Some of our best people are resigning and more are planning to leave shortly so their association with the administration will not tarnish their image and affect future careers. Until the allegations are resolved and everything is revealed it will be difficult to find qualified people to fill those key county government positions, since they serve at the pleasure of the County Executive whose own employment has the perception of being short-lived.

While I urge the Ficano Administration to come to the table, I remain focused on the business that I was elected to perform by the residents of Belleville, Canton Township, Sumpter Township, Van Buren Township and Wayne. The distractions will not roadblock me from focusing on improving the infrastructure, parks and recreation, youth programs, and senior services that citizens and businesses well deserve.

An example of recent developments is the public-private partnership to improve a high-traffic and dangerous intersection in Van Buren Township (Ecorse at Belleville Road), utilizing federal road funds, and county and local economic development funds. This is an example of Van Buren elected officials working with county, state and federal officials and the Van Buren Downtown Development Authority (DDA) for a multi-million dollar road fix. This project will happen along with other road improvements and the enhancements we are making to parks across the area.

We will move forward, and we will make Wayne County an ideal place for families to live, work and play.

Follow me on Twitter @mcnamarawayne.

Kevin M. McNamara
Wayne County Commissioner