Heather Mowat’s background in finance would indicate that she’s a competent
individual quite capable of handling accounting duties for the town of New
Hartford.
But the job creation and hiring process involving the position
once again raises public doubt whether the town is being run
professionally.
Clearly there needs to be more accountability by town
leaders.
Mowat was hired last week after she said she found out from a
May 20 story in the O-D that the town was looking to hire a comptroller to get
its finances in order. Several days earlier, an O-D report showed that the
town’s main rainy day fund had dropped from $2.8 million to just $250,000 since
2006, when Earle Reed took over as supervisor. In a subsequent report, Reed
acknowledged that he “dropped the ball” and took full responsibility for the
financial problems. He said he wanted to hire a comptroller to get the town’s
finances back on track.
But the job never was formally advertised. Town
Councilwoman Christine Krupa said Mowat was one of four people interviewed,
adding that the town received between 10 and 15 resumes. Some applicants had
seen the O-D story; others had been recommended by word of mouth within the
accounting community, Krupa said.
No one disputes Mowat’s qualifications.
She most recently worked as a principal analyst for the New York State Senate
Finance Committee in Albany from 2003 to 2008, and was budget director for the
city of Utica from 2000 to 2003. She also served as New Hartford’s comptroller
in 1997 and 1998.
But public jobs are public business. It’s only fair
that taxpayers — some of whom may be well qualified for the position, too — have
equal access to them. It’s also in the best interest of those taxpayers that
elected leaders make absolutely certain the very best candidate is hired. Maybe
that’s Mowat, maybe it’s not.
To make matters worse, the public didn’t
even learn that the job had been created until it had been filled.
The
Town Board discussed the matter publicly for the first time last Wednesday
night, when it hired Mowat.
That in itself could suggest some sort of
backroom deal, especially given that a review of state campaign finance
disclosure records shows Mowat has given hundreds of dollars this decade to
Republican committees and candidates. New Hartford town government is
predominently Republican.
Certainly any decision to create a public
position should have been made publicly before the hiring process began.
Furthermore, a government already facing a skeptical public after mishandling
more than $2 million should be doing everything possible to level with
taxpayers.
This process fell far short of that and does little to
restore public confidence.
